Photo of Kendra Valdez, LCSW, Clinical Social Work/Therapist
Kendra Valdez
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW
Verified Verified
2 Endorsed
Pasadena, CA 91107
Therapy is a delicate art and a science. Finding the right therapist is important. The connection by an understanding, intuitive professional, someone with wisdom and effectiveness, who also respects the time and the cost of your investment is valuable. I use an attachment-focused orientation, and tools from EMDR, Ego State Theory, CBT, 12-step recovery model, and other modalities. I have enjoyed a rich 25-year career as a trauma informed specialist. I have supervised and directed programs in public and non-profit sectors. Adoption is my specialty, as well as work with teens, young adults and families.
Therapy is a delicate art and a science. Finding the right therapist is important. The connection by an understanding, intuitive professional, someone with wisdom and effectiveness, who also respects the time and the cost of your investment is valuable. I use an attachment-focused orientation, and tools from EMDR, Ego State Theory, CBT, 12-step recovery model, and other modalities. I have enjoyed a rich 25-year career as a trauma informed specialist. I have supervised and directed programs in public and non-profit sectors. Adoption is my specialty, as well as work with teens, young adults and families.
(818) 322-4082 View (818) 322-4082
Photo of Dee Mascarenas, MA, LMFT, Marriage & Family Therapist
Dee Dee Mascarenas
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, LMFT
Verified Verified
Pasadena, CA 91107
I have worked in the field almost 30 years and have experience with different ethnicities and socio-economic status. I am fluent in Spanish and English. I have numerous areas of specialty and use techniques that I believe will best fit each client. I am committed to helping people heal and grow, to help people through periods of crisis in their lives, expected or unexpected, to become more comfortable with themselves as well as to rise to their full potential, and create a life that is more meaningful to them.
I have worked in the field almost 30 years and have experience with different ethnicities and socio-economic status. I am fluent in Spanish and English. I have numerous areas of specialty and use techniques that I believe will best fit each client. I am committed to helping people heal and grow, to help people through periods of crisis in their lives, expected or unexpected, to become more comfortable with themselves as well as to rise to their full potential, and create a life that is more meaningful to them.
(626) 390-0941 View (626) 390-0941
Photo of Akiah Robinson Selwa - Sunrise Therapy Center (STC), MS, LMFT, Marriage & Family Therapist
Sunrise Therapy Center (STC)
Marriage & Family Therapist, MS, LMFT
Verified Verified
Pasadena, CA 91107  (Online Only)
We are in it to win it! Let's work together to bring healing in your life, for your children, in your relationship, and for your family! We approach our work with an attitude of hope and acceptance; and from a holistic, attachment focused, strategic, and trauma informed framework. Akiah (founder, Owner, Supervisor) has over 15 years of experience as a therapist working with families, couples, individuals, and children.
We are in it to win it! Let's work together to bring healing in your life, for your children, in your relationship, and for your family! We approach our work with an attitude of hope and acceptance; and from a holistic, attachment focused, strategic, and trauma informed framework. Akiah (founder, Owner, Supervisor) has over 15 years of experience as a therapist working with families, couples, individuals, and children.
(626) 603-8295 View (626) 603-8295
Photo of Patricia Morales, PsyD, Psychologist
Patricia Morales
Psychologist, PsyD
Verified Verified
Pasadena, CA 91107
I have over a decade of training and experience providing therapy to children, adolescences and adults. I believe that people have a great deal of resiliancy and strength and that there are times in our lives that we need help to uncover and remember how strong we are. I work with people to uncover their own strengths to help themselves out of any situation that arises in their lives. I have a great deal of experience in treating trauma related disorder such as depression and anxiety.
I have over a decade of training and experience providing therapy to children, adolescences and adults. I believe that people have a great deal of resiliancy and strength and that there are times in our lives that we need help to uncover and remember how strong we are. I work with people to uncover their own strengths to help themselves out of any situation that arises in their lives. I have a great deal of experience in treating trauma related disorder such as depression and anxiety.
(626) 551-4880 View (626) 551-4880
Adoption Therapists

Does my adopted child need therapy?

Not every adopted child needs therapy. However, many can benefit from seeing an adoption-informed therapist, especially if they were victims of abuse or neglect, appear withdrawn or disconnected, have behavioral or developmental issues (which may or may not be related to their adoption), are struggling with feelings of grief or loss surrounding their birth parents, or find it difficult to establish an identity, a challenge that often becomes most apparent during adolescence.

When should adoptive parents seek therapy?

Prospective parents can benefit from therapy even before an adoption—for example, to voice worries and fears; to reconcile infertility struggles, if relevant; or simply to prepare themselves for parenthood. After the adoption, parents who are struggling to bond with their child; are unsure how to talk about adoption or related issues, such as race; or whose child is dealing with developmental, behavioral, or psychiatric concerns can address these and other issues with the help of an adoption-competent therapist.

Is family therapy appropriate for adoptive families?

Family therapy can be invaluable for strengthening the bond between adoptive parents and children, helping the latter feel more secure in their place in the family. Family therapy can also help adoptive families navigate complex communication issues—for example, parents who feel uncomfortable discussing race with their child, who in turn feels invalidated by their silence, or a child who has questions about his birth parents but avoids asking them out of fear of hurting his adoptive parents’ feelings.

What therapy is not appropriate for adoption issues?

A discredited therapy known as “attachment therapy” (sometimes called “holding therapy” or “rebirthing therapy”) should not be used to treat adopted and foster children, though it was largely designed for this population. Attachment therapy involves restraining, coercing, and punishing the child in order for them to “release” negative emotions and attach to their new caregivers—techniques that are abusive and dangerous and have even proven fatal in some cases.