Schedule with Gregory

Gregory Whiteford, MA, LMFT

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist #LMFT-135097
619-877-2560

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with three decades of experience working in the mental health field, counseling adults, teens and children, individuals and couples, as well as groups. I realize the decision to pursue therapy is not an easy one. If your search has led you to this point, perhaps you’d be willing to come a little further and allow me to come alongside you on your therapeutic journey so you can start living your best and most authentic life now and see yourself become the person God created you to be.

Carlsbad – Mon & Wed
San Diego – Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu & Sat
Online Counseling – Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, & Sat

About Gregory

Having worked in the mental health field for thirty years, I have learned that the most important work you will ever do will be within the walls of your own home. I believe that God equips each of us with gifts to face the challenges in this life as we prepare for what comes next. Therapy can be an essential part of that preparation. Whether you’re looking for support related to anxiety, depression, alcohol or substance use, relationship issues, trauma, counseling for children or teens, or other concerns, I would be honored and humbled to join you on your therapeutic journey as we find the best solutions for your situation, with God’s help.

My Goal as a Christian Counselor

My goal as a Christian Counselor is to help you heal from the pain and suffering you have experienced so you can start living and enjoying your best life now. The Bible says, “This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). It is never too late to start seeing yourself the way God sees you and realize that each passing moment is just another opportunity to turn it all around. God does not make mistakes and He can take any mess of a situation, including the ones we may have participated in making, and help us clean it up in a way that restores our lives with peace, joy, and fulfillment.

What I Offer in Christian Counseling

I offer a supportive, encouraging, biblical approach from a faith-based perspective in order to help you face life’s challenges and problems head on. Aside from Jesus, I have never known a perfect person, nor do I claim to be one, but I am blessed to know the Lord and believe that His plans for our lives are the best we will ever find. Whether we were born into circumstances or situations that we would not have wished upon our worst enemy, or repeatedly made a mess of our own lives, God can save us from any battle through the love, mercy, and forgiveness displayed by His Son, Jesus; a model that we can all aspire to emulate as He brings peace, healing, and happiness to our lives.

My Approach to Christian Counseling

My approach to Christian counseling is based upon the servant leadership model of Jesus. While I have extensively studied a variety of approaches from both the fields of Psychology and Religion, I have come to believe that the best approach to helping and counseling others is to incorporate an eclectic strategy that utilizes interventions from an array of perspectives and best practices designed and tailored to each individual client based upon meeting them where they currently are and attempting to learn and understand where they desire to go, guided as much or as little by the Lord as their conscience and comfort level allows during each session. As it says in the Bible, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).

Biography

Qualifications & Experience

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) with three decades of experience working in the mental health field. I received my Bachelor of Arts degree in both Psychology and Human Development from the University of California at Riverside (UCR). I also obtained Master of Arts degrees in Counseling Psychology and Religious Studies from Southern California Seminary. I have worked extensively at a variety of different community-based mental health programs, primarily in the not-for-profit sector, across several levels of care, requiring an adaptive and evolving degree of clinical skill.

My Call to Christian Counseling

I recognized early on in my academic career while pursuing a degree in Biomedical Sciences and taking an elective course in Psychology that my future in the helping professions would lie along a different path. I changed majors from Pre-Med to Psychology and never looked back.

More About Me/On a Personal Note

I enjoy spending quality time with my beautiful wife of 20 plus years while raising our amazing teenage son. I am also a stepdad and now grandpa to an awesome stepson and daughter-in-law and their adorable young boy. I consider myself to be a lifelong learner, an avid reader and film connoisseur, and a faithful churchgoer and servant of God. I count myself blessed to know the Lord and desire to pursue His will for my life and share His message through outreach and counseling others in order to help them start living their best life now.

