Family Systems Therapists in 90026

Hi there, I'm Chrystina Pope. I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. who is passionate about supporting one's innate ability and desire to heal and live life with ease and joy. I am comfortable working with anyone interested in inquiring about their inner world to find ease and joy in being alive. I have experience in working with trauma, strong emotional reactions, anxiety, and depression, grief and loss, various levels of abuse and neglect as well as parenting and family systems.

The best advice I ever received about practicing psychotherapy was, “be a human first and a therapist second." To this day, I hold this sentiment in mind while sitting with my clients. While my approach is informed by robust training, I ultimately hold the view that you are the expert on your own life. I utilize our relationship to help you develop a stronger, more truthful relationship with yourself. From a place of deep awareness, you will feel more empowered to make choices that are right for you, more congruence, connection, and authenticity in your life, more freedom from what burdens you, and more control over your own story.

Do you find that living with anxiety, depression, chronic discomfort, or pain keeps you from truly living life? Do you find yourself saying “Is this it, is this really my life? How depressing.” Life can often feel restricting and small when we live within the confines of our individual struggles. My goal is to facilitate a path to self-empowerment and be the support that you may be lacking in your life. By empowering my clients, we'll explore, unlock, and address the root of the obstacles that obscure the path to your true potential.

Claudia is an EMDR certified bilingual Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW 83703) who is licensed to practice in New York and California. She has over 15 years of experience working with individuals of all ages, couples, and families. Claudia specializes in trauma recovery, family systems and relationship issues, fertility concerns, substance abuse and recovery, sexual and gender identity, grief and loss, depression, anxiety, and migration and acculturation challenges. Claudia collaborates with the client in curating a space that nurtures self-resiliency, strength, and embraces complexity with renewed care and compassion.

Reconnect to life, nature & your authentic self. Cultural pressures, defenses, fears, fantasies & attachment styles serve as guides to a deep story about your origins, unique needs & desires. Rather than condemn symptoms, let's get curious and engage in creative exploration. You can mourn your losses, build resilience & embark on a meaningful relationship with personal goals to take ownership of your narrative. Together, we can unearth ingrained beliefs that do not serve your true purpose & desire to grow, discover tools to thrive, & reignite your authentic self expression, hopefulness, connection with others, & your life force.

Therapy can help you resolve ongoing pain, trauma, or stress, and can also help you develop skills and strategies for managing problematic situations. It can also assist you with self-exploration and growth. Whatever brings you into therapy, you've taken the first step towards empowering yourself to make a positive change. Having the opportunity to work with someone can make a difference and it's important to find someone with the experience and connection to meet your needs. In order to feel empowered to make changes in your life, establishing an authentic, genuine relationship is crucial.

I have been a child therapist for the past 20 years, I provide therapy for children ages 0-18 years old. Modalities that I have found to be helpful when working with the younger population are the following; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Psychodynamic, and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). I also incorporate Family Therapy (Family Systems), where I support families in creating intimacy through none-judgmental communication. I assist parents through difficulties, and challenges of parenthood. I also work with adults/teens/children who are experiencing executive dysfunction symptoms or are diagnosed with ADD/ADHD.

Are you struggling with anxiety or sadness related to painful relational patterns? Do you feel that you are constantly striving for "better" and "more" in most aspects of your life, but often feel unworthy or not enough? Do you find that people pleasing depletes you and leaves you feeling burnt out? Many of these patterns are examples of relational coping styles that we adopted in early childhood as a way of dealing with our family systems. These coping skills were helpful when we were children, but usually become frustrating stuck points in adulthood.

We all have many layers of past experience that affect our present feelings, self-worth and relationships. Therapy is a unique experience where we can explore these connections, develop greater self-awareness and make meaningful changes. I work closely with my clients to help them develop more self-agency and compassion, so that they can address their current circumstances and move forward with a greater sense of meaning, clarity and purpose. I have a genuine interest in how people have developed their personal and relational patterns and I look forward to hearing your story and helping you make positive changes in your life.

