Andrea Guttman, LMFT
Women's Therapist in San Diego | Founder + Supervising Clinician
This is therapy for women who are used to holding everything together.
I specialize in supporting high-functioning women who look like they have it all together on the outside, but feel anxious, overwhelmed, burned out, or disconnected on the inside.
Maybe you're constantly overthinking, anticipating what could go wrong, or replaying conversations long after they happen. Maybe you're exhausted from being the one everyone counts on. Maybe you're struggling to say no, holding yourself to impossible standards, or wondering when you became so tired.
Or maybe your life has changed, and you're realizing you don't feel quite like yourself anymore.
Whatever brought you here, therapy can be a place to slow down, understand what's happening beneath the surface, and begin creating a life that feels more like your own.
You don't have to wait until you're falling apart to ask for support.
I primarily work with women who are “the responsible one”, self-aware, and used to being the person others can count on.
You may be successful in your career, deeply committed to your relationships, raising a family, or navigating several roles at once. From the outside, things may look fine.
But internally, you may be struggling with:
Overthinking conversations long after they happen
Constantly anticipating what could go wrong
Feeling guilty when you say no
Struggling to set boundaries
Putting everyone else's needs before your own
Holding yourself to impossibly high standards
Feeling exhausted but unable to truly rest
Feeling anxious even when things are objectively okay
Second-guessing yourself and your decisions
Moving through a major life transition and wondering who you are now
You may even find yourself thinking:
“I should be able to handle this.”
my story is complex, deeply human, and one of resilience as a lot of stories are…
Being a “helper” has always been part of who I am, shaped by a childhood filled with love, family fun, and humor, but also moments of unpredictability and chaos that taught me early to pay close attention to the emotions and needs of the people around me.
While there were highs, the lows brought challenges like addiction, domestic violence, food and financial insecurity, neglect, and the long illness and eventual loss of a parent.
At the time, attuning to the people around me was a way of navigating the world and creating a sense of safety.
I didn't know then that those experiences and survival skills would eventually become the foundation of my deep empathy and shape the way I understand the complexities of people, relationships, emotions, and resilience in the human experience.
I learned how much can go unsaid.
I learned how quickly people can become disconnected from their own needs when they're focused on getting through something.
And I learned that the things we do to cope often make sense when we understand where they came from.
That perspective continues to influence how I work with clients today.
From Educator to Therapist
My passion for helping others naturally grew into a love for education.
I began my career as an early childhood educator, working closely with young children and their families. I loved watching children grow and thrive, but I increasingly saw how much the larger family system mattered.
Children weren't experiencing challenges in isolation.
Parents needed support, too.
Families needed tools for navigating difficult moments, communicating more effectively, and staying connected when things felt hard.
That realization led me toward creating programs, resources, and educational opportunities that helped families build those skills.
Eventually, I realized I wanted to go deeper.
I wanted to understand not only what people were doing, but why.
That led me to earn my Master's in Counseling with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy and pursue clinical work with teens and families in community mental health, school, and justice-system settings.
Along the way, I provided therapy, facilitated trauma-process groups, and developed programs focused on healthy relationships, substance-use awareness, attendance improvement, and alternatives to suspension.
I also led parent workshops focused on navigating difficult conversations with children, particularly during times of tragedy and crisis.
Those experiences taught me something I still carry into every session:
Education can create empowerment, but understanding yourself creates choice.
My Own Experience With Therapy
My own experience as a therapy client has deeply influenced the therapist I am today.
I've had experiences in therapy that were transformative and others that fell flat.
The therapists who truly helped me were the ones who saw me, not just the version of myself I was presenting, but the person underneath it.
They sat with me in difficult moments. They helped me untangle what was holding me back. They gave me space to understand myself without judgment.
They showed me the power of being genuinely seen, heard, and understood.
Through my own healing, I also realized how much of what I had experienced was shared by other people.
The feeling of not being enough.
The pressure to get it right.
The anxiety.
The overwhelm.
The exhaustion of trying to meet impossible expectations.
That realization became a big part of why I wanted to create the kind of therapy space I had found so meaningful. A space where you don't have to perform, have the right answers, or already know exactly what's wrong.
You can simply start where you are.
Why I Work With Women
I work with women because I understand how easy it can be to become incredibly good at taking care of everything and lose touch with yourself somewhere along the way.
Women are often carrying more than anyone else realizes.
The visible responsibilities are only part of it.
There's the mental load.
The emotional labor.
The expectations.
The relationships.
The career.
The family.
The pressure to be a good partner, mother, daughter, friend, employee, leader. Or all of them at once.
And somewhere in the middle of all of that, you can start asking:
What about me?
My work isn't about telling you to care less about the people you love.
It's about helping you care for yourself without feeling guilty for it.
It's about learning that you can be compassionate without abandoning yourself, responsible without taking responsibility for everyone, and ambitious without constantly proving that you're enough.
I believe deeply in the possibility of healing, growth, and transformation, no matter where you are in your life.
