How to start therapy with us

intake process

First step

Call for a phone screening

Since we do have certain areas of clinical specialization, it’s important to briefly learn about what you are looking for and assess if we do have the expertise or availability to fulfill your therapy needs.

Second step

Schedule online an intake/consultation session (s)

Based on our phone conversation, and if we both agreed that there is an opportunity for us to work together, we’ll invite you to schedule an intake session by simply clicking HERE.

Third step

Meet us for intake session

The intake process lasts between 1 to 2 sessions, and usually each one of these sessions last 90-minutes. The purpose of these meetings is to fully understand what prompts you in to therapy and learn together in detail about the difficulties you’re struggling with. Prior to the intake session(s) you will be asked to complete a clinical questionnaire that gathers detailed information about the particular issues you are dealing with, general psychological history, and specific expectations for therapy. At the end of the intake session(s) we’ll share with you our treatment recommendations that will effectively respond to your needs. If other referrals are necessary (e.g. psychiatrists, intense treatments, etc.) we’ll do our best to provide you with information for those resources.

Fourth step

Receive your treatment recommendations

Make an informed decision.
After we meet face-to-face for an intake, and you hear our clinical recommendations, then you can make an informed decision about therapy services.

Latest tips

tips

Dr. Z and Seth Gillihan

by ebbehaviortherapycenter | Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Behavior change

"You must be vulnerable to be sensitive to reality. And to me being vulnerable is just another way of saying that one has nothing more to lose. I don’t have anything but darkness to lose. I’m way beyond that." - Bob Dylan. We often play-it-safe by hiding, avoiding,...

Dr. Z and Chris Martin

by ebbehaviortherapycenter | Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Behavior change

As Chris Martin would say, the curiosity didn't kill the cat. In fact, she's alive and well." Today, I'm sharing with you an interview with Chris Martin, a content producer and creativity coach who helps people unleash their creative fire by transforming imaginative...

Dr. Z on shifting from disengagement to engagement!

by ebbehaviortherapycenter | Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Behavior change

As a species, we are hardwired to avoid, control, and escape whatever makes us uncomfortable. That’s natural and expected. To avoid is to be human. But what happens when we avoid things that we care about because they make us uncomfortable or sad? What happens when we...

Dr. Z and Debbie Sorensen

by ebbehaviortherapycenter | Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Behavior change

How often do you play-it-safe by minimizing what's important to you and avoiding conversations? In this conversation, I interview Debbie Sorensen, a clinical psychologist, co-author of the book ACT daily Journal, and co-host of the psychology podcast Psychologists Off...

Dr. Z on Choices

by ebbehaviortherapycenter | Behavior change

Imagine what would happen if you made choices to give just 10% more of yourself to your career? Imagine if you make choices to give just 15% more of yourself to your relationships? Imagine how your life would change if you make choices to give 20% more to your health?...

Dr. Z and Paul Ollinger

by ebbehaviortherapycenter | Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Behavior change, Uncategorized, Values

One way in which we play-it-safe is by “discounting what’s important to us or minimizing our needs.” Of course, in relationships sometimes we prioritize the relationships’ needs versus our individual needs. And yet, if this playing-it-safe move goes unchecked we may...

Intensive Outpatient Program

reset program

Our intensive program will teach you all skills you need to get unstuck from worries, fears, anxieties, and obsessions and get back into your life.

You can learn cutting-edge skills 1-1, in a personalized program, with a flexible schedule, and under the care of expert hands.

Learn more about our IOP program

Online courses

online education

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
and Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) skills for
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

OCD

Obsessions + compulsions + avoidance = restricted life

I'm afraid of hitting someone in the street if I don't pay attention when driving. I cannot let go of this awful feeling that comes when I don't share everything with some people. If I don't hear from others that I didn't do anything cruel to my kitty, I cannot leave the house. Would I feel love when I die?

click here →

Why our clients love working with us

testimonials

"I am very grateful for finding Dr Zurita. She is responsible for teaching my son skills that have changed his life socially and enabled him to leave home and attend an out-of-state university. This was the dream of a lifetime for him and it would not have been possible without her help. Her guidance has also made it possible for him to live a much richer life, full of experiences he would have never considered, prior to his time meeting with Dr. Zurita.

