Mindfulness-Based (MBCT) Therapists in Sawtelle, Los Angeles, CA

Our practice specializes in helping adolescents and adults who are struggling with anxiety disorders (including OCD), depression, shame or guilt, negative self-judgments, perfectionism, grief, a sense of feeling overwhelmed, lost, or disconnected from themselves or others. Our aim is to help you increase psychological flexibility through mindfulness and evidence-based practices in the service of creating more space in your life to identify, connect to, and act in alignment with your own values. We want to help you build the life that you want even in the presence of struggle. We offer both individual and group therapy.

I work with individuals and couples, exploring the present and past to gain the greater awareness that I believe leads to more potential for choice and desired change. My strength lies in empathy, connection, and acceptance. Using relational therapy, we will honor your unique self, social circumstances, perspectives and goals. I use collaborative conversation, relational listening, and mindfulness to elevate awareness and build behavioral confidence. I prioritize creating a safe space where all you think, feel, and dream can be explored...the deep dark, high light, and the plentiful mundane that compose every life.

I specialize in sex therapy with an emphasis on issues such as sexual trauma, body positivity, relationship and intimacy concerns (desire discrepancy) and sexual dysfunction. Due to my background working as a sexual assault advocate, my area of expertise is with clients who have experienced difficult or dysfunctional past sexual experiences and are looking to work toward integrating and reclaiming their sexual identities and pleasure in order to move toward healing and overall well- being.

My focus as a therapist is always on providing a safe , non-judgmental and collaborative environment for my client to be seen, heard and understood . I truly believe that self-knowledge and self-awareness are the most powerful gifts we can give ourselves. My practice intersects traditional clinical training as a licensed psychotherapist with mindfulness based interventions and a mind- body-spirit centered approach. I honor the unique path of each client I work with.

I help clients cultivate positive relationships, gain mental and emotional clarity, make career changes, express themselves artistically, have healthy self-esteem and self-discipline, and lead meaningful lives. My approach is eclectic and I utilize interventions from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Attachment Theory, Solution Focused Brief Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Psychoanalysis (Lacanian), Rogerian, Neuro-linguistic programming and Mindfulness . Some clients come in with very specific problems to solve; others want to grow creatively, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually; others are simply seeking a compassionate witness.

It takes courage to discover personal insight, to address current challenges, and/or to heal past wounds. And, we arrive to therapy for various reasons. Sometimes, we come as individuals, sometimes as a couple or a family. Together, we address your goals so that you can gain a better understanding of what may need to transform in order to live your best life-- whether it's a life transition, such as divorce or career change, the desire for different coping skills, addressing compulsions or addictions, experiencing loss and moving through the grief process, identifying a sense of purpose, or making sense of a traumatic experience.

I am a Licensed Psychotherapist specializing in providing mental health services for those with psychological disorders and behavioral-emotional concerns. As a former Research Associate at UCLA's Semel Institute for Neuroscience, I come from a neuro-psychological background and have over ten years of experience as a mental health professional. I treat a wide range of psychological disorders including anxiety, depression, OCD, and behavioral disorders. Together with cognitive-behavioral techniques and therapeutic insights, we will work to help you overcome insecurities, embrace growth, and maximize your overall wellbeing.

My clinical experience has involved; helping individuals suffering with various health concerns within inpatient & outpatient settings. Also, providing support to individuals & couples who need extra guidance working through problems to reach their goals. I believe my role as a counselor is to help guide you past your suffering by providing you with the resources, safety, and empathy needed to explore the most vulnerable aspects of yourself. Whether your suffering comes from life experiences, family dysfunction, interpersonal issues, mood instability, unbalanced thoughts, addictions, or other concerns; I am here to support you.

Angry, frustrated and sad? I have been working with individuals who are depressed for over 20 years. I am intensively trained in DBT and have been providing comprehensive DBT since the year 2000. Let's explore the tools I can offer as together we help you create a life of joy and satisfaction.

Throughout our lives, we all have experienced feelings of depression, anxiety, and anger. These emotions leave you feeling insecure, shameful, lonely, unworthy and stuck in unhealthy patterns of behavior. Trauma can have negative emotional and physical effects and can lead to family/relationship issues. I specialize in solution-focused brief therapy, motivational interviewing, mindfulness and CBT. These approaches allow me to work with the client to decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression and other health/behavioral issues.

Do you feel stuck in a cycle of dysfunctional relationships and self-destructive patterns in your life? Are symptoms of anxiety and depression diminishing your quality of life? Do painful memories of the past continue to bother you? Have you tried to resolve these problems on your own or through traditional talk therapy with little success? Most treatment models fail to identify and address the trauma that underlies so many of the problems that people seek help for. A trauma-informed approach to treatment is necessary in order to fully resolve the root of the issues and create meaningful and lasting change.

If you have found your way to my profile, I imagine there is some part of you that wants to change. Do you experience symptoms of anxiety, trauma or OCD? Is anxiety or self-doubt keeping you from getting what you want out of life and your relationships? Using evidenced based treatments, including EMDR, CBT & ERP, I will support you in building awareness and insight into maladaptive patterns & behaviors that may be limiting you from creating meaningful change. My style is collaborative, seeing therapy as a life-enhancing participation in self-understanding, self-realization and self-compassion.

You may have reached a point in your life where you desire to break free from old patterns, unhealthy or toxic bonds, or past choices that have held you back. Knowledgeable support and creative ways to resolve past and current issues can go a long way. In challenging situations or times of crises, such as the pandemic, you may especially be experiencing heightened anxiety, sadness, grief, anger, disorientation, irritability, or pain. If you are ready to step forward and forge a new path, I am committed to helping you overcome obstacles and create a joyful and balanced life.

If you are feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or inadequate, I can help you. If you find yourself making the same choices despite wanting different outcomes, I can help you. I provide a safe, nonjudgmental space so that you can better understand yourself, your relationships, and your patterns of behavior. Together, we will discover root causes to current problems and directly address the underlying source of distress, so that change is effective and long-lasting.

I am a firm advocate of the practice of mindfulness as an effective treatment of a variety of psychological difficulties. I have a professional interest in the mind/ body connection and am informed by the scientific support for its effectiveness in reducing human suffering. With regular practice and therapeutic support, mindfulness -based therapy can alter the structure of your brain and help you forge new pathways, allowing you to embark on your journey of self-discovery. I will support you while providing a context of warmth, curiosity, humor and collaboration.

As a psychotherapist I help you sort through your feelings of confusion, anxiety, depression, despair, relationship struggles and/or life transitions so you can manage your unique circumstances with more understanding, acceptance and ease.

I hold a foundational belief that each person seeking therapy has the potential to improve their lives and possesses the resilience to overcome their challenges. My job as your therapist is to allow space to explore these feelings while also providing you with tools to diminish the distress around the experience. I work with complex trauma, grief, anxiety and anxiety disorder, OCD, life transitions and relationship issues.

I believe that it takes courage and a certain amount of fearlessness to reach out for support. My goal is to make the therapy experience as welcoming and individualized as possible. I specialize in teaching both adults and children specific ways to manage anxiety, learn and practice mindfulness strategies, and make behavioral changes in order to improve their overall quality of life. I believe that having unconditional support for your emotional well-being is key, especially during times of uncertainty, and am here to help implement lasting changes.

"Life is not what it's supposed to be. It's what it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference." I am a Licensed Marriage and Family therapist specializing in relationship and intimacy issues, sex therapy, infidelity, betrayal trauma and sex and porn addiction . I work collaboratively with my clients to facilitate recognition of their strengths so they can actualize self-growth, meet therapy goals, find peace and develop healthy relationships.