Services & Specialties

Areas of Expertise/Specialties

Abandonment and Neglect
ADHD
Aging and Geriatric Issues
Alcohol Use Disorders
Anger Management
Anxiety
Bipolar Disorder
Chemical Dependency (Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders)
Counseling for Children
Counseling for Teens
Couples Counseling
Codependency
Depression
Family Counseling
Grief, Loss and Complicated Bereavement
Group Counseling
Homicidal Thoughts and Ideation (HI)
Individual Counseling
Infidelity and Affairs
Marriage Counseling
Men’s Issues
OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)
Online Counseling
Personal Development
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Premarital Counseling
Professional Development
Relationship Issues
Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Self-Injurious Behavior (SIB)
Substance Use Disorders
Suicidal Thoughts and Ideation (SI)
Sex and Porn Addiction
Sexual Abuse
Spiritual Development
Trauma

Anger Management

It is so easy to lose control of emotions, say things we don’t mean in the moment, fly off the handle, explode in anger, and come to regret our words or deeds. However, the Bible is full of advice and wisdom to help guide us through every struggle. “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires” (James 1:19-20). As your therapist, I will support you in learning the necessary skills to follow this lesser traveled path.

Men’s Issues

Through counseling, I help men by providing them with a safe and supportive space to verbalize and identify, process and sort through, as well as understand and express their thoughts and feelings. Some men with less experience sharing their emotions initially may not feel comfortable processing their feelings due to the way they have been socialized to deal with their problems. However, many men have reported to me that they find this to be some of the most challenging yet rewarding work that they have ever done.

Chemical Dependency (Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders)

Chemical dependency only makes life worse, and complicates every other illness and challenge you may be facing in life. As your therapist, I will meet you where you are in your recovery process and support you in learning the skills and creating the support network that you will need to achieve a lasting sobriety.

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Disorder can feel like the best and worst of both worlds. If you are experiencing life through this lens, you need not only the stability of a safe place to process but the constant anchor of emotional support and acceptance that can only be felt and understood as you begin to see yourself in the same way that God sees you, as His special creation.

OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)

OCD can be like living life while listening to a record that gets stuck in a groove or rut, that repeats in an endless fashion until something is done to help the person move forward and allow the song to continue its melody. The severity of OCD symptoms, which include obsessive thoughts and feelings accompanied by compulsive acts and behaviors, can range from mildly annoying to truly maddening. However, as your therapist, I will provide supportive and patient counseling in order to help you learn useful coping skills which can be practiced during and between your sessions.

Payments & Forms

Sessions: I offer 53-minute sessions. Sessions can be held more than once per week, weekly, or every other week. Scheduling options are discussed in greater detail during your Risk-Free Initial Session.

Availability (by office location):

Carlsbad – Monday & Wednesday
San Diego – Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, & Saturday
Online Counseling – Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, & Saturday

Fees: I offer a Risk-Free Initial Session for individuals, couples, families, and groups looking to pursue counseling with me. Please note that there is a fee for the Risk-Free Initial Session as it is a clinical hour and reimbursable to most insurance companies, but if you choose not to reschedule and continue therapy after the initial session the entire fee for the session will be waived. For ongoing treatment the full fee per session is required at the time of service.

Insurance: As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), most insurance companies will reimburse for a portion of my services (as an Out of Network Provider). Please consult with your insurance provider as to whether they specifically cover adolescents, individuals and couples.

Receipts/Statements: In the event you require a printed or digital receipt, I will provide receipts for personal use, insurance reimbursement, Flex Spending Accounts (FSA), and Health Savings Accounts (HSA).

Payment options: Cash, Check, or Credit Card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, & American Express). A fee of up to 4% per transaction will be added for credit card payments.

Individual Form Couple Form

Focus Areas

Abandonment and Neglect
ADHD
Aging and Geriatric Issues
Alcohol Use Disorders
Anger Management
Anxiety
Bipolar Disorder
Chemical Dependency (Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders)
Counseling for Children
Counseling for Teens
Couples Counseling
Codependency
Depression
Family Counseling
Grief, Loss and Complicated Bereavement
Group Counseling
Homicidal Thoughts and Ideation (HI)
Individual Counseling
Infidelity and Affairs
Marriage Counseling
Men’s Issues
OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)
Online Counseling
Personal Development
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Premarital Counseling
Professional Development
Relationship Issues
Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Self-Injurious Behavior (SIB)
Substance Use Disorders
Suicidal Thoughts and Ideation (SI)
Sex and Porn Addiction
Sexual Abuse
Spiritual Development
Trauma

DISCLAIMER: THIS ARTICLE DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE

Articles are intended for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice; the Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. All opinions expressed by authors and quoted sources are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, publishers or editorial boards of San Diego Christian Counseling. This website does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned on the Site. Reliance on any information provided by this website is solely at your own risk.