meet dr. jaronda session

Professional Journey

Welcome to your journey of mending, blending, and healing hearts. I’m Dr. Jaronda Session, a proud East Oakland native and Licensed Psychotherapist based in Southern California.

My dedication to fostering secure connections and emotional wellness began in 2005, when I earned my Master of Social Work from California State University, East Bay, with a focus on Children, Youth, and Families. In 2006, my journey brought me to Southern California, where I went on to earn my clinical licensure (LCSW) in 2013. Driven by a passion for deepening my clinical impact and helping others navigate complex emotional cycles, I completed my Doctor of Social Work at Loma Linda University in 2022, specializing in Clinical Leadership and Practice Innovation. Today, I cultivate safe, healing spaces for my clients here in San Diego, California, and hold licensure to practice in Arizona as well. Beyond direct clinical work, I am deeply committed to shaping the next generation of healers, serving as a clinical supervisor and university professor for rising social workers.

Beyond the Practice

Faith is where I begin. My mornings open in prayer and quiet stillness, a grounding practice that centers me before I show up for anyone else. From there, you’ll find me traveling fearlessly, unwinding with self-help podcasts, home improvement shows, and a rotation of crime, medical, and urban dramas, or moving to my Gospel, R&B, and Hip Hop playlists. You’ll also find me climbing the Peloton leaderboard (#DrCOCOaCUP), taking a solo, mindful hike at Torrey Pines State Beach while dropping “good morning” gems with a smile, or settling in with coffee, cocoa, or tea at a neighboring coffee shop. And always, I’m pouring into my 4 heartbeats: my children.

eChO these words: “Glory to MY Dear GOD, please grant me COCOA to change the things I can And MEditation to accept the things I can’t And the WISDOM to know the difference.”

~Dr. Jaronda Session, DSW, LCSW

Supporting Mental Health

At COCOA Cup Therapy Inc., we offer a nurturing and non-judgmental space where safety, trust, respect, and honesty form the foundation of every session. Our practice is rooted in COmpassion and cultural sensitivity, designed to help you feel seen, heard, and held.

Helping people crack the COde of love is our heart work. Whether you’re struggling with disconnection, emotional triggers, or repeated COnflict, we’re here to walk beside you. Together, we’ll help you identify the patterns keeping you stuck, explore your emotions and unmet needs, and gently untangle the disharmony.

Through this healing process, we’ll work to mend attachment wounds and restore emotional closeness, so that love feels safe again, COmmunication becomes clear, and COnnection can grow with ease and intention.

You don’t have to do this alone. Let’s begin your journey toward healing and wholeness. Together.

Emotionally-Focused Therapy

Our therapeutic style is integrative, blending mindful, open conversations with evidence-based practice in Emotionally-Focused Family Therapy, Emotionally-Focused Individual Therapy, and Emotionally-Focused Therapy for Couples. We’re honored to walk beside you on this healing journey, guided by the principles of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT).

We begin by gently tending to the wounds within, mending your heart, and rebuilding trust with yourself, nurturing the parts of you that long to feel seen, safe, and connected.

From there, we slow down to tune into emotions that have been pushed aside or misunderstood, exploring the patterns that keep showing up in your relationships, often rooted in fear, disconnection, or unmet needs, and making sense of the wisdom they hold.

Moving forward, we work to create secure bonds, first with yourself, then with others, so love, closeness, and safety no longer feel out of reach. This work invites vulnerability, strengthens your emotional voice, and helps you show up fully and fearlessly in your relationships, ultimately Creating Open-hearted Connections w/ One Another & self.