Evergreen Awards recognizes Volare Counseling as the Best Integrated Mental Health and Wellness Provider in Long Beach, California of 2026, honoring its integrative approach to mental health, multidisciplinary philosophy, personalized care, and commitment to supporting the whole person.

The recognition reflects several factors considered by the Evergreen Awards committee, including therapeutic versatility, whole person care, multidisciplinary collaboration, group support, clinical leadership, professional development, and the ability to provide support for people experiencing different circumstances and stages of life.

An Integrative Approach to Mental Health

Volare Counseling approaches mental health from the perspective that people are more than a diagnosis or individual symptom. Emotional wellbeing can be connected to relationships, physical health, stress, environment, lifestyle, work, family circumstances, and other parts of everyday life.

Its clinicians draw from multiple evidence informed approaches based on individual needs and circumstances. These approaches include cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, Internal Family Systems informed approaches, somatic practices, trauma focused approaches including EMDR when appropriate, mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and humanistic and existential approaches.

For Evergreen Awards, this therapeutic range demonstrates the practice's commitment to individualized care rather than relying on one approach for every person.

Whole Person Wellness

The whole person philosophy is central to Volare Counseling's model.

The practice considers factors such as sleep, nutrition, movement, relationships, stress, work, lifestyle, medical concerns, and daily routines when they are relevant to a person's wellbeing.

Its multidisciplinary team includes mental health clinicians, a Nurse Practitioner, and a physician, allowing medical perspectives to be considered when appropriate. The practice also incorporates a functional medicine informed perspective while emphasizing that this does not replace conventional medical care.

This broader framework allows Volare Counseling to consider whether additional medical evaluation, professional collaboration, or referral may be appropriate.

A Collaborative Model of Care

Another factor that contributed to the 2026 recognition is Volare Counseling's emphasis on collaboration.

With appropriate consent and within professional scope, the practice can collaborate with therapists, physicians, Nurse Practitioners, psychiatrists, primary care providers, somatic practitioners, spiritual professionals, and other qualified specialists.

The philosophy is straightforward. One professional does not need to have every answer. Instead, appropriate professionals can work together around the needs of the individual.

For Evergreen Awards, this collaborative mindset is an important characteristic of integrated mental health and wellness care.

Group Therapy and Shared Experience

Volare Counseling also recognizes the value of group based support. Its group facilitation model emphasizes intentionally structured groups, trained facilitators, and progress checkpoints.

Group settings can provide participants with opportunities to hear experiences that may feel familiar, recognize interpersonal patterns, and experience support from people navigating their own challenges.

This approach adds another dimension to the practice's services and reinforces its broader philosophy that meaningful growth can occur through connection as well as individual therapeutic work.

Leadership of Andrea Cruz

Andrea Cruz, MA, LMFT, serves as Clinical Director of Volare Counseling and brings professional experience across mental health, trauma, addiction, crisis care, residential treatment, and community based services.

Cruz combines evidence informed therapeutic practices with humanistic, culturally responsive, and holistic perspectives. Her leadership experience includes developing treatment programs, supporting clinicians, strengthening crisis response systems, and creating therapeutic environments focused on individualized care.

Cruz holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theater Arts from California State University, Long Beach and a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy and Professional Clinical Counseling from National University.

She has been a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist since 2021 and became a CAMFT Certified Clinical Supervisor in 2024.

A Former Client's Perspective

The impact of Cruz's work is also reflected in the experiences of people she has supported. One former client described Cruz as someone who created “a safe space” to look inward and do meaningful personal work, while introducing tools such as mindfulness and a holistic approach to mental health.

The former client recalled feeling “really connected and heard” during their sessions and said Cruz's guidance ultimately inspired them to pursue a career in the mental health field. They also described Cruz as a lasting role model whose warmth and compassion continued to influence them beyond their time in therapy.

Reflecting on that lasting impact, the former client shared that the tools Cruz introduced remain part of their everyday life, expressing deep gratitude for what they learned through their work together.

Inclusive Growth Across Different Life Circumstances

A central theme behind Volare Counseling is inclusive growth. The practice aims to provide tailored support for people wherever they may be in life.

Its multidisciplinary identity extends beyond different therapeutic approaches to include different professional disciplines and perspectives. The practice also provides in person services for businesses and corporations, expanding its work beyond traditional individual counseling.

For Evergreen Awards, this commitment to meeting people where they are contributes to Volare's distinction as an integrated mental health and wellness provider.

Why Volare Counseling Receives the 2026 Award

After considering its integrative therapeutic model, multidisciplinary approach, whole person philosophy, group support, clinical leadership, collaborative care model, and commitment to inclusive growth, Evergreen Awards recognizes Volare Counseling as the Best Integrated Mental Health and Wellness Provider in Long Beach, California of 2026.

The award recognizes a practice that approaches mental health from multiple perspectives while keeping the individual at the center of care.

For the Evergreen Awards committee, Volare's defining quality is its effort to connect clinical care, wellness perspectives, professional collaboration, and practical support into a more coordinated model of mental health services.

About Volare Counseling

Volare Counseling is an integrative mental health and wellness practice focused on whole person care. Its services and professional philosophy incorporate behavioral health, multidisciplinary collaboration, group experiences, practical support, and medical and functional medicine informed perspectives when appropriate.

Andrea Cruz, MA, LMFT, serves as Clinical Director and brings experience in mental health, trauma, addiction, crisis care, residential treatment, community based services, and clinical leadership.

Learn more about Andrea Cruz through LinkedIn and follow Volare Counseling on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.