ABOUT LUKE
Therapy is about more than techniques. It's about the relationship.
I believe some of the most meaningful moments in therapy happen when you're able to say something you've been afraid, embarrassed, or uncertain to say—and discover that you can be heard without being judged.
Creating that kind of relationship is at the heart of how I work.
I'm Luke Schlimme, LCSW, and I work with adolescents and adults across a wide range of backgrounds, identities, and life experiences. My goal is to create a space where you can talk honestly, make sense of what you're feeling, and explore the parts of your life that may be difficult to talk about elsewhere.
WHAT THERAPY WITH ME IS LIKE
I don't believe there's a single formula for good therapy.
Some people come in knowing exactly what they want to work on. Others aren't quite sure. You may simply know you're anxious, unhappy, struggling in a relationship, or feeling stuck.
We'll start there.
I tend to let you bring in what's most important rather than beginning every session with a predetermined agenda. I'll listen closely, ask questions, help you put words to what you're experiencing, and offer another perspective when I think it may be useful.
I'm supportive, but that doesn't mean I'll always agree with you. As we develop trust, there may be times when I'll gently challenge you, point out a pattern, or ask you to consider something from a different angle.
I believe some of the best therapy happens when you feel safe enough to look honestly at things that aren't always easy to look at.
PRACTICAL HELP—AND DEEPER UNDERSTANDING
People often come to therapy because they want something to change.
You may want help managing anxiety or depression, communicating differently in a relationship, coping with a loss, navigating a transition, or dealing with something that's happening right now.
Practical strategies can be very useful. I frequently draw from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and other approaches to help clients develop new ways of thinking about and responding to difficult situations.
But sometimes we discover there's more underneath.
Why does this particular situation affect you so strongly? Why does the same pattern keep appearing in your relationships? Where did certain beliefs about yourself come from? Why do you respond one way even when another part of you knows it isn't helping?
Those questions can lead us beyond simply managing symptoms and toward understanding yourself more deeply.
I value both.
THE CLIENTS WHO TEND TO GET THE MOST FROM OUR WORK
You don't have to be particularly good at therapy. And you certainly don't need to arrive with everything figured out.
What matters more is a willingness to participate in the process.
I especially enjoy working with clients who are curious about themselves and willing to dig in—even when the work becomes difficult. Therapy can require honesty, vulnerability, patience, and sometimes the willingness to look at something you'd rather avoid.
I'll be there with you, but the work belongs to both of us.
MY BACKGROUND
I received my Master of Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2011 and became a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in 2015. I opened my private practice in San Diego in 2016. I am currently licensed to provide therapy in California, Arizona, Colorado, and Maine.
I completed formal training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) in 2025 and integrate EMDR into my work when it is appropriate for a client's needs and goals.
Before entering private practice, I had the opportunity to work in a variety of clinical settings while completing the supervised experience required for licensure. My work included supporting children in foster care, children and adolescents in an inpatient psychiatric setting, patients and families receiving hospice care, and people living with chronic illness in a dialysis clinic.
Those experiences allowed me to work with people across very different stages of life and through some incredibly challenging circumstances. They also reinforced something that remains important to me today: every person brings a different story into therapy.
That breadth is one reason I continue to enjoy working with a diverse practice. I value the variety of experiences, perspectives, ages, identities, and concerns that clients bring into my work. No two people arrive with exactly the same story—and I wouldn't want them to.
