Mental Health Services

The San Mateo County Pride Center provides high quality, LGBTQ+ affirming mental health services to community members living throughout San Mateo County. Mental wellbeing services include individual therapy, relationship therapy, family therapy, group therapy, and case management. Our work is strength-based, trauma-informed, engaging both natural supports and the whole family whenever possible.

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The Pride Center is excited to announce that we are now offering therapy services again! (posted 7/24/26)

We know that it can be difficult to find an affirming therapist, and we don’t want finances to also be a barrier to your care. To ensure our services are accessible as much as possible, we offer a sliding scale, pay-what-you-can model. Please note that availability is limited. While we are currently not set up to accept Medi-Cal or private insurance, this is something we are working towards. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to  clinical@sanmateopride.org to learn more about how we can help.

Even if therapy with the Pride Center is not an option for you right now, we still offer referral services for:

- LGBTQ+ affirming providers vetted by the Pride Center who have therapy openings and take Medi-Cal or private insurance.
- Providers who can write a letter of support/WPATH letter
- Organizations that provide workshops or 1-1 support with name and gender marker change

Additional services we offer include:

- Housing assistance
- Employment resources
- Emergency food/shelter
- Gender affirming care resources and referrals

As a reminder- case management is still available and free of charge! Those services include support and service linkage for housing, healthcare, employment, legal aid, community events, and more. Please check out our case management page for more information on what can be provided.

Whether you need support with mental health, healthcare, or navigating resources throughout the county, we are here for you. Together, we can help you fulfill your goals and work towards health, happiness, and joy! 

To get started:

- Email us at  info@sanmateopride.org or  clinical@sanmateopride.org
- Call us at 650-591-0133

Contact Us

If you’re feeling sad, anxious, alone, or just need someone to talk to, we’re here for you. We can also support you in navigating housing, healthcare, employment, legal aid, and more.

For inquiries about our mental health services, case management, and resource referrals, please contact our clinical team directly at:

Email: clinical@sanmateopride.org
Phone:
650-591-0133

History

For decades, San Mateo County residents seeking accessible, community-based LGBTQ+ mental health services have had to travel north to San Francisco, south to San Jose, or even across the bridge to Oakland or Berkeley. Those who could not travel simply could not access such services. Situated in the heart of the San Mateo County, the Pride Center embraces this historically isolated region by not only providing high quality mental health services to LGBTQ+ community members, but also by delivering these services right here at home.

Mental Health Services include:

- - Care coordination
  - Collaborative treatment planning
  - Individual counseling
  - Group therapy
  - Relationship therapy
  - Family therapy
  - Community based services
  - Case Management

Our current clinical staff possess expertise in:

- - Depression
  - Anxiety
  - PTSD and trauma
  - Domestic violence (both perpetrators and survivors)
  - Self-harm and suicidal ideation
  - Work with siblings and blended families
  - Couple and relationship counseling
  - Gender identity
  - Polyamory and nonmonogamy
  - Anger management
  - BDSM/kink
  - Working with survivors of violent crime
  - LGBTQ+ adults, families, and youth

In addition to direct clinical care, our clinical team provides extensive consultation and training for:

- - Other mental health and medical providers
  - Teachers
  - Parents
  - Administrators and school support staff

Therapeutic Modalities

Our Multi-Modal lens includes Evidence-Based and Strength-Based practices as well as Cross Cultural Therapy Modalities and Expressive Arts Therapy. Our work is trauma-informed and engages natural supports, including the whole family, whenever possible.

Who is eligible?

We are committed to providing mental health services to the LGBTQ+ community throughout San Mateo County. We accept private pay on a sliding scale (depending on monthly income) as well as those who are or can qualify as a Medi-Cal beneficiary.

Services will be prioritized to:

- - Low income
  - Marginalized and underserved communities
  - Emotional and behavioral disturbances over a prolonged period of time with identifiable symptoms such as depression, mood swings, hyperactivity, marked anxiety, difficulty concentrating or sitting still, extensive trauma history, etc.
  - Relationship problems
  - Poor social skills
  - Troubled or destructive peer or family relationships
  - Isolation and/or social anxiety
  - Marked mental health symptoms causing difficulty and distress in relationships at home, school, work and/or community.
  - High risk for increasing level of severity of presenting issues without mental health intervention
  - Expressed need by participant or family for mental health services to meet social-emotional, behavioral, and/or educational goals
  - Self-endangering behavior
  - History of suicide attempts or ideation
  - Victim or witness of violent crimes (bullying, gun violence, domestic violence, etc.)
  - Difficulty managing anger and/or history of domestic violence perpetration

Next Steps, How can I get mental health services for myself or someone I know?

If you have Medi-Cal, please call the ACCESS line and let them know you’d like therapy services at the San Mateo County Pride Center: (800) 686-0101, TDD: (800) 943-2833

If not, there are several options:

- - Fill in our online CLINICAL SERVICES REQUEST FORM
  - Email our San Mateo County Pride Center’s Clinical Team at clinical@sanmateopride.org to set up a screening appointment with our team.
  - Call our confidential Clinical Info Line at 650-591-0133, where you can leave a voicemail with your service request.
  - Contact our LGBTQ+ Clinical Administrative Coordinator, pearl.chen@sanmateopride.org.
  - Fax a requests or referral form to 650-412-1986 (ATTN: Pearl Chen/ Pride Center Clinical Team)

If you have any other questions related to mental health services at the Pride Center, please contact our LGBTQ+ Clinical Administrative Coordinator and Mental Health Clinician:

Pearl Chen (she/her) at pearl.chen@sanmateopride.org
Fax: 650-412-1986 (ATTN: Pearl Chen)