Vista or Online
Dr. Clare Edwards
Licensed Psychologist | Children, Adults & Couples | she/her
Whatever challenges you are facing, my goal is to meet you with genuineness, empathy, and the fundamental belief that each of us is doing the best we can with the resources we have available to us in any given moment.
A short introduction
About Dr. Edwards
Dr. Clare Edwards is a licensed psychologist at Coastal Therapy Group’s Vista office who works across the developmental spectrum: children, adolescents, and adults, as well as couples. Her practice centers on healing and restoring the relationships that matter most, including how you relate to yourself. She holds a doctorate in counseling psychology (PhD) from Ball State University, completed her APA-accredited internship at the Virginia Treatment Center for Children, and her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Florida’s Division of Medical Psychology. Licensed in both California and Florida, she draws on several modalities, from attachment-focused and psychodynamic work to more behavioral approaches, depending on what fits your goals. Alongside her individual and family work, she offers ongoing couples therapy and Couples Intensives, and sees clients in person in Vista and online throughout California.
In her own words
We are all relational beings
At our core, I believe we are all relational beings. From infancy and throughout our lives, we strive to feel connected with others and accept ourselves more deeply. When these ties to self or others are threatened or disrupted, profound pain and suffering can result.
As a psychologist, I aim to help you heal and restore the relationships that matter most, including how you relate to yourself. I am trained throughout the developmental spectrum and work with children, adolescents, and adults of all ages. Perhaps you are looking at your child or adolescent and are confused by their behavior or at a loss for how to help them. Maybe you or an important relationship in your life is suffering and you feel stuck. Or you simply know that you could use extra support during a particularly difficult season of life. Whatever challenges you are facing, my goal is to meet you with genuineness, empathy, and the fundamental belief that each of us is doing the best we can with the resources we have available to us in any given moment.
Together, we can work to better understand your emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in the context in which they occur. Human emotion and behavior are purposeful and provide important information about our needs, values, and desires. When we can uncover and validate these driving forces, we are then able to shift emotional and relational patterns that may no longer serve us. As a therapist trained in several different modalities and techniques, the vehicle for these shifts may range from processing early attachment relationships to modifying unhelpful behaviors, practicing new ways of engaging with the most important people in our lives, and more. Regardless of how we work to meet your goals, my ultimate hope is to provide a warm, sensitively attuned, and responsive environment that allows for vulnerability, connection, and change.
Parents & children
Nurturing the parent-child bond
Decades of research confirms what many of us intuitively know: the relationship between parent and child is fundamentally and profoundly important. Our children’s outcomes are invariably associated with our own well-being as parents. Sometimes, however, we struggle with how to cultivate that well-being amid other challenges and responsibilities. Or we find ourselves unsure of how to respond to our children in ways that are both supportive of their emotional experience and in line with the limits we need to set to ensure our own, our children’s, and others health and safety. I know, and have so much compassion for, that challenge as a parent.
When children or parents (or both!) are struggling with confusing or distressing emotions and behaviors, I work to support both parts of this vital relationship. I help children and adolescents find healthy ways of expressing and coping with their feelings and provide parents with the tools and resources to attune to their children’s needs. Through attending to each part of this dynamic system and fostering a secure connection, I find that the result is often long-lasting healing and positive change for all.
Couples & partners
Working with couples
The same relational lens I bring to individual work sits at the heart of how I support couples. When we feel disconnected from a partner, old attachment wounds and the ways we have learned to protect ourselves often rise to the surface, and the closeness we long for can begin to feel out of reach. Together, we can slow down, make sense of the emotions driving your cycle, and find your way back to one another with more safety, honesty, and understanding.
I offer both ongoing couples therapy and Couples Intensives, longer focused sessions for partners who want to move through core issues at a deeper pace. Whether you are navigating a specific rupture or simply hoping to feel more securely connected, we can work together to rebuild trust and reconnect. You can learn more about couples therapy and intensives at Coastal Therapy Group.
Credentials as a Psychologist
- Licensed Psychologist, California (PSY33082) and Florida (PY 10251)
- Post-Doctoral Fellowship, University of Florida Division of Medical Psychology
- Pre-Doctoral Internship, Virginia Treatment Center for Children (APA-accredited)
- Doctorate in Counseling Psychology (PhD), Ball State University (APA-accredited)
- Masters of Arts in Counseling and Guidance (MA), New Mexico State University (CACREP-accredited)
- Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (BA), New Mexico State University
Areas of Specialized Experience
Before you reach out
Questions clients tend to ask first
Do you work with children, teens, or adults?
All of them. I am trained throughout the developmental spectrum and work with children, adolescents, and adults, as well as couples. Sometimes that means individual work with an adult; sometimes it means supporting a child alongside their parents; sometimes it means working with a couple. We figure out what fits what you and your family are navigating.
What does therapy with you actually look like?
My work is relational at its core. Together we try to understand your emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in the context in which they occur, and I draw on several different modalities depending on your goals, from processing early attachment relationships to practicing new ways of engaging with the people who matter most. Whatever the focus, my aim is a warm, attuned, and responsive space that makes room for vulnerability, connection, and change.
Do you offer couples therapy?
Yes. I work with couples in ongoing therapy and also offer Couples Intensives, longer focused sessions for partners who want to move through core issues at a deeper pace than weekly sessions allow. You can learn more on our couples therapy page.
What is a Couples Intensive?
It is a longer, focused format for couples who want to make meaningful progress in a condensed timeframe, with more room to slow down and work through the emotions underneath a recurring cycle than a standard weekly session allows. If it seems like a fit, we talk through what that would look like for you before scheduling.
My child is struggling and I am not sure how to help. Can you work with us?
Yes, and you are not alone in that. When children or parents (or both) are struggling with confusing or distressing emotions and behaviors, I work to support both parts of that relationship: helping children find healthy ways to express and cope with their feelings, and helping parents attune to what their child needs. Often the most lasting change comes from tending to the connection between you.
Where do sessions take place?
In person at our Vista office and online throughout California.
What is the first step?
Schedule a free 15-minute consultation. We talk through what you are navigating and whether we are a good fit, and from there we can book a first full session.