Therapist in Bonita CA | CBT for postpartum depression & bilingual therapy
This is a small enough community that the same trail, the same market, and the same familiar faces show up again and again, which makes privacy feel both easy and complicated at once. My practice offers postpartum and new madrehood therapy for Latina, first generation, and BIPOC mothers who want support without the exposure of a small town grapevine. This is also the community where I personally live and raise my own family, so my understanding of it is not academic.
Bonita is a quiet, semi rural pocket tucked into a canyon between Chula Vista and National City, known for its horse properties, the Sweetwater River, and a slower pace than much of the rest of San Diego County. Many families here have lived in the area for generations, with roots that stretch back through National City and into Mexico, while others have moved in more recently drawn by the quiet. The canyon setting itself, with its eucalyptus trees and open land, offers a kind of stillness that can feel healing on its own.
In a small community, needing support can feel like it comes with an audience, especially when everyone seems to know everyone else's business. Postpartum anxiety and identity loss do not disappear just because the setting is peaceful, and sometimes the quiet only makes the internal noise more obvious. What brings mothers here is a space that offers real privacy alongside real understanding of small town life.

How it works

My work begins with the belief that healing does not require choosing between privacy and connection, even in a town this small. Sessions bring together clinical training, ancestral wisdom, mindfulness, and radical compassion, offered virtually so nothing about your visit needs to be seen by anyone in the market parking lot. Living here myself, I understand exactly what discretion actually needs to look like.
A philosophy rooted in genuine local understanding
We begin with a relaxed, unhurried conversation about what has been weighing on you, entirely online and entirely private. There is nothing to prepare and nothing anyone else in town needs to know about. By the end, you will have a clear sense of whether this feels like the right fit.
A first conversation held with real privacy
From there, sessions unfold using tools rooted in nervous system support, cultural validation, and self compassion, always shaped around the reality of living somewhere this close knit. Over time, many mothers describe feeling steadier and more like themselves, without a single neighbor ever needing to know why. What you build here tends to stay useful long after our sessions end.
Support that fits quietly into small town life

EXPLORE MY SERVICES

Postpartum therapy holds space for the mother who feels like everyone in town can see her struggling, even when no one has said a word. It welcomes exhaustion and deep love for her baby without asking her to explain either one publicly. Many mothers first notice relief in finally having a space that does not exist inside the small town grapevine. The pressure to appear perfectly put together at the market or the school pickup line begins to soften. We explore identity, quiet grief, and the emotional weight of caretaking in a place where everyone seems to know everyone, with sessions held entirely virtually and privately.
CBT for postpartum depression is for the mother whose thoughts turn critical the moment she imagines what a neighbor might think if they knew how hard things really are. It works directly with that fear instead of accepting it as fact. Progress often looks like a pause before the spiral, a moment where a hard day stops meaning her whole town will somehow find out and judge her. Many mothers describe slowly learning to trust their own experience again. Sessions work through the practical link between thought, emotion, and behavior, giving her tools that hold up even in a town where everyone waves hello.
The quiet vigilance of managing appearances in a small community often settles into the body, showing up as a tight chest, shallow breathing, or a body that rarely feels fully at ease. Somatic therapy meets that tension directly. Over time, many mothers describe their bodies beginning to feel like a safer place to rest in, with less bracing for a run in at the market and more room to simply exhale. The canyon quiet outside can start to match a quieter inside too. Sessions weave grounding and body awareness practices into conversation, offered virtually so the work stays as private as the setting itself.
Postpartum depression therapy is for the mother who keeps showing up smiling at community events while feeling completely disconnected from her own life underneath it all. It names the difference between quiet exhaustion and a heaviness that will not lift. Many mothers find their first relief simply in being taken seriously rather than told everything looks fine from the outside. From there, small returns of energy and moments of real connection with their baby tend to follow. This work holds the full weight of postpartum depression without minimizing it, offered virtually so support reaches her without a single trip through town.
Therapy for Latinas is for the mother whose family roots run deep into this canyon and into Mexico both, tired of translating her culture just to be understood. Sessions can move naturally between English and Spanish, whatever feels most honest to her. Many mothers describe finally not having to simplify her story to fit a therapy model built for somewhere else entirely. The exhaustion of constant translation begins to ease. We talk through generational expectation, immigration related stress, and the specific comfort and complication of healing somewhere this small and this close to family.
Anxiety therapy is for the mother whose mind races through every small town interaction, replaying conversations at pickup or worrying what a passing comment really meant. It gives that anxious energy somewhere useful to land. Relief tends to build gradually, with more space appearing between a worry and the spiral it used to trigger instantly. Many mothers describe finally noticing a calm moment instead of scanning it for what could go wrong. Sessions combine grounding tools for the moment with deeper work on what the anxiety has been trying to protect her from, held virtually in a space as private as it is grounded.

Testimonials

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I was working with a first-gen Latina client who shared that she really appreciates that I give her education and examples for different mental health concepts and this helps her think about it in her own terms throughout the week (e.g. like having a full plate and taking just a moment to set it down when we journal so that it doesn’t feel as heavy all the time).

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I helped a mom advocate for herself after experiencing workplace harassment throughout her pregnancy. She felt like she was complaining but after processing a couple sessions, she realized that this was one way she could protect herself (even if in the past she wasn’t able to). 

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I hosted a Baby & Me Parent Community Event focused on 1) donations/swap station for baby & mom items 2) sensory play stations 3) selena dance along 4) new parent mental health 101 & 5) guest speaker on financial education. I had a few moms come up to me during the event saying how helpful it was to get tangible resources and also information to help them in their current season. 

I serve women in San Diego

​​I offer virtual therapy to women across San Diego including those living near Balboa Park, North Park, Mission Valley and nearby coastal neighborhoods. You can access support from anywhere in California and meet with me from the comfort of your home.

I'm Johanna Lee, LPCC, a licensed therapist, educator, and first generation Latina mom who lives right here in Bonita and supports mothers navigating postpartum and new madrehood. As the daughter of a Mexican immigrant single mother, I understand both the comfort and the complication of healing close to home. My work blends mindfulness, cultural validation, and radical compassion, offered virtually so your privacy stays fully intact in a town this small. Healing is a birthright, not a privilege.
Smiling person in a green sleeveless top, seated indoors with tattooed arms and hands resting on a pregnant belly

Frequently asked questions

  • What payment methods do you accept?

    I accept FSA/HSA, debit, or credit card for payment. I do not currently accept insurance and many clients appreciate the privacy, flexibility, and control that comes with paying directly for care (versus utilizing insurance).

  • Can I bring my baby to the session?

    Yes—babies are absolutely welcome. I know it’s not always possible to find childcare, and you shouldn’t have to put your healing on hold because of that. Whether you’re nursing, rocking, or soothing during our time together, this space is made with mamá life in mind. Come as you are—messy bun, spit-up, baby in arms and all. (ps snacks are also welcome and often encouraged lol)

  • How long is each session, and how often will we meet?

    Sessions are 55 minutes. Most clients start with weekly sessions, but we’ll collaborate to find a rhythm that fits your needs, schedule, and goals.

  • Where are you licensed to provide therapy?

    I’m licensed in California, so therapy sessions are available to clients physically located in California at the time of each session. If you're outside California, you can still join my escuelita &/or access non-clinical resources -  View here 

  • Therapy vs education disclaimer

    Participation in workshops, classes, memberships, or educational resources does not establish a therapeutic relationship. These services are for support, education, and community and are not a substitute for clinical therapy. Therapy services are only available to clients residing in California, provided through a separate intake and consent process.