Dr. Sayaka has literally been nothing short of a LIFE CHANGER for my husband and I, individually…read moreand as a married couple together. I am aware her main focus is sexual therapy, but she's also an excellent individual and couples relationship therapist, so please consider her if you need that, as well. A note for those afraid of or think therapy is not for them: Luckily, my husband and I have never had hangups about seeking professional assistance off and on when we get "stuck." We've seen a variety of therapists throughout our relationship from about year #2 on. That sounds like we have major issues, but we really don't. We are 16+ years into our very happy and successful monogamous relationship. We love and respect each other, we are each others' best friend, and we enjoy each other's company more than anyone else's on this planet - and always have. We live, work, and spend ~23 hours of every day together - BY CHOICE. No relationship is or can be perfect, but that hasn't stopped us from trying! When we identify an issue that keeps popping up and can't seem to work it out ourselves, we seek help to get past it. We love and respect each other so much that we know it is important. We aren't egotistical enough to think going to therapy is weak or that if we can't work it out on our own, it is not meant to be. We realize that couples who have issues and choose NOT to seek help are the ones that don't value their relationship. We value ours so much that seeking help is a no-brainer and it has always served us well. Having said that, of all the therapists we have seen, Dr. Sayaka has been the best, hands down. She has helped us both individually and in sessions together to fix some MAJOR life-long issues we each have that affected our relationship together and with others. There has to come a time when you "graduate," as she calls it, and while we both would still enjoy fine tuning ALL of our issues, Dr. Sayaka gleefully told us one day that we've graduated and there is no need to come in for regular sessions anymore. In our experience, this is unheard of; almost all therapists are happy to continue to take your money as long as you want to give it. Dr. Sayaka was goal oriented in her approach and knew further sessions would have diminishing returns since we had both grown so much individually and together over the 1.5 year we spent with her. She pushed us out of her nest! Between the two of us, we worked on issues such as letting go of childhood trauma, abandonment issues, alcoholic tendencies, anger, unrealistic expectations, getting closer and deeper emotionally, being vulnerable in general and with others, trust, not needing other's approval and wanting everyone to like you, respecting individual time/needs, perfectionism, and more. We covered a lot of ground and we each have grown a TON. And, so yes, sex is also much better since we are closer. It's all actually pretty amazing. You have to be willing to show up, do the work, and be active in your growth along the way to see the amount of change we have seen. But, it's worth the investment in time and money if you are at a point where you are ready for REAL change. Many people WANT change, but aren't willing to work for it or move through the uncomfortableness needed to achieve it. We were both there and willing, so we saw the results with her guiding us every step of the way. Now that we have graduated, we still practice the homework she assigned us, which is key to having lasting results. We love it though and it doesn't feel like homework; it feels like we get to play fun games together and benefit from them - a win-win! We even proactively share some of the exercises with our friends because we have seen such amazing results from them. I could go on and on about Dr. Sayaka, but in short, if you're stuck, you want change, are willing to work for it, and don't know where to start...RUN (don't walk) to Dr. Sayaka. She will greet you with her warm compassion and smile. She will be direct, present and compassionate. She will sit silently holding a space for you as long as you need and even cry with you through the uncomfortable times and the great breakthroughs. She is emotionally intelligent, as well as very intuitive. She is NOT a normal therapist; I'd put her up against anyone out there...and I have been to MANY therapists in the past. She is the one who has "fixed" us, individually and together, for now. We both have an easily accessible armory of tools to refer to when our instincts kick back in and we could not be more grateful to her for that. Will we likely see her again? Yes. Because we don't have expectations we won't have something in 5 or 10 years that comes up as our lives change that will benefit from an outside impartial professional. But, I can honestly say that I look forward to that day. If you are not growing and changing for the better, what are you doing with your life? And with growth, comes growing pains. It's OK. GO SEE HER.

OMG! Doctor Sayaka has transformed our marriage. "You don't know what you don't know" was the adage…read moreI leaned on when we sought a sex therapist to see what we could learn. Wow, our expectations have been far exceeded. If you live anywhere in San Diego county, you should book a session with Dr Sayaka.

Doc is amazing! He really helped me out a lot when I was in a tough spot. I can't say enough good…read morethings about my experience working with him.

I have been working with Dr. Dean for almost 8 years now & he has/is truly amazing. I was initially…read moresent to him by the court, & loved working with him so much that I continue to see him regularly 8 years later. He truly cares about you & wants you to succeed in life. He has been my biggest supporter since I met him. Had it not been for him, I believe I would have gone down a completely different path. I cannot recommend him enough. I am forever grateful for him. Thank you Dr. Dean for everything!

Within only a few sessions of working with Portia, I already felt invigorated with new possibility…read more And every session after that I grew more and more. I was feeling trapped and stuck, unable to see any other options for my situation. And with such grace, Portia was able to help me see where I could focus on myself and my own story and beliefs to find freedom and be in control of the situation. She helped me also to come up with an effective way to communicate with others that really opened up the possibility in the relationship instead of creating a bad relationship. What a relief that was! I feel liberated and a renewed sense of having my life the way I want it. It is funny to say that it now seems such an obvious way to go but I just couldn't without Portia really bringing it to life. She helped me take responsibility for what ever way I contributed to my situation which gave me the empowerment to change it! I feel so much better! I feel a sense of freedom and renewed excitement I can have the lifestyle I want. She really helped me to understand and grasp that I have a choice to create the life I want. She helped me really embrace that I am not responsible for other peoples' experience. And helped me to recognize that feeling stuck or angry with someone is actually a clue for me to look inward to see what decisions or choices I might be making that are not feeling good. And then I can change that! Portia gets straight to the point with amazing grace and hones in on what is really going on and how you can take back control of your life! She is amazing!

There is so much to say about Portia and how amazing she is. Her broad range of knowledge and…read morepersonal experience truly makes her unique. What differentiates Portia is her in depth life and business experience, it allows her to truly understand what's realistic and unrealistic. Portia has a non conventional way of supporting me, where every session is tailored to addressing whatever is present whether it be personal, emotional, business issues, partnership disputes or anything else. As a successful business owner with a tremendous amount of pressure, it's nice to have someone in my corner who truly cares and finds realistic solutions without imposing them. Portia gets to the root of the problem. Sometimes you think you know what the issue is but once you dive in it brings to light what's underneath. At first I truly thought this was something I didn't have time for and something I didn't want to necessarily invest in. However, I quickly realized that it is an investment in myself that I can't afford not to make.

Such a welcoming and thoughtful therapy office for kids, teens, and families. The space is inviting…read moreand well-equipped for younger clients, and the staff is compassionate and professional. You can tell they truly care about the well-being of every client. Highly recommend!

I would never ever recommend this practice to anyone. First, they put my daughter, who needed…read moresomeone strong, with a student counselor and didn't even tell us they were going to do that. When I found out she was with a student therapist. Then we scheduled family therapy and on the day of the appointment, they canceled WITHOUT TELLING ME citing that they didn't have informed consent from my ex-husband and the kids dad. I had spoken with them at 9:30 in the morning and let them know I couldn't speak at that point they agreed to call me back between three and four. I never received a call during that time so I called at 4:15 and left a message. How in the world can they not have informed consent but be treating both kids for two months? So we ended up being in the lobby of their office and finding out that we had a canceled appointment. The person said she tried to call, but I also checked my phone records even called AT&T And no call was placed. She said she conveniently did not leave a voicemail. When dealing with mental health, you need people who are truly going to be advocates and on your side. The care I've seen my daughter receive, and their lack of ability to communicate with clients is just the tip of the iceberg of why I don't recommend them.