Helping Teens and Young Adults Heal and Restore

Jacob’s Ladder Therapies is here to help you navigate the complex needs of your family, provide you with the best clinical support to restore hope and optimism in this challenging time.

Are you worried that your teen or young adult may be stressed or depressed with no structure to their daily life?

Is your child refusing to communicate with you, staying up late at night, becoming defiant and/or struggling with excessive use of social media or gaming?

Has social distancing caused your once social child to isolate from friends and family and want to sleep all day?

Have they seemed to have lost all motivation for school and the things they use to like to do?

We Can Help Starting Today

We offer in-person sessions in our San Jose office.

We also offer virtual sessions for anyone located in California.

Ask about our Walk and Talk Sessions available in San Jose, Fremont, Hayward and Vallejo.

We provide individual, group and family therapy that is compassionate, validating, and appreciative of all cultures. We also support Parents and Couples with skill building and coaching. All of our services can be provided in-person and via telehealth by our experienced clinicians. Schedule your free consult today.

Meet The Therapist's

Tametra Johnson, LCSW
(she/her)

My name is Tametra and I am the founder of Jacob’s Ladder Therapies. I grew up in the Bay Area and personally struggled with mental illness as a teenager which led me to a career helping teens. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 16 years experience working with teens and mental health. I specialize in addressing a variety of concerns including anxiety, depression, academic stress, divorce/co-parenting issues, and parent-child conflict. I also counsel adults who are struggling with family communication issues, work-related stress, depression, anxiety and other mood and personality disorders. I am available for In-Office, Walk n’ Talk and Video sessions. I also provide clinical supervision.

Maritza Noriega-Chicas, LMFT
(she/her)

Hi I’m Maritza and our Lead Clinician. I’m a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist with over 8 years of experience providing mental health services to children, adolescents, young adults and families. I have experience using different therapeutic modalities such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy to treat anxiety, depression, and trauma. I specialize in working with culturally diverse populations and am fluently bilingual in Spanish. I’m passionate about helping others and am committed to supporting, encouraging, and guiding individuals in addressing their mental health needs. I am available for In-Office, Walk n’ Talk and Video sessions. I also provide clinical supervision.

Angelica Maulucci, LCSW
(she/her)

Hi I’m Angelica a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, bilingual in Spanish, and our Operations Manager. I have had the honor of working as a pediatric and adolescent social worker for hospital patients, school mental health clinician for 6th-12th grade students, and resource specialist for homeless & refugee families. I am deeply passionate about trauma-informed youth empowerment, social justice, and using the arts as a medium to process and heal. I am available for Video sessions.

Jacqueline Leong-Abad, LMFT (she/they)

Hi, I’m Jacqueline and I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who grew up in the Bay Area. My personal and professional experience led me to work from a framework of understanding the impact of early attachments, generational trauma, power & privilege, and systemic oppression in one’s life. I use Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills to empower my clients to achieve their goals. I have experience providing individual, family, multi-family, and group therapy and have worked in multiple settings including schools, residential facilities, hospitals and community-based programs. I am available for In-Office, Walk n’ Talk & Video sessions. I also provide clinical supervision.

Miatta Watkins, LMFT
(she/her)

Hello, I am Miatta and I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I have been licensed for 15 plus years. For the past 25+ years, I have provided mental health treatment and services in residential treatment facilities, county mental health agencies, Intensive Outpatient Program ( IOP) and Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP). I believe that “adulting” is a family system endeavor which may include one’s birth family, chosen family and loved ones. This is particularly true for young adults facing potentially life-changing mental health difficulties. In light of this, I am steadfastly focused on creating a safe environment to increase clients’ awareness and teach skills to empower them to live life to the full, because I appreciate the Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) tenet that there is a deep need for all of us to build a life we can experience as worth living. Because we need communities to heal, build and live fully, a safe therapeutic space is a fertile environment for young adults and family members to begin this journey. I look forward to walking along this journey with you. I will be taking new clients September 2023.

Emmylou Chua, LMFT
(she/her)

Hi, my name is Emmylou and I am a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist with many years of experience working with families, children, and adolescents including foster youths and adoptees providing individual, family and group therapy. Over the last 5 years, I have also had the pleasure of working with adults in both community-based and hospital settings. I have extensive experience in the areas of trauma, depression, anxiety, family/parent and child concerns, behavioral issues, adjustments, and parenting. My working style is interactive, authentic, culturally sensitive, trauma-informed, and collaborative. I most often utilize modalities such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Solution Focused. One of my greatest passion is trauma work to support individuals in their healing journey that facilitates healing parts of themselves that have been fractured by negative life experiences. I am trained in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE). I am available for Video Sessions.

Sandeep Sandhu, ACSW (she/her)

Hi, my name is Sandeep Kaur Sandhu. I’m a registered Associate Clinical Social Worker. I have over 10 years of social work experience which includes expertise in counseling, rehabilitation and dual diagnosis (substance & mental health) in both inpatient and outpatient settings including my work with parents through the Department of Family Children Services. Most recently my skill set was enhanced by providing case management services as a medical social worker in inpatient hospitalization. I enjoy working with teens, adults, and families. I am also trilingual in Punjabi & Hindi. I will be taking new clients in September 2023.

Michele Brister, APCC (she/her)

Hi I’m Michele Brister and I’m a registered Associate Clinical Counselor. I provide individual and group counseling to school-aged children and adolescents. I’m passionate about helping youth develop coping skills, and positive attitudes & experiences necessary to succeed in social, educational, and home settings, so they can lead happy, healthy, and productive lives. A few areas of expertise include children who experience low self-esteem, anxiety, ADHD, and behavioral concerns. I am available for In-Office sessions.

New Therapist Starting Soon

Join our Group Therapy!!

We are contracted with Lyra, Modern Health & BHS
We are out of network for insurances

GenZ for Parents

Do you know what your Teen is doing this Summer?

Check out our MASTERCLASS on Teens and Social Media. Learn what you need to know about your teen and the ever-changing world of social media.

Summer Special…. Only $49!

Thank you to all those who attended our 2022 Parent Conference. For those who missed it, we will be hosting another conference November 2023.

Check out previous ‘GenZ for Parents’ Series on our YouTube Channel

Because Educators deserve our best...

Watering the Roots is a Teacher Wellness program where we bring therapy to teachers on campus. What better way to show we care than to bring relief and treatment where & when they need it. For more information about bringing this program to your school please email [email protected]

Testimonials

The services that JLT has provided were remarkable, intentional and exceeded our expectations! The team exhibited a deep understanding of our staff's needs, and went above and beyond to ensure that every aspect of the service was tailored to meet those needs. The Mental Health expertise was evident in every interaction with staff, and they continued to demonstrate effective confidential communication, staff planning and execution. Jacob Ladder Therapies is a phenomenal private practice, and I would wholeheartedly recommend these services to anyone seeking individual or institutional Mental Health services for staff.

I want to acknowledge your work [in facilitating] those [family] sessions, to get our child to a place where she could engage on that level with us, and your guidance to me to prepare me to hear what they needed to tell us. I was prepared to hear "the worst" and you guided me to engage in the right way, with support and empathy for her. I think it helped her to hear your guidance in prepping me provide the proper reception. And I/we needed your professional guidance on the next steps. The credit goes to you.

We're Hiring!!!
Pre-Licensed & Licensed Clinicians

Join our DYNAMIC & Diverse team of Clinicians

Email your Resume & Cover Letter to
[email protected]