I encourage parents to start this process much sooner, if they sense their child is having difficulty at a social level. Had I understood what he has been going through all of these years, I would have started the process much earlier, so that his prior social experiences and especially those in school, would have been much fuller ....

"Working with Patricia Zurita Ona has changed and saved my life. I have struggled off and on for years with sever anxiety disorder and OCD . I have been to therapy throughout the years and have found some helpful but nothing really got to the core of the problem. I often felt crazy and that my incredible fear and my phobias would remain with me thorough my life, I would not drive on the freeway, eat certain things and had constant catastrophic thinking, thus creating a lot of depression.

I needed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy which I saw advertised on many therapists’ websites. When I would call most of them they said they offered it and specialized with Anxiety Disorder/ OCD which was not the case. I had felt alone, hopeless and frustrated for the past 9 years. Never feeling like I was getting the help I needed. It was not until I started meeting with Patricia that I actually started to feel better and feel as if I had control over my life and started to live again ...

“Patricia and her team have completely changed my life! I cannot express my gratitude enough.

She helped me craft values and goals I wanted to have in my relationships, and walked me through each step of how to get there. Her methods are simple, manageable, and make sense when you are upset. I’ve been to therapists who have told me to take deep breaths, visualize calming colors, rip paper, go for a walk or scream in to a pillow when im angry. But in the moment, when im soooo angry, none of these world work. I would forget to do them, or I would already be so angry, that they were ineffective to help me calm down. Patricia’s methods are not only EXTREMELY effective, but they are easy to do, they make sense in the moment, and they bring about radical change when you apply them ...

“I do not know how it reflects on my credibility should I happen to brag about being a seasoned vet when it comes to therapists and mental wellness pursuits. Regardless, I am. And on top of that, I also happen to be a health care practitioner myself. This means, for the purposes of a review, that when I walk into a new Doctor’s office, there is an additional dimension of critiquing for me to process. I would never willingly put myself under the guidance and care of a Doctor who did not 1) Impress me as a capable and honest caregiver and 2) Impress me as a professional colleague.

– Empathy
– Knowledge
– Professionalism
– Respect

I think that these are the basic bulletpoints that strike me when I consider why I think so highly of Patricia. Dr. Zurita takes NOTHING more seriously than the pursuit of her profession. Except possibly you, the patient.

Some therapists really care.

Other therapists are extremely knowledgeable.

Very few therapists are both. Patricia Zurita Ona is one of those very few.”

"I have referred several of my most challenging patients to Dr. Patricia Zurita-Ona, and been extremely impressed both with her clinical skills and humanity. I recommend her most highly. John Melbourne McGraw, M.D. melmcgraw.net."

“Dr. Patricia Zurita Ona truly cares about her clients. Behavior therapy with her has benefited myself and my husband regarding my obsessive compulsive behavior. She has a gentle and kind approach and I would recommend her to others.”

“I was referred to Patricia Zurita Ona from my son’s psychiatrist for cognitive behavioral therapy treatment of his obsessive compulsive disorder (ocd) and anxiety which rose to a level which was out of control. Dr. Zurita Ona is very skilled at working with teens who suffer from anxiety, especially related to academic success and test anxiety. She helped my son learn coping mechanisms and stress reducing strategies to control his level of anxiety. Dr. Zurita Ona introduced my son to a great stress relieving app which involves deep breathing and meditation. She has an amazing ability to connect with teens and get them to open up about their struggles, create realistic plans of attack and create goals so they can lead joyful lives and not be so burdened with their stress. We saw her weekly for about 1-2 years and my son’s sessions with her were very beneficial to not only him, but our entire family as his stress was causing tension for us all. Dr. Zurita Ona explained to me why my son had certain behaviors and ways to help him learn new strategies to cope with his anxiety. If you have a teen who needs help to learn how to manage and control stress and anxiety, schedule a session with Dr. Zurita Ona! I highly recommend her services!”