Veteran Therapy San Diego | PTSD & Trauma Expert
Lead your life, not just the mission.
Action-based therapy for veterans and military‑connected individuals, especially from BIPOC, LGBTQ, and neurodiverse communities seeking calm, clarity, and real change that extends beyond the therapy room.
Stop living in a constant state of readiness and start leading a steadier life, without repeating your story or explaining your experience to every new provider.
In this practice, you’re not a problem to be fixed. You’re a partner in change.
Inspired by Paulo Freire’s praxis, we work together to identify challenges, explore possibilities, and take action. Your lived experience is valued as important information, not something to hide.
I help you transform the discipline, courage, and leadership you already possess into a new mission: creating a grounded, dignified, and fulfilling life after service.
You’ve done hard things. You’ve led teams, carried responsibility, and pushed through when quitting wasn’t an option.
But now:
- Your body still acts like it’s downrange, even when you’re at home.
- You’re tired of scanning every room, every sound, every expression.
- You’re holding a lot together for everyone else, and no one really sees the cost.
- You’ve tried therapy or support before, but what happens in the room doesn’t hold in real life.
You might be wondering:
- Who am I without the rank, role, or uniform?
- How do I lead my own life with the same conviction I once brought to the mission?
- How do I ask for support without feeling like I’m becoming someone else’s burden or project?
If this sounds familiar, you’re in the right place.
This practice is grounded in Paulo Freire’s idea of praxis: reflection and action, together, in the real world.
That means we:
- Name reality together – your history, your context, your values, your constraints
- Reflect with honesty – on what’s working, what isn’t, and what you’ve already tried
- Act with intention – testing small, concrete changes in your actual life, not in theory
Action‑Driven Therapy: More Than Talk
We don’t do “banking‑model” therapy where I hold the answers and you try to live up to them.
Instead, we use dialogue as a form of shared leadership. You bring your story and expertise in your life; I bring clinical training, systems awareness, and a commitment to your dignity.
From there, we co‑create clear, portable plans you can carry into your home, work, relationships, and community.
Here’s What Makes Me Different
Unlike many “tools and tips” therapies that stay confined to the therapy room, my approach addresses the real-life conditions you face as a veteran or military‑connected person navigating actual systems, not just theory.
Action‑driven, not passive talk therapy
I don’t simply listen, nod, and send you home with vague suggestions. We identify what’s happening, explore what’s possible, and take action, together. Your lived experience becomes the basis for testing and refining real‑world changes, so sessions lead to different days, not just different insights.
I treat both your nervous system and the systems around you
You aren’t asked to simply “cope better” with genuinely difficult conditions. We address your body, sleep, hypervigilance, blow‑ups, and also tackle the external structures that keep you on edge: bureaucracy, broken promises, bias, and performative support. Rather than viewing the problem as only within you, we focus on changing both your responses and, where possible, your environment.
I know from lived experience as an active duty officer in the Army
You don’t have to start from scratch here. I work specifically with veterans and military‑connected people, so you won’t spend half the session explaining language, rank, or context. This allows us to focus sooner on what truly matters: how you lead your life now, beyond the mission, with greater clarity in your identity and more steadiness in your body and relationships.
Together, we’ll build plans that are calm, realistic, and repeatable, grounded in your values and your leadership, not someone else’s idea of who you should be.
My signature framework
Stabilize
This phase focuses on creating enough calm and safety for real thinking to happen. We slow things down, reduce unnecessary urgency, and establish simple structures that lower day to day friction. The goal is to help people and systems move out of constant reaction so conversations, decisions, and learning can actually take hold.
Align
In this phase, we bring values, roles, expectations, and supports into coherence. Rather than working in isolation, we look at how different parts of a person’s life or a system interact and where misalignment is creating strain. Alignment helps insight move out of conversation and into daily practice across the environments people are navigating.
Lead
This phase centers on action rooted in values. Leadership here is not about authority or performance, but about practicing clarity, responsibility, and usable skills in real situations. The focus is on communication, decision making, and follow through that can be sustained under pressure, so progress continues beyond a session, training, or engagement.
Here is how I can help you
Therapy for Veterans
Trauma informed, leadership centered therapy for veterans and military connected individuals who want calm, clarity, and real life follow through.
Includes:
- Individual therapy
- Group therapy
Speaking & Organizational Consulting
Strategic consultation and education for public, private, government organizations, K-12 schools, higher education institutions, and non-profit systems supporting veterans and high responsibility professionals locally, statewide, national, and global.
