Find Someone
Who Gets You
Meet our Doctors
Get to know the Doctors dedicated to your growth & healing. Our team of dedicated providers brings a wealth of experience, compasion, & specialized expertise, to support you on your journey to wellness. Each member of our staff is commited to creating a safe non-judgmental space where you can explore, heal, & grow.
Dr. Margaret Sawires, Psy.D.
Founder, Licensed Clinical Psychologist
In-Person & Telehealth Sessions
PSY 26208
About
Dr. Sawires earned both her Master’s & Doctorate degrees from the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University, San Diego. She further honed her expertise through a post-doctoral specialization in Adult Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy at the San Diego Psychoanalytic Center. With over 19 years of experience serving the San Diego community, she has worked with diverse populations across a range of clinical settings, including inpatient hospital facilities, crisis homes, outpatient clinics, school counseling centers & private practice. Beyond her clinical work, Dr. Sawires serves as the Clinical & Training Director for her team, where she provides leadership & guidance. She also offers Professional Consulting Services for clinicians seeking to establish or refine solo & group practices, as well as Clinical Consultation Services for providers navigating complex cases. Passionate about fostering the next generation of psychologists, she is a dedicated mentor to many early-career professionals.
Approach
Her approach is warm, authentic, grounded & playfully engaging. She is dedicated to providing personalized, tailored care that meets each patient’s unique needs. With a focus on uncovering & addressing core issues, rather than merely managing symptoms, she takes pride in delivering care that fosters true healing & lasting growth. Embracing a holistic, whole-person perspective, she ensures her treatment approach is both comprehensive &deeply meaningful. She enjoys working with patients across the lifespan, offering in-depth, long-term support to navigate the nuanced challenges that arise at every stage of life.
Dr. Candice Silveira, Psy.D.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
In-Person & Telehealth Sessions
PSY 35516
About
Dr. Candice Silveira [she, her, hers] earned both her Masters & Doctorate degrees in Clinical Psychology, with a Child & Family Emphasis at the California Professional School of Psychology at Alliant International University (AIU), San Diego.
She has worked in clinical positions as a clinician, student supervisor, & instructor. Dr. Silveira’s experiences have ranged from working with children, adolescents, and adults in a variety of settings. This has included schools, inpatient psychiatric hospitals, & long-term outpatient clinics. She has experience working with military members, voluntary sex workers, family systems, and community systems. Dr. Silveira actively aims to incorporate decolonized perspectives into her practice to support people with an array of experiences. She has considerable training in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), & Relational Therapy.
Dr. Silveira has completed a Fellowship at the San Diego Psychoanalytic Center & an APA internship at a community clinic in Oakland, CA. Engagement in these training programs gave her the ability to apply Psychoanalytic theory into therapeutic practice with individuals and family systems.
Approach
Her approach is sincere, as she integrates openness, awareness, & inclusivity into all of her work. Dr. Silveira is skilled at delicately holding different factors of lived experiences (such as: neurotypicality/neurodivergence, social implications, systemic elements, gender identity, culture, socio-economic status, & transgenerational trauma, to name a few) to support individuals, as they navigate their personal and collective trials of life.
PSB 94024797
Dr. Tina Tram, Ph.D.
Registered Psychological Associate*
Telehealth Sessions
About
Dr. Tina Tram earned both her Masters & Doctorate degrees in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University (AIU), San Diego.
She has worked in clinical settings as a clinician, program evaluator, & coordinator. Her experience has ranged from dual diagnosis outpatient facilities, inpatient psychiatric hospitals, working with active duty service members, as well as the underserved Asian population of San Diego, at the Union of Pan Asian Communities (UPAC). She has worked in clinical settings as a clinician, program evaluator, & coordinator.
Her experience has ranged from dual diagnosis outpatient facilities, inpatient psychiatric hospitals, working with active duty service members, as well as the underserved Asian population of San Diego, at the Union of Pan Asian Communities (UPAC).
She has considerable training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Humanistic, Relational, & Trauma-Focused therapies. She is a recent graduate of the Fellowship program at the San Diego Psychoanalytic Center, where she deepened her skills even further.
Approach
Her approach is sincere & comprehensive, taking into account a combination of factors including biological, psychological, & sociocultural issues that may impact the struggles her patients face. She is also able to provide services in Vietnamese.
Currently on Sabbatical
Dr. Nicole Kazourra, Psy.D.
Registered Psychological Associate*
In-Person & Telehealth Sessions
PSB 94028403
About
Dr. Nicole Kazourra earned both her Masters & Doctorate degrees in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University, San Diego.
