Elisabeth Gonella LMFT

Elisabeth is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist working in the mental health and spiritual counseling fields for over 20 years and currently in private practice in Santa Barbara.  She has expertise in working with adolescents and young adults which includes college-based counseling, private practice, wilderness based programs, emotional growth boarding schools and psychiatric hospital settings. She is experienced in acute psychiatric care and crisis management fostered by collaborative work in psychiatric care institutions. 

In recent years, Elisabeth is focusing on life transitions and community building by leading community choirs and collective grief tending. 

Elisabeth has taught Counseling Psychology at the Master’s level since 2012 and became a Core Faculty member at Pacifica Graduate Institute in 2021.   She teaches a variety of courses in the Counseling psychology program with particular emphasis on teaching listening skills and expanding personal awareness and growth in students training for careers in psychotherapy. She also teaches Law and Ethics and advises students on their master’s theses. 

Elisabeth develops curriculum and support for The Therapist Development Center assisting hundreds of associates to pass the MFT exams (both California and National).  She is a clinical member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. 

Areas of interest include: Intersection of spirituality and psychology, life transitions, career development, MBTI assessment, Depth Psychology, Conscious Parenting, Law and Ethics, Supervision, Cultural psychology, Collective grief tending.