At the core of all my work is a deep commitment to supporting others, not only in processing their struggles but also in equipping them with tools and knowledge to thrive.
The struggles that brought me here have also given me the tools to help others find their way through. My goal is to hold space for you, just as others have done for me so that you can reconnect with yourself and build a life that truly feels good.
Healing is hard, but it’s so worth it. And I am here to walk alongside you on your journey every step of the way.
“These things will be hard, but you can do hard things.” — Glennon Doyle
“These things will be hard, but you can do hard things.” — Glennon Doyle
Outside of the therapy room,
I am probably drinking coffee, spending time with my family and friends, or moving my body outside in the sunshine. I get excited about going out for sushi, finding new vegan dessert spots, and dog cuddles on the couch with Connor*, my boxer.
Some of my favorites that fill my cup are riding stand-up jet skis, all things Supercross, and singing my heart out to anything from Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Noah Kahan, Cameron Whitcomb, Blink 182, Taking Back Sunday (Yes, I’m definitely an elder emo), A Day to Remember, and even Kublai Kahn. Eclectic, I know; I am a lover of music.
I’m a recovering perfectionist, love reading but struggle to start new books, although once I get into them I can’t put them down; looking at photos makes my heart full, and when I have a hard day I love dance parties in my kitchen (Meredith Grey + Christina Yang style).
*You might hear Connor snoring under my desk during a session or even making an appearance to say “hi”!
I believe you are the expert on your own life. My role isn't to tell you who to be or hand you a list of things to fix. It's to help you understand yourself more deeply, notice the patterns that may be keeping you stuck, and develop tools that actually fit your life.
My approach is warm, collaborative, practical, and grounded in the belief that meaningful change happens when we feel both supported and challenged.
Depending on what you need, our work may incorporate mindfulness, strengths-based therapy, narrative approaches, solution-focused strategies, and somatic practices.
LMFT License #141237 in CA
LMFT License #80388 in MT
LMFT License #206656 in TX
MS in Counseling with an emphasis in Marriage & Family Therapy (San Diego State University)
BA in Psychology with a minor in Counseling and Social Change (San Diego State University)
Education & Licensure
Training & Modalities
Certified in Maternal Mental Health by Postpartum Support International (PSI)
Narrative Therapy Training
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) Training
Mindfulness-based Training
Strengths-based Training
Motivational Interviewing (MI)
California Association of Marriage & Family Therapists (CAMFT)
Postpartum Support International (PSI)
Postpartum Health Alliance (PHA)
Professional Associations
Frequently Asked Questions
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I primarily work with women who are capable, responsible, self-aware, and used to being the person others can count on. Many of my clients are high-functioning on the outside but feel anxious, overwhelmed, burned out, or disconnected on the inside.
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No. You don't have to wait until you're falling apart to ask for support.
Sometimes you simply know that you're tired of feeling the way you feel, a pattern isn't working anymore, or you want support navigating something that's changing.
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Yes. I work with women who experience worry, overthinking, second-guessing, anticipating what could go wrong, difficulty relaxing, and anxiety that can persist even when things appear to be going well.
We look not only at the anxiety itself, but at the patterns underneath it and the ways you can respond differently.
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Yes. These are common themes in my work.
We may explore where the pressure to get things right or keep everyone happy came from, how those patterns affect your relationships and well-being, and how to develop greater flexibility, boundaries, and self-trust.
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Yes. Burnout often involves more than simply being tired.
We can explore the expectations, responsibilities, patterns, and beliefs that may be keeping you in a cycle of overdoing and under-recovering.
The goal isn't simply to help you get better at tolerating an unsustainable life. It's to help you create something more sustainable.
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Absolutely.
Setting a boundary can be relatively simple. Learning to tolerate the discomfort that sometimes comes afterward can be much harder.
Therapy can help you understand the guilt, fear, or responsibility that gets activated when you prioritize your own needs and develop ways to respond without automatically abandoning yourself.
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My approach is warm, collaborative, practical, and client-centered.
I believe you are the expert on your own life. I'll bring clinical knowledge, perspective, questions, and tools, while we work together to understand what you need and what you want to change.
I also believe in being lovingly challenging when it's helpful. You can feel deeply supported while still being encouraged to look at patterns that may be keeping you stuck.
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Yes. I offer in-person Walk & Talk therapy in San Diego County as well as online therapy for clients located throughout California, Montana, and Texas.
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You don't need to know before reaching out.
Your free introductory call is an opportunity to talk about what's bringing you to therapy, ask questions, hear more about how I work, and get a sense of whether we might be a good fit.
Finding the right therapist matters. You should feel comfortable with the person you're going to do this work with.
Take the first step today
because you deserve to feel good.
The Story Behind Tulipa Therapy
Tulips are resilient and grow even in mountainous, rocky areas similar to humans. They bloom in the spring representing a rebirth or new life and have traditionally been given for someone going through life changes, taking on new adventures or challenges, or having a new addition to their family or life.
