Erica Haines, PsyD
Licensed Clinical Psychologist (PSY29194)
Somewhere underneath the noise, your own voice is still there. My job is to help you hear it again. When you do, the overwhelm and second-guessing start to quiet, and you can trust who you actually are, instead of who others expect you to be.
That starts with building a genuine connection, one where you feel validated and appreciated for who you are, safe enough to quiet the noise and get curious about what's actually true for you. From there, real growth becomes possible.
As a therapist, I see myself as a fellow traveler, a support, a helper. I trust that you are in fact the expert on you, and sometimes we need another’s safe and caring presence to really explore deeper levels of ourselves. I can offer a different perspective so that we can uncover what needs to be seen, discover untapped potential, or strengthen what has been there all along.
Transition to Within Psychology group practice:
You may know this practice as Dr. Erica Haines Psychological Services Inc. As the practice has grown into a group setting with associate therapists joining the team, it's taken on a new name: Within Psychology, to reflect that growth. I'm still here, still leading the work, now alongside a team of therapists who share the same commitment to depth-oriented, meaningful care.
More about me
At my core, I'm driven by a passion for helping people. That passion first took shape in an unexpected place: working with incarcerated individuals, drawn to connecting with those who had often been disregarded, the "underdogs." There, I found myself continually in awe of the resilience and determination people can hold onto even when they look or feel most defeated, and humbled every time someone let me join them on that journey. That experience still shapes how I show up with every client I work with today.
I'm also grateful to now be building my practice in Santa Barbara, the place I grew up. There's something meaningful about doing this work in a place that means so much to me personally.
Outside the office, I'm most often found on some kind of adventure with my two young sons. Parenthood has taught me as much about patience and presence as anything else in my life.
Working with me
My clients often come in after grappling with questions like:
“Why am I like this?”
“Why do I keep doing this?”
“Why is this still bothering me?”
“Why do I react like that?”
“Why do I keep overthinking?”
The ocean is a beautiful metaphor for human experience. Viewed from above, it can appear calm, tranquil, controlled. Underneath is a vast expanse of different entities and processes, sometimes working in harmony, sometimes in conflict. The ocean can do amazingly inspiring things. It can also do harm. It can be greatly affected by outside forces and internal vulnerabilities. Ultimately, the ocean does its best to take care of itself — and sometimes, it can use the help of another to thrive.
Many of the people I work with are like that: steady on the surface, while something more complicated moves underneath.
They come to therapy wanting a space to explore these deeper questions and experiences, and to create change that feels genuinely aligned with who they are.
What Therapy With Me Might Be Like
Together, we'll slow down and explore the deeper emotional, relational, and existential patterns shaping your experience and not just focus on coping skills.
We'll work with curiosity instead of judgment, and shift away from any need to "fix" you, because you're not broken. Instead, we'll make space for the parts of you that may have been overlooked, protected, or hard to understand, gently asking what they might be telling you, what they might mean, and what's underneath them.
Sessions with me are thoughtful, conversational, and real. I pay attention not just to what you're saying, but to how you're experiencing it in the moment. I invite reflection and stay genuinely engaged with your lived experience. We'll connect not only to what you've been through, but to how you feel about who you've become because of it. Along the way, we'll engage honestly with the bigger questions too, like who you're becoming, where you're headed, and what matters to you, working toward greater meaning, authenticity, and freedom in how you live.
My honest and real stance on therapy:
Change can be hard.
Growth takes time.
It takes courage to explore the unknown.
Strength is built with endurance.
Knowing comes from experience.
Stability needs connection - with self and with others.
AND all of this is absolutely possible
My experience:
I’ve been providing therapy for over 12 years to a variety of clients - from children struggling with school, to college students struggling with finding themselves, to prison inmates struggling with meaning, to middle-aged individuals feeling stuck and overwhelmed, and lots more in between.
Without boring you with my entire CV, here’s a brief overview if you’re interested:
University of California at San Diego: B.A. majoring in Psychology
Argosy University, San Diego: M.A. Forensic Psychology
American School of Professional Psychology: Psy.D.
APA Accredited Internship at San Quentin State Prison
Post-doc clinical work at California Medical Facility (CA State Prison) in Vacaville, CA
In private practice since 2022.
Adjunct faculty member at Pacifica Graduate Institute since 2025
Clinical supervisor to trainee therapists since 2025