Ryan George, Associate MFT #87326

(805) 882-2424 x 301

Treatment Philosophy
Ryan provides psychotherapy to individuals, couples and families with the goal of helping clients connect to their own innate vitality and the keys to their own wellbeing. With an empathetic collaboration between therapist and client, unique strengths and solutions are revealed that are critical to success and health.

Ryan is certified as a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP), a model that focuses on awareness and communication between one’s mind and body. In addition to person-centered and somatic therapy, Ryan employs perspectives of family systems, depth therapy and mindfulness practice. He provides tools to improve communication with others and to enhance self-awareness, while also helping clients work through difficult periods of life, fostering resilience and renewal. Ryan works with adolescents, children, and adults. He has a particular interest in helping people recover from trauma and post-traumatic symptoms.

Education
M.A. in Counseling Psychology from the Pacifica Graduate Institute

M.A. in Society and Politics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

B.A. in Psychology from the University of California at Berkeley

Professional Experience
Prior to his work at FTI, Ryan saw children, adolescents, and their families at Encompass Youth Services in Santa Cruz, California. Ryan also provided psychotherapy to teenagers and families at Soquel High School, and he ran an after-school therapy group for teens at risk of substance abuse.

He also worked at Evolve Treatment Centers in Ojai and at Changes Outpatient Wellness Center in Santa Barbara, two outpatient programs for adolescents and adults who struggle with addiction. Ryan conducted therapy groups on Mindfulness Practice, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Somatic Therapy, Art Therapy, Relapse Prevention, and Nature-Based Therapy. In addition to individual therapy, he provided case management and discharge planning for his clients to ensure a supportive, collaborative and community-based model of care.

Ryan volunteers his services for Warriors Live On, an organization based in San Diego that takes combat veterans into the wilderness to aid in their recovery from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Personal Life
“Every day is a good day to be outdoors” is one of Ryan’s mottos. He has a lifelong love of nature, hiking and backpacking, and he has traveled to more than 40 countries, and lived in Asia and the Middle East. In his 20’s and early 30’s Ryan worked as a journalist and later as a real estate developer and designer in Tel Aviv, Israel, before returning to California and his love for psychology and healing. He can often be spotted on the trail with his precocious Basenji dog, Shiba.