back to summer 2025 newsletter 
By Gia Reyes, LMFT, SCV-CAMFT Director-at-Large

Amanda Cortez sweeps into a room with a big dose of warmth and friendliness that belies the sharp wit that founded a group private practice that has grown at a pace that caught her by surprise too. “Sometimes I'm still shocked by how many people are employed by Yes to Therapy today (the group private practice she founded in 2017 that is now employing 60 people), and when I say the numbers out loud, I'm like, whoa!,” Amanda chuckles. 

Since last year, Amanda has served as Treasurer for SCV CAMFT and is incoming President in 2026. She is also currently facilitating the “Solo to CEO” workshops while finishing up a doctorate degree in Organizational Leadership and simultaneously teaching at the Masteral level. 

We caught up with Amanda to know more about what’s ahead and her reflections on how she got here.

How did you start in counseling and end up with a group private practice?

When I was a teenager, my mom became a domestic violence counselor shortly after her divorce from my father, so I had the opportunity to learn about counseling from a young age. I was also drawn to the field by seeing all of the women she supported and learning about counseling communities. It was incredible to see how communities lifted up one another and how they would come together in such challenging times. 

Initially, I wanted to be a veterinarian so I was studying Biology at UC Santa Cruz but eventually my interest in feminist studies and research led me to Community Studies - which became my major. I was always fascinated with how groups came together, or did not. I learned about community development, community organization and advocacy. But I still have my passion for animals because at Yes to Therapy we do pet-grief work and I want to do more work with animals in the future.

I worked in many agency settings and it wasn’t until I learned that there were still many gaps in mental healthcare that I wanted to support and that’s when Yes To Therapy was born. I didn’t anticipate owning a group practice at the size I do now, but I had many incredible support systems, colleagues and peers that wanted to try out group practice and so, it grew!

Did you grow up in an entrepreneurial environment?

I didn't grow up with family-run businesses. My mom was a big influence on me because she was always someone who would suggest, “oh, you can start your own bit.” I think she liked the idea of starting her own business, but she never really did and I think I kind of picked up on that. I didn’t come from money and there wasn’t anybody running their own business in my family. I knew nothing about finance investing! I don't think I even learned about a 401k until I got into my Community Studies undergrad at UC Santa Cruz. I didn't know any of that! It was really all about community development and organization.

So how did you start your group private practice?

When I was thinking of setting up my private practice, I had to think of it as “I'm either going to get a negative or positive result or both at the same time. But at the end of the day, my life won't be over if something fails.”

I was really forced to learn about finances when I started my group private practice. And I think that oftentimes many therapists don't want to run a group practice, or they don't want to take on employees, because they have to learn all about money and it can be scary. What I'm saying is, I feel that a lot of people are so scared because they fear not having that cushion, the parachute of having someone paying for their social security, for Medicare. for their 401k, etc.

The irony though is that now I think it can be easier sometimes to run a practice than doing therapy per se because with a business, it is kind of black and white. You have to do some forecasting, but for the most part, it's black and white and so I think that doing therapy is actually the bigger risk! And so when my practice started to grow, I really just had to learn the financial piece of it. 

And I really like giving people jobs and creating jobs for people. My favorite thing is to create work for individuals. Sometimes I really want to scale up and there are places I want to open up, like my community where I'm from in Monterey County, because there are pockets of places that I think need support. And that would be the reason why I scale up – to provide mental health services in those places that don't have access.

But I have to be strategic about it. And I'm not in a rush. And I think that if I was in a rush, I'd be scaling up a lot quicker.

What factors made you lean into specializing in trauma? What do you believe is the biggest difference in the treatment modality that your practice provides that others may not?

My personal experience with trauma made me lean into this specialization. I have had to do my own work after witnessing violence in my childhood, after my mom got away from my dad. Fortunately, I have also seen such a tremendous turnaround with how I view my relationship with my dad now, and how I have a relationship with him albeit a non-traditional one.

At the start of this journey, I thought I would stay working in jails or hospitals because I really enjoy doing crisis work. Providing trauma-informed care feels so natural and easy for me. 

In my practice, I feel it is so important that all clinicians learn how to assess risk as a baseline. Once they can assess risk and understand how to work with clients navigating high acute challenges, I believe that they can then sit with the client and settle into the process. I believe that is what separates Yes To Therapy from other practices because all of my clinicians need to be comfortable with high risk. That doesn’t mean they all take high risk clients – but can have comfortability to assess and determine the next steps of care. I also inform my employees that while we are not “niched” in the type of work we offer clients, or in the trauma modalities, we can pretty much guarantee that there will be a niched therapist to work with at the practice, whether that be in IFS, EMDR, certified art therapy, , eating disorders, couples and family therapy  KAP, etc. We also provide therapy in over 12 languages. We can find a therapist in the range of support a client might be seeking. 

How did the "Solo to CEO" workshops come to be? When did they start? How do you feel about the mentoring you do through the workshops?

I ran the Owners Support Group with Ursula in 2024 and continued on with the group in 2025. Then Alex and I were brainstorming one day to revamp the group offering and he came up with the cool title! I still hold an imposter syndrome about running the group! I can only speak to my experience and everyone that joins that group always have great ideas and suggestions for one another. I do think it would be ideal if I provide more facilitation, but it seems it would take away from the group support component. I also enjoy learning about what others are doing and how incredibly brave they are! 

And now you’re finishing up your doctorate degree? 

I am a year into the program, an EDD in Organizational Leadership with an intersection of Trauma. 

I have just really always enjoyed community work and organization, and getting the doctorate kind of landed on me because I also teach at a master's program at the university. I knew I wanted to go back to school and get a doctorate.

I've always been really interested in the mental health of entrepreneurs. I have always been curious about, one, what depression and anxiety or trauma might look like for entrepreneurs and two, how are organizations developed based on a group leader's own attachment style. It's interesting, right? 

Amanda is already planning for what’s next - a non-profit for trainees and/or a business for international therapists crossing state lines. With such high energy that is also very strategic, it will indeed be very interesting to see Amanda steer SCV-CAMFT in 2026.

Contact information for Amanda Cortez, LMFT 
Owner: Yes to Therapy, www.yestotherapy.com
Phone: (831) 293-4770