She has worked in clinical settings as a clinician & student supervisor. Her experience has ranged from long-term outpatient services, dual diagnosis residential facilities, partial & intensive outpatient hospital programs, crisis center stabilization, as well as, the underserved Middle-Eastern refugee population. She has completed an APA internship at Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, where she primarily worked with adolescents and young adults in addiction medicine and co-occurring disorders.
She has significant training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), & Trauma-Focused therapies.
Approach
Her approach is gentle, assertive, collaborative, & multiculturally informed. She is mindful of how life experiences play a role in a variety of factors including gender, culture, race, disability, physical &
mental wellbeing.
Dr. Alicia Rickels, Psy.D.
Registered Psychological Associate*
In-Person & Telehealth Sessions
PSB 94028745
About
Dr. Alicia Rickels (she/her) earned her Master’s & Doctorate degrees in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University, San Diego.
She has diverse clinical experience, serving as both a clinician & student supervisor across various settings, including community mental health, primary care facilities, rural health clinics, as well as outpatient services at UCSD Integrated Behavioral Health.
She completed an APA-accredited internship at I Ola Lāhui, focusing on culturally responsive care for individuals in underserved rural Native Hawaiian communities, supporting them in tobacco cessation & addressing co-occurring mental health issues.
Dr. Rickels has considerable training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), & Trauma-Informed therapies. She has extensive experience working with couples, athletes, military service members, military spouses, as well as young adults--meeting each individual where they are, in an effort to foster growth & healing.
Approach
Her approach is kind, collaborative, integrative & multicultural, recognizing the critical role that intersecting identities—such as culture, gender, physical health & sexuality play in mental and emotional well-being.
Dr. Stephanie
Santiago-Castro, Psy.D.
Registered Psychological Associate*
Telehealth Sessions
About
Dr. Stephanie Santiago-Castro (she/her) is a bilingual Postdoctoral Fellow in Clinical Psychology who earned her Masters & Doctorate degrees from Ponce Health Sciences
University. Her academic & clinical journey spans internationally, including training experiences in Puerto Rico, the UK & the United States.
Dr. Santiago-Castro brings over eight years of diverse clinical experience, having provided psychological care across a wide range of settings, including outpatient clinics, community mental health centers, public schools, hospitals & digital health platforms.
She has worked extensively with children, adolescents, adults & families, navigating complex challenges such as suicidal ideation, trauma, autism spectrum disorder,
substance use & severe mental illness. Her background also includes meaningful service to populations impacted by domestic violence, homelessness, as well as the
foster care & juvenile justice systems. She has received specialized training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT),
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Play Therapy & Psychodynamic Therapy. Dr. Santiago-Castro’s clinical work is rooted in trauma-informed care. She pprovides services in both English & Spanish.
Approach
Dr. Santiago-Castro’s therapeutic style is warm, collaborative & culturally-attuned. She
integrates evidence-based modalities with a personalized approach, which honors each patient’s
lived experience & intersecting identities—including culture, language, gender & socioeconomic
background. Her goal is to create a compassionate, nonjudgmental space that supports healing,
resilience & emotional growth.
PSB 94027987
PSB 94027673
Dr. Gabriela Tiraspolski, Psy.D.
Registered Psychological Associate*
Telehealth Sessions
About
Dr. Gabriela Tiraspolski earned both their Master’s & Doctorate degrees in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University, San Diego. They have provided therapy & psychological evaluations across a variety of settings, including community health centers, academic clinics, private practices, co-occurring clinics & residential substance-use treatment programs.
Dr. Tiraspolski works with individuals, couples, families & groups from diverse racial, ethnic, sexual, gender, generational, neuro & body backgrounds. They have extensive experience supporting clients who have faced historical adversity, including racial & ethnic
minorities, LGBTQIA+ individuals, immigrants & people navigating the criminal justice system.
Their approach integrates trauma-informed, culturally responsive & evidence-based care,
with advanced training in psychodynamic therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), humanistic approaches & harm reduction. Dr. Tiraspolski recently completed an APA-accredited internship at Southwest Behavioral and Health Services in Phoenix, Arizona, where they deepened their expertise in complex trauma, identity development,
intergenerational trauma & life transitions.
Approach
Their work is grounded in compassionate, individualized care that honors authenticity and cultural connection. They take a collaborative, meaning-focused approach, drawing on each person’s natural strengths to guide healing and growth. Dr. Tiraspolski also provides services in Russian.
*Registered Psychological Associate
This is a term designated for clinicians advanced in their clinical training, but who are not yet licensed & able to provide services independently. They are working towards their final requirements for licensure, are supervised by Dr. Margaret Sawires directly, & are employees of her independent practice. They have been thoroughly screened & registered through the Board of Psychology for this position.