Therapy for Men & Veterans in Oceanside, CA | Near Camp Pendleton

I provide therapy for men and veterans in Oceanside, California, supporting individuals impacted by military service, leadership stress, and major life transitions. I work with veterans and military-connected men navigating trauma, emotional regulation challenges, and identity shifts shaped by years of responsibility and service. My role within the Oceanside community is to offer grounded, evidence-based therapy that is practical, respectful, and steady.


Oceanside has a strong military presence, with many active duty service members and veterans connected to nearby bases and long-standing military communities in North County. The coastal environment can feel relaxed on the surface, yet many men here continue carrying pressure, structure, and high expectations long after their service roles change. This local context shapes how stress, burnout, and emotional strain manifest in daily life.


Many men and veterans in Oceanside struggle with unresolved trauma, emotional suppression, and difficulty adjusting to a slower pace after years of service-driven structure. Clients often choose to work with me because I understand these challenges and offer therapy that is calm, direct, and grounded. My approach focuses on helping clients build emotional regulation, clarity, and stability without adding more pressure or overwhelm.

Here’s what’s included

Step 1: Grounded Intake & Shared Mapping

We start with a collaborative intake session where we slow down together, map what’s happening in your body and life, and name the systems, histories, and power dynamics that have shaped how you respond. This isn’t a checkbox assessment, it’s a Freirean dialogue where your story is treated as real knowledge, not a problem to be fixed.

Step 2: Freirean Praxis Sessions (Reflection + Action)

In ongoing 1:1 sessions, we practice praxis: we reflect critically on your patterns, triggers, and environments, and then translate that insight into small, concrete actions that honor your values and your nervous system. You’ll leave each session with 1–3 grounded experiments or practices, no perfectionism, no overwhelm, just doable steps toward more dignity, choice, and ease.

Step 3: Integration, Reclaiming, and Future Alignment

As we work, we regularly pause to reflect on what’s shifting: how you’re feeling in your body, how your relationships and boundaries are changing, and what freedom looks like for you now. Together, we refine your practices, celebrate what’s working, and craft a sustainable way of living and leading that’s aligned with your values, so the transformation isn’t just a session experience, but part of your everyday life.

Explore my services

  • Therapy for Veterans

    Veteran therapy in Oceanside is for service members who feel stuck in a state of constant vigilance or an emotional shutdown long after active duty ends. Many veterans in this area carry trauma exposure, anger, anxiety, or emotional numbness while trying to adapt to civilian life near bases and long-standing military communities. The pressure to stay composed and capable often continues even when service roles change.


    Over time, clients often experience greater emotional regulation and a sense of relief in daily life. Reactions become easier to manage, relationships feel less tense, and there is more capacity to rest without feeling on edge. Veterans often begin to reconnect with themselves beyond survival mode and constant readiness.


    Sessions tend to explore how military experiences continue shaping the nervous system, emotional responses, and sense of safety. Therapy is offered in a steady, respectful way, either in person or virtually, supporting regulation and stability. For veterans seeking local support near you in Oceanside, the focus is on clarity, grounding, and sustainable change.

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  • Speaking & Organizational Consulting

    Organizations in Oceanside often reach out when leadership conversations keep happening but nothing changes on the ground. Meetings feel productive, people care, yet the same issues repeat.


    Speaking and organizational consulting helps clarify what is actually getting in the way and what needs to be adjusted at a systems level. The work focuses on practical alignment so teams leave with shared expectations, clearer roles, and tools they can use immediately.

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  • Military Transition Counseling

    Living near an active military environment can make transition feel incomplete. If you are a veteran in Oceanside, you may notice that even after leaving service, your body and decisions stay in readiness mode. The proximity to ongoing military life can blur the line between who you were in service and who you are now.


    Military transition counseling gives you space to slow that down intentionally. We start by stabilizing daily life so stress and urgency do not drive your choices. This means looking closely at sleep, routines, boundaries, and the ways your nervous system learned to stay effective under pressure. Calm comes first because without it, clarity is hard to access.


