Therapists in Highland Park, CA

Welcome. I would love to help you take the steps needed to improve the quality of your life. This might be the next step toward healthier pattern, in facing something from your past, or in addressing feelings and moods that dim your engagement with life. Each part of the process - from contemplation to action - deserves care and attention.

In my practice, I focus on helping people who are feeling burned out — overwhelmed and depleted, whether it’s due to work, relationships, the state of the world or a combination of all of the above. I’ll help you be able to cultivate the positive feelings (joy, strength, connectedness) as well as be able to handle the uncomfortable ones (stress, anxiety, frustration, anger, sadness, numbness). Together, we’ll unpack the heaviness that’s weighing you down, explore your strengths, and then figure out what practices work best for you.

You may've wondered why you couldn't just be happier, more confident, or less anxious. Perhaps you find yourself heartbroken or sense that your relationship is in trouble. You may feel stuck in a career or project with little motivation to move forward. Maybe you're struggling to handle painful emotions or a traumatic past. If left unaddressed, these difficulties may lead to depression, anxiety, or a host of relationship issues that can stop you from creating the life you want.

I feel fortunate to do the work that I do, to be trusted with a person's life story, their fears, their hopes, their wants and needs. I do not claim to be the expert on you. You are the expert on you. What I am expert at is helping you explore, discover, and move beyond those things that interfere with you being the best version of you, and how to move closer to making that truth your reality. Reaching out is the first step.

You’d say that you are intuitive, self-aware, and determined. You pride yourself in the successes you’ve had so far but struggle to take ownership of them. You're really good at being there for others but find yourself wondering if you can do the same for yourself. Self-doubt keeps you up at night and it bleeds into anxieties about work, relationships, and if you’re a parent, your kids. You don't need to keep discrediting yourself.

Finding the right therapist from a website is difficult, which is why I offer phone or in-person consultations. It takes courage to address challenges such as relationships, personal problems, or general unhappiness. Your success in treatment will depend on your readiness to open up and my authentic presence that will help create a safe space for you. Together we will work on identifying, experiencing and expanding your capacity to tolerate all ranges of feelings. You will become more conscious of your limiting patterns while developing healthy ones as your sense of a genuine and stronger self emerges.

If you've become lost amongst obstacles on your journey, I'd like to help guide you to more happiness by offering suggestions, uncovering unwanted patterns, and leading you from the past to the present in order to heal and evolve, enhancing your happiness. Through changes in perceptions/attitudes and being willing to see situations with a new pair of glasses, you can reach your goals and evolve. My clients report that they enjoy my down-to-earth attitude and humor and my use of Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, TRM, meditation and yoga to treat mind-body symptoms. I work best with clients who are motivated to gain self-awareness and see patterns that are no longer serving them. I give homework between sessions in order to keep the continuity of healing working consistently. I feel very blessed to be working in a field that serves people who are finding their best selves and evolving into the people they want to be.

If you are struggling with anxiety, depression, your past, your present, or your future, you don’t have to do it alone. A shift in perspective can profoundly affect how we feel and what we are able to do, or stop doing, in our lives. Talking with someone who is both objective and 100% on your side can help you see things from a new angle and move forward in new ways, with someone who cares standing behind you.

Every person has inherent creativity and a capacity to thrive. My role is to help connect you to your existing strengths and to help you try out new tools. When words are not enough, we can turn to more creative processes. Art therapy and EMDR are modalities that engage the body and mind, what we feel and think. Both modalities help us not only think differently, but also feel something new and healing.

Are you experiencing pain in your relationships? Overwhelmed by family tension? Do you simply need to process an upsetting event? Therapy provides a space to find clarity about your circumstances without fear of judgment. The comfort you have with your therapist is of vital importance for the process. When you invest with the right therapist, you'll not only discover how to connect in more satisfying ways with the people around you, you'll gain a greater sense of agency overall.

