Therapists & Psychiatrists Serving Los Angeles, CA
Updated November 2026
Quick Answer
How do I find an in-network therapist in Los Angeles?
LA has dense clinician supply but it is unevenly distributed across the county - and traffic makes cross-city in-person care impractical. The fastest path is a network practice that holds in-network contracts: Lean Medical matches you with a California-licensed clinician, verifies benefits, and schedules. Telehealth across California with in-person where clinicians offer it. For more on LA-specific coverage, see our guide to therapy in Los Angeles with Cigna and Aetna.
Who Is Taking New Patients in Los Angeles
Checked November 12, 2026. All California-licensed, seeing Los Angeles patients by video.
| Care | Accepting | Cigna | Aetna | Earliest opening |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Therapists in Los Angeles | 14 | 14 | 9 | Sat, Nov 14 |
| Child and teen therapists in Los Angeles | 9 | 9 | 6 | Mon, Nov 16 |
| Psychological testing in Los Angeles | 3 | 3 | 2 | Sat, Nov 14 |
| ADHD care in Los Angeles | 9 | 9 | 6 | Sat, Nov 14 |
| OCD treatment in Los Angeles | 2 | 2 | 2 | Mon, Nov 16 |
| Psychiatric care in Los Angeles | 1 | 1 | 1 | Tue, Nov 17 |
Los Angeles County vs California
| Measure | Los Angeles County | California |
|---|---|---|
| Psychiatrists per 100,000 | 25.0 | 23.8 |
| Child psychiatrists per 100,000 | 3.6 | 3.8 |
| Licensed therapists per 100,000 | 310.6 | 261.4 |
| Residents in a federal shortage area | 13% | 19% |
Sources: psychiatrists, therapists, HRSA shortage areas.
Behavioral Health Access in Los Angeles
LA's mental health market is shaped by two things - geographic vastness and economic segmentation. The county covers more than 4,000 square miles and includes more than 80 cities; access in a single zip code says little about access two freeway exits away. Clinician density is high on the West Side, in Pasadena, and in parts of the South Bay, but a large share of clinicians in those neighborhoods operate cash-pay only at $200 to $400 per session. South LA, East LA, and the San Fernando Valley have meaningfully thinner in-network supply.
Traffic compounds the problem. A "nearby" in-network therapist on the other side of the city can mean a 90-minute round trip in the wrong rush hour, which is not sustainable for weekly sessions. The result is that many LA residents on commercial insurance start care, struggle with the commute, and quietly drop out.
LA County's Latino population is nearly half of the county, and Spanish-speaking and culturally competent care has never matched the size of the community. The same gap exists for Korean, Mandarin, Armenian, Farsi, and Tagalog-speaking residents. Telehealth and a statewide network broaden the match meaningfully.
How Care Works for Los Angeles Patients
For LA patients - across the West Side, South Bay, the Valley, East LA, and Pasadena - we hold the in-network contracts with Cigna and Aetna, match you with a clinician whose training and cultural fit suit you, verify benefits, and handle scheduling. Most LA patients meet via secure video to skip cross-city traffic; in person is available where individual clinicians offer it.
Clinicians Serving Los Angeles
Dr. Lisa LaFave
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Accepting new patients
Dr. Ana Lesquives
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Accepting new patients
Dr. Garima Lupas
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Accepting new patients
Dr. Mihir Upadhyaya
Psychiatrist
Accepting new patients
Therapists in Los Angeles Who Take Aetna or Cigna
Los Angeles County has more health plans operating in it than any county in the state, and the plan on your card decides which of the county's therapists you can actually see. Here is how the three plans Lean Medical is in-network with work for LA members.
Aetna therapists in Los Angeles
Aetna's HMO products in Los Angeles route care through contracted medical groups, so an HMO member usually needs a referral from their primary care doctor before therapy is covered, while Aetna PPO and Choice POS II members can book directly. Employer plans dominate: aerospace, studios, hospital systems, and the county's large self-funded employers are where most LA Aetna members come from. Aetna in California.
Cigna therapists in Los Angeles
Cigna's Los Angeles HMO also runs through medical groups, and its PPO and Open Access Plus plans do not. Either way, mental health claims go to Evernorth Behavioral Health rather than to Cigna's medical network, which is why a therapist listed on a medical-group roster is not automatically in-network for therapy. Lean Medical's clinicians are credentialed with Evernorth directly. Cigna in California.
Medi-Cal and Kaiser in Los Angeles County
Lean Medical is not in-network with Medi-Cal or Kaiser, and both owe members a therapy visit within 10 business days. L.A. Care reported 86% follow-up compliance in 2024 and a median first-appointment wait of 3 days and Health Net reported 90% follow-up compliance in 2024 and a median first-appointment wait of 3 days. Kaiser Permanente runs its own behavioral health departments out of Los Angeles Medical Center, West LA, Panorama City, Baldwin Park, Downey, and South Bay; Kaiser members cannot use an outside therapist unless Kaiser issues a referral, which it must do when it cannot meet the 10-business-day standard. Guides: Medi-Cal, Kaiser, plan wait times, verifying your benefits.
LA-specific guidance: therapy in Los Angeles with Cigna and Aetna.
Nearby Areas We Serve
Also served: all of LA County and the broader Southland - including Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Hollywood, Silver Lake, Echo Park, Downtown LA, Pasadena, Glendale, Burbank, the San Fernando Valley (Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Encino, Van Nuys, Northridge), South Bay (Torrance, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Long Beach), and the surrounding Orange County communities, where the county's 34 cities and cross-county drive times make telehealth especially practical.
Key Takeaways
Key takeaways
- LA County is geographically vast and access varies dramatically by neighborhood; raw clinician density does not translate to easy in-network access.
- West Side and Pasadena clinicians are heavily cash-pay; South LA, East LA, and the Valley have thinner in-network supply.
- Traffic makes cross-city in-person care impractical; telehealth flattens the geography and is widely available.
- Spanish-speaking and other language-concordant clinicians remain scarce locally relative to demand; statewide telehealth broadens the match.