    As we move forward, the work focuses on identity and leadership beyond the uniform. Instead of rushing you to redefine yourself, we name what has changed and what still needs support. We translate your military skills into civilian contexts in a way that preserves your integrity and does not ask you to abandon discipline, responsibility, or values that still matter.

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  • Trauma Therapy for Veterans

    Living close to an active military environment can keep trauma responses running quietly in the background. In Oceanside, many veterans notice that even years after service, their bodies stay alert, guarded, or exhausted without a clear reason in the present.


    Trauma therapy here starts by recognizing that those reactions are not mistakes or weaknesses. They are survival strategies your nervous system learned in real conditions. We do not rush into the past or push you to relive experiences before you are ready. We stabilize first so your system is no longer making decisions from urgency or threat.


    As the work develops, we focus on how trauma shows up in daily life. This includes sleep, routines, relationships, emotional range, and how you make decisions under pressure. Insight matters, but it is not the goal on its own. The work is about creating enough internal stability so you can respond rather than react.

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  • PTSD treatment for Veterans

    Living near an active military corridor can keep post traumatic stress patterns active longer than expected. In Oceanside, many veterans notice that vigilance, disrupted sleep, or irritability persist even when immediate threats are no longer present. PTSD here is not about weakness. It is about a nervous system that learned to stay ready because that readiness once mattered.


    PTSD treatment begins by changing how your system relates to the present. We do not start by reliving events or forcing emotional exposure. We stabilize first so your body is no longer operating from constant urgency. Calm and predictability are necessary before learning, reflection, or choice can take hold.


    As the work develops, we focus on how PTSD shows up in daily life. This includes reactions at work, patterns in relationships, sleep, decision making, and how control or shutdown take over under stress. The goal is not to suppress symptoms, but to understand what they are protecting and build safer ways for your system to respond.


    My approach to PTSD treatment is grounded in dialogue, shared power, and follow through. As a U.S. Army veteran and licensed clinical social worker, I work with you to translate awareness into structures that hold outside the session. The aim is grounded calm, restored self trust, and leadership over your own life rather than ongoing survival mode.

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  • Anxiety Therapy for Veterans

    Living near active military and VA systems can keep anxiety running in the background even when nothing urgent is happening. In Oceanside, that anxiety often shows up as constant tension, difficulty sleeping, and the feeling that you have to stay alert so nothing gets missed or mishandled.


    This kind of anxiety is not about fear or weakness. It is what happens when you spend years navigating systems that require persistence, follow ups, and constant checking just to work. Your nervous system learns that letting your guard down is risky, so it stays engaged even during quiet moments.


    Anxiety therapy here focuses on lowering that baseline pressure. We work on reducing hypervigilance, organizing demands, and building predictable structure so your system does not have to stay on duty all the time. The goal is not to ignore responsibilities, but to stop carrying them alone in your body.

    Together, we look at how this anxiety affects your focus, mood, sleep, and decision making, and what actually helps restore steadiness. Treatment supports calmer days, clearer thinking, and a sense of control that does not depend on constant monitoring.

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  • Depression Therapy for Veterans

    Depression does not always stop you from functioning. In Oceanside, it often shows up as emotional heaviness, loss of motivation, and the feeling that life is running on autopilot even though you keep showing up.


    This kind of depression is common when you have carried responsibility for a long time without space to reset. You may not feel intensely sad. Instead, everything feels harder than it used to. Decisions take more effort. Rest does not restore you. Purpose feels distant or unclear.


    Depression therapy here focuses on rebuilding daily structure before pushing for motivation. We work on restoring rhythm, energy, and decision making so momentum can return naturally rather than through pressure or willpower.


    As we work together, we look at how depression affects identity, follow through, and self trust. The goal is not just symptom relief, but helping life feel livable again with clearer direction, steadier energy, and leadership over your own days.

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  • Anger Therapy for Veterans

    If you are a veteran in Oceanside and anger feels like it turns on faster than you intend, this service is built to help you regain control without suppressing what you feel. Anger here often comes from constant readiness and accumulated stress, not from lack of discipline. Counseling focuses on slowing reactions, reducing pressure in your system, and helping you respond with intention instead of impulse.