Are you struggling with relationships, life transitions, and/or getting your life where you want it to be? Are you trying to solve all your problems internally but end up going in circles? Do you turn to friends and family yet feel misunderstood? There is incredible usefulness in talking through your beliefs, problems, and feelings with a psychotherapist who has experience and expertise to understand what you are going through and to help create space for change and growth. Beginning therapy is an empowered step for self and to achieve your goals.

CORONA VIRUS UPDATE: For 2021 my main focus is to help people affected by the unprecedented affects and after affects of this pandemic. If you read my blog, you will see how this pandemic affected me and my family. In California we are seeing the largest surge of this virus and every day we are bombarded with horrific news, news interviews with families that have lost loved ones or lost their business, and how the "Stay at Home" mandate has affected our physical and mental health. You do not need to feel alone, hopeless, scared, and lost. My personal story and skills bring an awareness and empathy perhaps not understood by many.

Are you concerned about a child or adolescent that is struggling? Are they shutting down and sad? Worried or mad? Are they having trouble functioning at school or with friends? How about at home and with their family? Has something in their life changed? Maybe they need a little more support at this particular time... Therapy can help. I work with individuals of all ages, couples, and families.

I help people transcend trauma, painful patterns, and blockages hindering their progress. Clients develop a sense of freedom and peace. You know you're capable of great things but unresolved issues hold you back. We will process the issue (I offer TRM, EMDR, IFS) and devise practical applications for thriving. I provide a warm judgement-free space, strict confidentiality, modern research-based techniques, and 20 years of mental health experience. If you feel down, alone, or hopelessly stuck, you are not alone. Reaching out is an act of courage that yields surprising rewards.

Do you ever feel good anymore? You feel like you should be happy- you’re good at your job, you’re a good person, but still… Everything feels so frustrating. The people you love irritate you. People won’t stop asking you for things. Don’t they know how hard things are? Don’t they know that you’re up late at night worrying about how the world is going to turn out? All the news seems to be bad news. You’re struggling to find hope. Even the things you used to enjoy don’t work like they used to. Will you ever feel better again? Will you ever be excited for a new day? Or is this your destiny for the rest of your life?

Sometimes in life we can feel stuck, recruited into states where possibility seems at a loss. Every now and then it might be hard to hold onto hope. However I believe we can always change our relationship to our world. Therapy can be helpful in sharing and collaborating with others. Counseling opens up space in our lives. Imagination is an important part of painting the landscape of possibility. We can work together to re-imagine the possibilities of your life.

Everyone goes through challenging situations in life & while you may have successfully navigated through other difficulties you've faced, there's nothing wrong with seeking out extra support. Therapy can be a tremendous asset to managing personal growth, interpersonal relationships, marriage issues, & the hassles of daily life. While we can't change difficult situations of the past, we can work together to better understand and resolve challenges in your life. By applying a variety of therapeutic approaches we can explore long-standing behavior patterns or negative perceptions that may be holding you back from experiencing a more fulfilling & meaningful life.

Are you looking to solve the problem you have been having within your family? I am here to help you get the support you’ve been looking for to improve your relationships. Help with the fights at home about homework. Help getting your child to do what they are told the first time. Help with a transition to a new stage of life. I've always gravitated towards working with youth and young adults with the highest needs because that is where I have seen I've been most effective as a therapist.

My collaborative approach is to uncover the solutions that will best promote healthy and authentic relationships, by increasing meaningful communication, reducing anxiety, and successfully navigating transitions. I work with individuals and couples, and within the dynamic of families and business systems, to build on and enhance strengths.

***CURRENTLY ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS***Whether your struggle is deeply rooted or a temporary challenge, my role as a therapist is to create a safe space for exploring solutions and finding peace. It is possible to create a life you love with the life you have; let me help you. I also have personal and professional experience with the NPE (non-parent expected, or non paternal event) experience and am extremely comfortable, confident, and empathetic while treating those who have had shocking DNA discoveries. EMAIL IS BEST WAY TO INITIATE COMMUNICATION WITH ME!