Title: Clinical Program Director

Credential: Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)

Location(s): Danville Outpatient

Years With Evolve: 5.5

Candice Cruz is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and the Clinical Program Director for Evolve Danville Outpatient. Known for her warm, empathetic, and lighthearted clinical style, Candice brings over 11 years of experience in adolescent mental health to her leadership role. She genuinely loves the fun of working with teens and excels at building strong, authentic rapport, ensuring that each adolescent feels truly seen for who they are. Utilizing person-centered and strengths-based approaches, she creates a welcoming environment that makes entering treatment feel less intimidating and more collaborative for families in crisis.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from San Francisco State University and her master’s degree in Counseling Psychology, with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy, from The Wright Institute. Throughout her career, Candice has developed specialized expertise in supporting a diverse range of adolescent populations, including neurodivergent youth on the autism spectrum, military families, and teens in both school-based and group practice settings.

In her role at Danville Outpatient, Candice is deeply dedicated to modeling clinical excellence and empowering her staff to grow both personally and professionally. She views family involvement as vital to the healing process, leading with empathy and providing crucial psychoeducation to validate and normalize parents’ experiences. By helping families learn new ways to communicate and validate one another, Candice actively bridges the gap between teens and their caregivers to foster long-term resilience at home.