San Diego Therapist: Dr. Huelsenbeck's Therapy & Research Experience


Dr. Huelsenbeck has a wide range of clinical and research experience with many different types of problems. She specializes in working mindfully with individuals who are transitioning through some of life's greatest challenges such as living with a chronic or terminal illness like cancer, or overcoming a debilitating depression.

Dr. Huelsenbeck is a cancer survivor herself and completed her doctoral research on the trauma of living with cancer.

She began her graduate training in clinical psychology eleven years ago with Pepperdine University. After completing her Masters degree in clinical psychology, Dr. Huelsenbeck then completed two years of clinical internships with community mental health centers where she worked with children, adolescents, and adults.

She then worked for the next four years in psychological research with UCLA on addictions, specifically methamphetamine abuse and dependence. At this time, she also began doctoral studies at Pacifica Graduate Institute,  a school dedicated to Jungian and depth psychological research and practice.

She later moved to San Diego where she completed two additional clinical internships, one of which was a specialized trauma internship with UCSD helping women suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She also authored a chapter on the psychological experience of living through the trauma of cancer for the book "Hope Begins in the Dark", by NEWSWEEK journalist Jamie Reno. Dr. Huelsenbeck is also the founder and co-Chair of the Mindfulness task force group within the San Diego Psychological Association.

Currently, Dr. Huelsenbeck is in private practice in San Diego Carmel Valley/Del Mar. Additionally, she leads a free cancer support group sponsored by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the David Blackburn Wings of Care program at the Pacific Oncology and Hematology clinic in Encinitas, CA. She enjoys working with adolescents, families, and adults.