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  • Sex and Intimacy Therapy for Men

    If you are a veteran in Oceanside and intimacy has become tense, distant, or inconsistent, this service is designed to help you understand why without shame or guesswork. Sexual concerns often develop alongside stress, trauma exposure, or a nervous system that stays on guard even in safe moments.


    Sex therapy focuses on helping your body slow down enough to reenter intimacy with choice. We work on regulation first so desire, arousal, and connection are not driven by pressure, performance, or avoidance.

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I serve veterans in Oceanside.

I serve veterans across the Oceanside area, including neighborhoods near Camp Pendleton, Oceanside Harbor, and the Coast Highway corridor. I also work with clients coming from nearby areas such as Vista, Fallbrook, and northern San Diego County who want support that understands military culture and VA related stress.

“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

Hello, I’m Richard De La Garza, a veteran therapist specializing in trauma informed therapy for veterans and military connected individuals.

I’m Richard De La Garza, a U.S. Army veteran and licensed clinical social worker serving veterans in Oceanside. My work supports men navigating trauma, PTSD, anger, and life after military service, with particular understanding of the demands connected to Camp Pendleton and military transition.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • How does this work?

    We start with a complimentary 15‑minute consultation to see whether we’re a good fit and to answer any initial questions. If we decide to work together, we’ll schedule your first full session and complete intake forms through a secure online portal.


    In our sessions, we meet virtually (or in person if you’re in San Diego, CA and choose that option). We’ll slow down, map what’s going on in your life and body, and set goals together rather than imposing a one‑size‑fits‑all plan.


    I draw from several approaches—including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), trauma‑informed care, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), strength‑based and compassion‑based practices—while centering intersectionality and cultural context. That means we look not only at your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, but also at how identity, history, and systems shape your experience. Each session is a mix of reflection and concrete practices, so you leave with 1–3 grounded steps to try between sessions.


    Therapy is typically weekly or bi‑weekly at first, and we’ll regularly check in about how it’s going, what’s shifting, and whether the frequency or focus needs to be adjusted.

  • Can I use insurance?

    I do not accept insurance at this time. All services are self‑pay, and payment is due at the time of service.


    Many clients choose to use HSA/FSA funds or speak with their insurance provider about any out‑of‑network benefits that might apply. I’m happy to answer questions about fees and payment so you can make an informed decision before beginning.


    You also have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate of the expected costs of your services, in line with the No Surprises Act.

  • What technology do I need?

    Virtual sessions are held through a secure, HIPAA‑compliant video platform.


    You’ll need:


    • A stable internet connection
    • A smartphone, tablet, or computer with a camera and microphone
    • A private, quiet space where you feel comfortable speaking openly
    • Headphones or earbuds (recommended for privacy and sound quality)

    Before each session, you’ll receive a link by email; you simply click it at your appointment time—no special software is required beyond an up‑to‑date browser.

  • What happens if I need to cancel?

    Life happens, and sometimes you need to reschedule. I ask for at least 24 hours’ notice if you need to cancel or change an appointment.


    • Cancellations or reschedules made more than 24 hours in advance: no fee.
    • Cancellations, reschedules, or no‑shows within 24 hours of your appointment: you will be responsible for the full session fee.

    This policy helps protect the time I set aside for you and ensures that appointments are available for others who may be waiting. If you’re unsure whether you’ll be able to attend, please reach out as soon as you can so we can explore options.

  • Good Faith Estimate

    What is a Good Faith Estimate?


    If you are paying out of pocket (not using insurance), you have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate (GFE) outlining the expected cost of your therapy.


    A Good Faith Estimate includes:


    • Describes the type of services we’re planning (for example, weekly 50-minute sessions)
    • Outlines the estimated total cost over a period of time (for example, 3–6 months)
    • Is provided in writing before we begin ongoing therapy

    This is an estimate, not a contract. If we adjust your treatment plan—such as meeting more or less often—I will update the estimate to reflect our new agreement.


    Under the No Surprises Act, if your actual charges are significantly higher than the estimate, you may have the right to dispute the bill. This law is designed to promote transparency, so you can make informed decisions about your care.