Includes:
- Organizational and school consultation
- Workshops and trainings
- Speaking and keynotes
- Clinical leadership and capacity building
- Clinical supervision
How It Works
Step 1: Brief consultation (15–20 minutes)
We’ll connect online or by phone to determine if we’re a good fit, discuss your current challenges, or situation, and answer questions about fees, logistics, and the scope of services.
Step 2: Intake & grounding the story
During the initial 1–2 sessions, we’ll explore what’s happening in your body, relationships, and the systems around you. Together, we’ll identify what’s working, what isn’t, and clarify your current priorities (such as sleep, emotional stability, or identity clarity).
Step 3: Co‑creating a working plan
Using a Freire informed, practical approach, we work together to identify two to three meaningful goals and translate them into small, actionable steps you can practice between sessions. The focus is always on tools and strategies that fit your real life circumstances, energy, and responsibilities so progress feels possible and sustainable.
Step 4: Ongoing sessions & real‑world adjustments
In each session, we review what happened between meetings, looking at what was helpful and what was not. From there, we adjust the plan based on your feedback and current circumstances, while paying attention to shifts in sleep, emotional responses, and your overall sense of steadiness over time.
The After-Action Review for Your Life: A Self-Assessment for Veterans Ready to Lead Themselves, Not Just Others
This workbook addresses a central challenge: You know how to lead teams, handle crises, and carry responsibility.
But when it comes to understanding who you are now after service, transition, or in this new chapter, things may feel blurry, fragmented, or stuck.
Download our free guide:
“Richard’s work reflects both intellectual depth and genuine care. He brings clarity, discipline, and empathy to every role, making him an exceptional clinician and consultant.”
— Academic & Clinical Reference
“Richard combines clinical skill with deep leadership. He brings clarity, compassion, and structure to complex environments, empowering individuals and families to move forward with dignity and accountability.”
— Keith D. Washington, LCSW, DCSW
“Richard’s leadership in high-pressure military systems stood out immediately. His ability to balance clinical judgment, teamwork, and mission readiness makes him a trusted guide in complex, real-world settings.”
— Senior Military Supervisor
“What sets Richard apart is his ability to connect systems, people, and purpose. He leads with integrity, cultural awareness, and a deep respect for lived experience.”
— Community Mental Health Colleague
“Richard creates spaces where growth feels possible. His approach is thoughtful, structured, and human—especially for those navigating leadership, identity, and high-stakes environments.”
— Professional Peer
“Richard’s work reflects both intellectual depth and genuine care. He brings clarity, discipline, and empathy to every role, making him an exceptional clinician and consultant.”
— Academic & Clinical Reference
“Richard combines clinical skill with deep leadership. He brings clarity, compassion, and structure to complex environments, empowering individuals and families to move forward with dignity and accountability.”
— Keith D. Washington, LCSW, DCSW
Testimonials
My name is Richard De La Garza, and I’m a Mexican American / Chicano Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW).
My professional calling grew out of a deep respect for Paulo Freire’s work, nervous system science, and the lived stories of veterans and system-impacted communities. I began this practice out of frustration with the shallow, one-size-fits-all advice often offered to veterans and high-responsibility individuals—approaches that overlook culture, identity, leadership, and the complex systems people navigate every day.
I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Science from San José State University, a Master’s degree in Social Work and Public Administration from Columbia University, and a Doctorate in Philosophy of Leadership from the University of San Diego.
My work is informed by experience across multiple systems, including service as a direct commissioned officer in the U.S. Army, community mental health case management, supervision, crisis prevention, nonprofit board consultation, and facilitating partnerships across the military and VA Palo Alto. My therapeutic approach is holistic and integrative, drawing on person-centered, psychodynamic, narrative, cognitive-behavioral, solution-oriented, systems-based, and storytelling approaches, and I am also trained in EMDR therapy.
I am bilingual and bicultural, a Mexican American / Chicano with dual citizenship, a first-generation college student, veteran, and a neurodiverse scholar, educator, and author—identities that shape how I listen, how I lead, and how I practice. I don’t see clients as problems to fix, but as leaders learning to guide their lives with clarity, courage, and self-awareness. My goal is to offer honest, practical, and human therapy that respects lived experience, dignity, and growth.
Lead your life with the same courage you’ve shown others, this time as a co-author of your story, not just a character.
If you’re ready to acknowledge your reality, regain your sense of calm and self, and co-create a life that truly reflects who you are today, I would be honored to support you.
Click below to schedule a consultation and start your next chapter of leadership, rooted in your authentic experience and co-written with you.
