Our Team
Thomas Steffora PsyD, LMFT
Thomas has been a practicing psychotherapist for over 10 years in Santa Barbara County. He is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California (No. 88567), Arizona (No. 15437), and Nevada (No. 2694-R) and works with adolescents, adults, and couples facing mood and anxiety issues, relational problems, and the lasting effects of trauma. He received his Doctorate in Psychology in 2025, focusing his research on adolescent depression. In close collaboration with medical professionals, Thomas has worked with individuals dealing with chronic pain and medically managed conditions, where psychosocial stressors play an instrumental role.
As a clinical consultant with Dignity/CommonSpirit Health, Thomas serves the healthcare professionals of Marian Regional Medical Center and Arroyo Grande Community Hospital. Helping with crisis issues and wellbeing initiatives, he is a member of the Physician Well-Being Committee, and also serves roles within graduate medical education programs.
Thomas is Associate Professor at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara and instructs on psychopathology and psychopharmacology in the MA Counseling Psychology graduate program. He has spoken publicly and formally on navigating mood and anxiety challenges, particularly with co-occurring medical issues, with attention to relational/family dynamics. Thomas is also Adjunct Faculty at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and formerly at Pepperdine University. A longtime resident of the Central Coast, he is passionate about working in the community with a diversity of involvement that reflects a full and meaningful life.
thomas.steffora@gmail.com
Kate Berman AMFT
Kate is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT#159363) providing therapy to individuals, couples, and families in California. She is passionate about working with clients who are seeking to heal from trauma, explore their identities, practice vulnerability, and improve the quality of their relationships—with themselves, their loved ones, their work, and their sense of purpose. Kate strives to create a warm, supportive space where clients feel safe to show up exactly as they are, while also feeling empowered to make meaningful changes that foster greater honesty, authenticity, and fulfillment.
Drawing on her interdisciplinary background in psychology, public health, healthcare innovation, and yoga, Kate takes a thoughtful and creative approach to exploring the root causes of clients’ challenges and the beliefs that keep them feeling stuck. When appropriate, she integrates holistic and mindfulness-based practices, including working with the body and breath as resources for regulation, insight, and healing. These tools are offered collaboratively to support deeper presence, self-acceptance, and emotional resilience.
Outside of the therapy room, Kate enjoys camping, reading, spending time in the ocean, baking, and journaling. She is continually inspired by the work of modern psychologists and thought leaders such as Esther Perel, Lori Gottlieb, Gabor Maté, Terry Real, and John and Julie Gottman.
katebermanmft@gmail.com