My passion lies in supporting those of all ages and identity backgrounds who are interested in self exploration and discovery. I practice from a trauma informed, sex-positive, queer affirming, feminist, spiritual and social justice-oriented standpoint. Understanding how the “personal is political” and how psychological challenges are rooted in systemic oppression is central to my work. My experience in sexual/reproductive healthcare and working as a birth and postpartum doula catalyzed my interest in supporting those undergoing vulnerability regarding their sexuality, pain, pleasure, health, gender identity and life transitions.

As a person originally trained in psychodynamics, I care greatly about the experiences and relationships that have shaped you. I am currently perusing more training and consultation in Internal Family Systems and trauma informed approaches. Of primary focus, in my work with clients, is the therapeutic relationship. It is here that our patterns of relating often reveal themselves. Through the safe container of therapy, I invite my clients into new ways of being that invite more creativity, flexibility and deeper relationships.

Are you grappling with life's challenges and seeking a safe space to explore your innermost thoughts and emotions? I specialize in working with individuals and couples across diverse life stages and backgrounds to offer support through struggles such as depression, anxiety, identity formation, and relationship issues.

Do you find yourself or your relationship stuck in the same never ending cycles? Despite your best efforts to change things, you keep getting tripped up in the same spots. You've run out of ideas, you're tired of throwing around blame, and you seem to have lost the plot. Strategies that may have served you well in the past now seem to be getting in the way. You're craving some creativity, curiosity, a fresh perspective to honor what's gotten you this far while crafting a new path forward. I want to move through this journey with you.

We all tell ourselves a story about who we are, where we come from, and what we believe. Understanding our story unleashes the power to influence it in new and constructive ways. What’s your story? I use thought-provoking questions and empowering perspectives to gently guide my clients through the process of exploring and understanding how they tell their story. With over 22 years in the field of mental health and wellness, I apply a customized and collaborative approach, to help individuals and couples navigate transitions, resolve internal/external conflicts, and restore balance.

I specialize in working with couples and 2+ partnerships, in which one or more of the partners identifies as bi, pansexual, or experiences multi-gender attraction. I support the members of these partnerships in building fulfillment and security in their relationships, while also enjoying full expression of their identities. I help each person regulate and understand their own system, in order to have more freedom in the ways they show up with each other. I also work with individual, queer-identified adults and teenagers who want to develop pride, comfort and agency by unpacking & separating from the impacts of systemic oppression.

Clients find me to be both curious about their experiences and respectful of their readiness to share difficult information. I enjoy interacting with, and learning from, people of various backgrounds. I work collaboratively with each client to determine the goals and expectations of sessions. My eclectic style incorporates cognitive and humanistic perspectives. My own experiences with anxiety and PTSD have led me to find ways to help others manage emotions and heal from trauma and loss. My focus is about the process of healing and empowerment, with a spotlight on physical and emotional safety.

Do you feel depressed or anxious due to childhood trauma? Do you feel disconnected in your relationships with others? I’m here to help you develop an action plan for meaningful changes. My approach to therapy is relational and person-centered. I will work alongside you in a warm and understanding environment where you can explore your emotions and find better ways to deal with the stressors in your life.

The therapy room is a haven for overwhelming feelings, traumas and confusion- a space for gentle exploration, where I walk alongside you as you uncover patterns and dynamics that keep you from feeling whole.

Childhood trauma can cripple us, it creates overpowering ‘intense’ emotions such as anxiety, depression, and anger when left unattended which begins to create physical symptoms to defend our bodies from the internal wounds. Has there ever been a time in your life where you have experienced this reaction? Are you experiencing these feelings based on current or past trauma from childhood, early teens, adolescence, adulthood, or as a senior? I aim to utilize a variety of actionable techniques to help reduce trauma-related symptoms and make lasting changes in life.