Sheela Shivaprasad, MSW, LCSW is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of California. Sheela provides unprejudiced support to all who walk through the door for therapy. She provides a genuine, empathic, and non-judgmental space to safely explore issues and challenges, to facilitate positive, lasting change. She provides compassionate, understanding therapy, and work with you to take steps to be more effective and satisfied in your life, at a pace that works for you.

  • DBT
  • Gender Therapy
  • Anger Management
  • Relationship Issues
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Trauma
  • Mindfulness
  • Cultural Diversity
  • LGBTQ+
  • Individuals
  • Couples
  • Families
  • Adolescents

Sheela earned her Master’s Degree in Social Work in 2014, from San Diego State University, with an emphasis in clinical practice, and her Bachelor’s Degree in Cultural Anthropology, from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 2009. Sheela completed her first year internship at Jewish Family Services, providing crisis case management to Jewish, military, and homeless individuals, as well as working with the Jewish Family Services, Hand Up Youth Food Pantry, to assist individuals with connecting to community resources to achieve stability and independence. During her second year internship at Survivor’s of Torture International, she worked with refugees and asylum seekers from Africa, the Middle East, Central and South America, and Eastern Europe, co-facilitating the Women’s Expressive Creativity Art Therapy Group and providing trauma informed care, to help survivors of torture find peace and integrate into a new society. Upon obtaining her Master’s Degree, Sheela continued her outpatient career at the Douglas Young Wellness Recovery Center, gaining experience working with individuals with severe mental illness including schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression, anxiety, co-occurring substance use disorders, and personality disorders. She served as the Lead Adolescent clinician providing prevention and intervention services to individuals of varying backgrounds.

In 2017, Sheela completed specialized trainings in DBT including the DBT Foundational Training with Expert Instructor, Annie McCall, MA, LMHC, and an Advanced DBT training, Dialectical Behavior Therapy in Action: Case Based Training with Dr. Shari Manning and Dr. Kate Comtois. Sheela also meets for weekly DBT team consultation with Personal Evolution Psychotherapy. She has also completed trainings in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Motivational Interviewing, Solution Focused Therapy, Supportive Therapy, Trauma Informed Care, Art Therapy, Anger Management, and individual, couples, and family therapy. Moreover, Sheela also implemented the Healthy Relationships group at the Douglas Young Clinic, that emphasizes mindfulness, acceptance, attention, affection, appreciation, and allowing, to improve relationships with the self and others.

Sheela enjoys working with the LGBTQ+ community and provides Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Gender Therapy to teens, adolescents, adults, couples, and families. Sheela is also a kink/poly-friendly therapist who provides unprejudiced support to all.



(619) 787-6676 |  TEXT |  EMAIL

San Diego Office: 438 Camino Del Rio S., Ste. 112, San Diego, CA 92108
Vista Office: 707 Civic Center Dr, Ste. 100, Vista, CA 92084