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Healing Children…

Helping Families…

Changing Lives…

One heart at a time

Darlene Tando, LCSW

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We at Tando Therapy Team stand united against any and all forms of hate, oppression, violence, and bigotry, including but not limited to Islamophobia, antisemitism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, and racism. Furthermore, we also strongly condemn all acts of violence and genocide around the world. We believe in the inherent worth and dignity of every individual and strive to uphold values of respect, inclusion, and human rights.

Services Offered

Individual Therapy

Psychotherapy is often called “talk therapy”, because that’s essentially what it is; an ongoing therapeutic conversation between therapist and client.

Family Therapy

Family can influence our perceptions, our modes of interacting, and our styles of communicating. In family therapy, I apply therapeutic principles while engaging the

Help with Parenting

Let’s face it. Parenting is just about the most difficult job you can have. In this busy world, parents often find themselves living in a state of chaos,

Couples Therapy

It is my belief that all couples can benefit from couples counseling! The purpose of couples therapy is to restore a better level

Child (Play) Therapy

I specialize in individualized child therapy that utilizes play, talk, art and other therapeutic techniques designed just for kids. My experience includes but is not limited to working

Gender and Identity Support

Since 2006, I have been working with gender-expansive and transgender youth and adults. I feel my primary purpose in working with such clients is to affirm their identities

Darlene Tando, LCSW

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

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I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a private practice office near Hillcrest/Balboa Park, where I offer therapy with adult individuals, couples, family, and play therapy for children. I earned my Bachelors Degree in Psychology at the University of California at Santa Barbara and my Masters in Social Work at San Diego State University. I am a member of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH).

Prior to private practice, I worked at a Residential Treatment Facility for severely emotionally disturbed children, and then at the Naval Medical Center San Diego, offering family and individual therapy to dependents of navy personnel.

I specialize in therapy with children, and utilize a variety of techniques to help them engage in the therapeutic process. I have worked with many children with abuse histories, emotional/behavioral problems, and numerous families facing overwhelming stressors. In addition to helping children recover from abuse, I am also proficient in working with children with social skills problems or delays, ADHD, and anger issues. I assist parents in learning parenting techniques to meet their child’s particular needs. Family therapy is available to those who would like all family members to be involved in healing or changing problematic patterns of interacting with each other.

Although I specialize in working with children, I also work with adult individuals and couples. I find that my warm and empathic approach that works so well with children also helps to create a safe, therapeutic environment for adults which promotes progress in therapy. I have worked with individuals who are struggling with anxiety, depression, life changes, and relationship problems.

I believe in the healing power of laughter and focusing on the strengths of the client. My services with adults can range from short-term problem- solving interventions to more in-depth psychotherapy or relationship exploration.

About Therapy

In this section, you will be able to explore:

Therapy Basics
March 5, 2026
Therapy has often been called the “talking cure,” since the exchange of words between the client and therapist can appear...
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What Makes a Good Therapist?
March 5, 2026
Ultimately, the best evaluation of a therapist’s worth is YOU. If you believe you are getting good service and find...
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Defining LCSW
March 5, 2026
The LCSW is a state licensure designation for practitioners with a master’s or doctoral degree in social work. Clinical Social...
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When to Seek Therapy?
March 5, 2026
Therapy is the most helpful to you before a crisis gets out of hand. Prevention is always better than dealing...
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Tando Therapy Team

My practice consists of myself and many other fabulous clinicians, both licensed and unlicensed. Unlicensed clinicians, or associates, are supervised by licensed clinicians on the team.

Darlene Tando, LCSW (She/Her)

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a private practice office near Hillcrest/Balboa Park, where I offer therapy with...

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Tristan Hartley, APCC (He/Him)

My name is Tristan Hartley, my pronouns are he/him/his, and I am a proud transmasculine human. As I have had...

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Jaime “Xaime” Aceves Equihua, APCC (He/Him, She/Her, They/Them)

My name is Xaime (pronouns: he, him, she, her, they, them) and I am a queer Latinx person who grew...

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Nikki Amaro, LCSW (She/Her)

I am Nikki (she/her/hers). I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker offering therapy to adults 17+ via telehealth or in-person...

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A.J. Lewison, ACSW (They/She)

My name is A.J. and I use they/them and she/her pronouns interchangeably. I am a non-binary and transgender therapist. My...

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KB Bullock, AMFT (He/They)

My personal journey of embracing my authentic expression as an openly trans man has fueled my passion to support others...

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Mely Quiroz, LPCC (they/he/elle/éI)

My name is Mely Quiroz (they/he/elle/éI) and I am a transmasculine, queer, mental health provider and trans advocate and educator....

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Alissa Corace, APCC/AMFT (She/Her)

My name is Alissa (she/her/hers). I’m an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist and Associate Professional Clinical Counselor dedicated to providing...

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Mayté Rodriguez Medel, AMFT (They/Them/Elle)

My name is Mayté (pronouns: they/them/elle) and I am queer, non-binary, and transmasculine of Guerrero and Oaxacan descent. I am...

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My gender blog won “Best Single Topic Blog” for the 2013 National Association of Social Workers Media Awards!

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My Book

The Conscious Parent’s Guide to Gender Identity: A Mindful Approach to Embracing Your Child’s Authentic Self

Gender Identity

F + W Media, Inc. has a series called “The Conscious Parent’s Guide To…” about a number of different topics. They wanted to publish one on gender identity, and asked me to write it! I was happy to have the opportunity to write about how to best support gender expansive kids to a more wide-reaching audience. I truly hope it helps a lot of families. The book is ideal for parents/guardians of gender expansive kids, but could also be useful for extended family members, therapists, teachers; anyone involved in a gender expansive child’s life. Click here to order your copy: The Conscious Parent’s Guide to Gender Identity: A Mindful Approach to Embracing Your Child’s Authentic Self. In addition to the overview in Chapter 1 about conscious parenting (standard in all the “Conscious Parent’s Guide” books, there are ways to incorporate being a mindful, conscious parent throughout the book. This is so much more than just...

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