Anna Drake, MFT

Anna E. Drake is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She has worked serving the Santa Barbara community for the past decade, working with various non-profit agencies, Anna has developed specializations in the areas of substance use disorder, depression, anxiety, and trauma-recovery.

Anna has supported numerous young adults as they adjust to increased independence, couples building new relationship pathways, and families working towards more healthful ways of communicating and growing. Anna’s open-minded approach allows for a great flexibility in treatment planning. Some clients find the structure of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helpful, while others may be suited to a more open approach using art therapy or Emotionally Focused Therapy.

Anna has done extensive Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) training and values working with clients from a diverse background. She is trained to support growth opportunities related to all manner of identity and self-definition including LGBTQ and gender identity, ethnic identity and sexual identity development. Anna trained in trauma focused therapy, Mindfulness Based Relapse Prevention and Motivational Interviewing to support those working with addictive disorders, play therapy and Internal Family Systems Therapy to support individuation and healing from trauma, and Solution-Focused Therapy – suitable for those seeking short-term support in resolving specific difficulties. Therapy can serve as a vital support to anyone at any stage of life seeking to learn new coping skills, improve their relationships, and grow stronger resilience.

Anna received her BA from UC Santa Cruz in the fields of Politics and American Studies, did continuing education through UC Berkeley and Santa Barbara City College in the field of Addiction Recovery, and received her Master’s Degree from Antioch University in Clinical Psychology in 2011.

Anna is an artist who works with recycled and found materials to weave baskets, create books and paper craft, and is devoted to visible mending.  She enjoys hiking the beautiful central coast, gardening, yoga, cooking, and spending time with a good book.