Therapists in Los Angeles, CA

Whether you are going through a transitional phase, making a major change in your life, looking to work on your relationship, or just feeling lost in your life and in need of community - I am here to walk alongside you and help guide you through it. Do you feel like your life needs balance? Has work taken over too much of your life? Are you and your partner experiencing a stage of flux or miscommunication? Maybe you just moved in together and are finding this new dynamic challenging? Or perhaps you want to open up the relationship (or close it)? Attempt polyamory? All of these can benefit from some guidance.

Hello! I am a licensed Psychologist with over 15 years of experience as a healing arts practitioner. I earned a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the California Institute of Integrated Studies. My Bachelor of Science degree in Psychobiology, with a double major in French, is from the University of California, Los Angeles. I have worked in a variety of settings, both as a researcher and a psychotherapist, including private and group practice, addiction programs, senior living facility/hospice, and an early psychosis treatment program, helping people from a broad range of cultural, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds.

Description Hello, I’m Ermelinda. I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I have over 10+ years of experience in providing therapy to adults, children, adolescents, and couples. Do you feel stuck, tired, and not being able to function in your daily life? Are you struggling to balance work, relationships, and life? Many times, we experience loss, grief, anxiety, stress, and depression.

Sometimes life feels like it sucks. And sometimes we feel like we suck. And sometimes it feels like life sucks all the time and so do we. Yes, I am a therapist, but I am a human being first and I promise to treat you like one. I have a casual, laid-back conversational, and authentic style. I pride myself on authenticity. Basically, I keep it real. I use proven methods grounded in research and evidence to help pinpoint the roots of problems and find ways to try and solve them.

I am a licensed psychologist and my focus has centered my work around toddler and teen diagnosis and intervention, parent counseling/skills training, and family group psychotherapy. I utilize my background and training in psychodynamic, relational, and attachment-based approaches to therapy, but also appreciate when cognitive and behavioral approaches are needed. Utilizing my skills in psychodiagnostic and psychoeducational testing and therapy, I provide individualized treatment and support to children and their families.

The quality of the therapeutic alliance is a well-established factor for successful therapy outcomes. Part of what creates a strong therapeutic alliance is conveying to another human being that every part of that whole person is important and worthy; every part of them. Part of what builds a strong therapeutic alliance is showing the person that you can tolerate and hold their pain and suffering. I've worked extensively with individuals experiencing history of trauma, homelessness, chronic mental illness, domestic, violence, and substance abuse. I take a heartfelt and impassioned approach to the clinical work I do.

I am a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist based in Los Angeles, California & The South Bay. In my private practice, I focus on black women and women of color who suffer from depression, anxiety, generational trauma, or legacy burdens. Through a social justice lens, self-care, and a sense of humor, my goal is to help women uncover the belief systems that drive behavior that does not work for them. From this place, women can learn to create the life that they choose to live. Through a softer and gentler approach, I can help you work through the trauma that continues to show up in harmful behaviors.

Do you crave deeper relationships where you really feel understood, appreciated, and close to others? Are you feeling stuck and just overwhelmed by sad, anxious, or stressed out emotions? Did you experience a rough childhood and now worry about repeating those mistakes? I help couples and individuals better understand the patterns that may have developed in their relationship over time, leaving them feeling disconnected and stuck, even with the people they love most. I help you identify these harmful patterns, develop empathy for each other, and start interacting in healthier ways that help you heal and grow together.

What if you could be free of anxiety, depression and stress? Online therapy sessions can assist you with your life. We use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), communication skills improvement and talk therapy. We will practice exercises to use in your daily life. I can assist you with issues of anxiety, depression, relationships, grief, loss, self doubt, social anxiety and many other things.

I will tell you what you need to know, not with judgment, but with solutions. I will teach you how to speak so that you are heard and understood. I will ask you to be courageous and try new things with yourself and in your relationships. I will show you how living in honesty and humility will save you.

