Shanti Orange County is a nonprofit counseling practice in Laguna Hills. Masters- and doctoral-level therapists, low-cost fees starting at $65, many insurance plans accepted, and telehealth throughout California.
Counseling is a professionally facilitated process designed to explore thoughts, feelings, and behaviors for the purpose of improving quality of life. In practice that means sitting with a therapist who helps you understand the causes, influences, and triggers behind what is happening, whether those sit in your family of origin, your current relationships, or problems at work. The goal is to develop proactive coping strategies and an enhanced sense of well-being, not simply to talk for an hour a week.
Shanti Orange County has been doing this work since 1987. Being a nonprofit changes the practice in one concrete way: our fees exist to keep care reachable rather than to maximize revenue, so the conversation about money happens honestly and early instead of becoming the reason you never start. Our clinicians are masters- and doctoral-level therapists who offer a personalized and skilled approach to your clinical care, and every service we provide is LGBTQ affirming. We want everyone to feel free to come as you are.
Because Shanti’s roots are in HIV/AIDS care, our staff is also specialty trained in chronic disease and illness navigation. If you are living with a long-term health condition, you will not spend your first several sessions teaching your therapist what it is like. For people living with chronic illness, counseling can also help reduce stress and foster the social connection that gets thin when health takes over the calendar.
For a fuller description of the clinical program, see mental health counseling.
We provide therapy for teens, adults, couples, and families. People reach out to us about:
You do not need a diagnosis, a referral, or a crisis to call. A lot of people reach out because something has been quietly wrong for a while and they have run out of ways to explain it away. That is a completely reasonable reason to start therapy, and you can refer yourself.
One important boundary: therapy is ongoing care, not emergency care. Our office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm Pacific. If tonight is the hard part, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is reachable at 988, which is 24/7 free and confidential.
Different problems respond to different formats, and intake will help you land in the right one. Many people move between them over time, or use more than one at once.
A personalized approach to psychotherapy. Counselors work with clients to understand how anxiety, depression, substance use, and fear of disclosure interact with more general problems, then collaborate to find resolution. This is the format most people start in, and it is the one that adapts most easily as what you need changes.
Focused on facilitating more effective communication strategies between partners in light of difficult situations or circumstances. The work is more structured than individual therapy, with methods aimed squarely at problem solving rather than open-ended exploration.
We provide therapy for teens and for families working through conflict, transition, or the aftermath of something hard. Sessions may involve a young person alone, parents alone, or the family together, depending on what will actually move things forward.
Group work adds the powerful component of group participation. A facilitator guides a safe and understanding discussion in which members are encouraged to share their experiences. Rather than giving advice or commentary, members provide support and a listening ear to one another.
Alongside clinical counseling we run two recurring support groups: Círculo Latino, a free Spanish-language circle that meets the first Tuesday of each month from 5:30 to 7 pm, and a weekly clinician-led HIV therapy group for adults living with HIV/AIDS, which is joined by intake.
Cost is the most common reason people put therapy off, so here are the actual numbers rather than a promise to discuss it later.
If you are paying out of pocket, low-cost counseling fees are $65 per session with an unlicensed therapist, a masters-level clinician working under licensed supervision, and $100 per session with a licensed therapist. Fees may also be subsidized for people who are uninsured and living with HIV/AIDS.
If you have coverage, we accept many insurance plans, including CalOptima (Medi-Cal), for eligible services. Plan acceptance can vary by service, so intake verifies your specific coverage before your first session instead of leaving you to interpret a benefits document on your own. Have your member ID, plan name, and date of birth handy when you call, or wait and enter them on the enrollment forms.
You do not need insurance to reach out, and you do not need to know what your plan covers before you dial. Our open support groups, including Círculo Latino, are free regardless of coverage.
A real person from our intake team answers, Monday through Friday between 9 am and 5 pm Pacific. No automated triage, no phone menu. Reach us at 949-452-0888 or [email protected].
Intake asks what you are going through and which service fits: counseling, a support group, psychological testing, or HIV case management. There is no commitment to start, and questions are welcome. You can self-refer; you do not need a doctor to send you.
Enrollment forms arrive by email through Simple Practice, typically within about a business day. Once they are returned we reach back out to book your sessions. Most callers are scheduled within one to two weeks of intake, though timing can vary with demand.
Your first session is about an hour. A counselor listens, asks clarifying questions, and helps map realistic next steps. Nothing is decided for you in that hour, and you can ask about confidentiality, fees, or language access before you commit to ongoing care. Conversations between you and your counselor are private and protected.
For a step-by-step walkthrough, read what to expect on your first visit.
Our office is at 23461 South Pointe Dr., Suite 100, Laguna Hills, CA 92653, with free parking on site. In-person sessions happen there, Monday through Friday between 9 am and 5 pm Pacific.
If getting to Laguna Hills is not practical, whether you are further north in the county, your work hours overlap ours, or a health condition makes the drive hard, telehealth is available throughout California. It is the same clinicians and the same fees, from wherever you are in the state.
Language access is part of the same question. Our staff works in English, Spanish, Farsi, and Hindi, and Círculo Latino runs entirely in Spanish for anyone in the Spanish-speaking community. You do not need to be a Shanti client to attend it.
Plans we work with
CalOptima (Medi-Cal)
Medicare
Optum / UnitedHealthcare
Anthem Blue Cross
Kaiser Permanente
MHN / Health Net
Cigna
Aetna
Blue Shield of California
Molina HealthcarePlan acceptance can vary by service. Call 949-452-0888 to confirm coverage for your specific plan.
Tell us what you’re dealing with and we’ll tell you what it would cost, how soon we could see you, and whether counseling here makes sense. No commitment required to make the call.
Mon–Fri, 9 am – 5 pm PT · [email protected]