I am a trauma specialist working with developmental, relational, and shock traumas. Relationship is what we long for from our deep selves. From birth, our instinct is to connect in order to feel safety, comfort, and wholeness. This yearning moves with us throughout our lives. Connection gives us a sense of belonging and of being "okay". Be it the relationship with self, body, others, and life experience, the connection and flow of it is vital for healthy functioning. When the connection is blocked, frozen, or severed, a whole-self cannot thrive. Reconnecting is essential for our authentic self-expressions.

“The quality of your life ultimately depends on the quality of your relationships.” -Esther Perel. I note that the quality of our relationships impacts how we feel seen, heard, grounded, and safe in this world. I primarily work with clients who have been impacted by affairs/infidelity to understand their emotional world, their sense of safety, and how to trust, again. I help clients understand what path led them here with unconditional compassion, how they can return to a sense of safety, how they can heal any betrayal trauma and move forward from such a taboo impasse.

Every human struggles, and every human deserves to feel seen, heard, and supported while finding their way to a healthy flow. Are you feeling disconnected? Your mental health may seem hard for others to understand, or even for you to understand. Maybe it feels overwhelming to question why you feel this way, or what's actually in your control to change. Maybe the things that get you through aren’t the healthiest for you, and you’re ready to try something different. I'm here to accompany and guide you, whether navigating life transitions, addiction, relationship issues, or managing depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, Bipolar, or ADHD.

Sometimes it feels as though the wounds we experienced in our early lives have control over our well-being and emotions in the present. These wounded places, which often show up in our relationships can be healed and repaired. I'm here to help you untangle those past hurts, to connect more deeply with yourself and in turn with your partner. Relationships are one of the most vital and potentially rewarding ways in which we can feel both secure and alive, which is why I’m interested in helping to guide you through the work of building healthy relationships and giving you the tools to learn how to be your true and most authentic self.

My therapeutic approach is influenced by many years working in psycho oncology and multi-disciplinary communities such as UCLA-Simms/Mann Center for Integrated Oncology, The Cancer Support Community and St. John’s Health Center. My style is warm, direct, and genuine. I care deeply about keeping the relationship collaborative and safe. My clinical experiences has evolved from working with oncology patients, chronic illness, death and dying to working with adolescents and adults in various life transitions and now, COVID related stressors. My goal is to assist individuals live a more fulfilling life.

My therapeutic style is based on authenticity, non-judgment, and trust. I enjoy helping clients learn to nurture specific areas of life, depending on each individual's unique needs and treatment goals. I am dedicated to creating a safe space for adults and adolescents to navigate the challenges and joys that life may bring. Using a compassionate and collaborative approach, I address a wide range of issues such as anxiety, depression, grief, relationships, family conflict and trauma. I completed my Master's in Clinical Psychology: Emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy from Pepperdine University.

People come to my office with a variety of concerns related to relationships, identity, spirituality, career, self-development, or life purpose. Others may be seeking relief from trauma response patterns, anxiety or depression. In a rapidly changing and tumultuous world, people often feel comforted by the presence of a therapist who can provide a safe enough space to understand themselves, resolve conflicts, and live with more coherence and freedom from unfulfilling relational patterns. I listen with an intuitive and compassionate heart and give you tools to navigate through stressful times with greater resiliency and embodiment.

Have painful life experiences affected your sense of self and ability to feel safe? Do you find it difficult to stay rooted in the present moment and are often overwhelmed by thoughts and fears? Through the safety of the therapeutic relationship and the utilization of the creative process, you will have the opportunity to gain valuable insight, examine and challenge harmful patterns and self-defeating narratives, and connect to your deepest sense of knowing. As a trauma-informed art therapist, I am deeply passionate about the healing powers of the creative process, self-expression, imagination, and storytelling.

Therapy is an opportunity for us to uncover a deeper understanding of ourselves so we can begin to find more ease and fulfillment in our day to day. It is about embracing that oftentimes there’s nothing to “fix”, and instead our task is to slow down, notice and then exercise self-compassion. I work with clients who are seeking a safe space to process in their own time recent and past trauma, challenging family and relationship dynamics, as well as clients who are exploring gender and sexual identity. I enjoy working with clients who this might be there first time seeking support from a therapist.