LGBTQ+ Therapists in Westwood, Los Angeles, CA

Seeking therapy can be the first step on a healing journey and I hope to walk alongside you as you pursue personal growth. I believe that therapy can be a great way to access some of the tools that are already within us but that we may need help employing. I understand the importance of intersectionality as a queer Black woman and therapist and can understand how necessary it is to acknowledge the impact of intersecting identities when working with clients.

Seeking therapy can be the first step on a healing journey and I hope to walk alongside you as you pursue personal growth. I believe that therapy can be a great way to access some of the tools that are already within us but that we may need help employing. I understand the importance of intersectionality as a queer Black woman and therapist and can understand how necessary it is to acknowledge the impact of intersecting identities when working with clients. I use an integrative approach to help clients feel empowered to re-frame their narrative and identify and process complex emotions.

Accepting new patients! Just living in today’s world can be difficult and exhausting. Many of us feel as if we are just “getting by.” We all struggle with our mental health, from daily conflict with others, feeling frustrated or irritable, painful past experiences(trauma), struggles with work and family, and anxious thoughts. These issues can hinder our ability to heal and grow. We can all use help at times, even if we don’t know how to ask for it. I provide comprehensive support and direct feedback to help guide you through this difficult journey, to reach a path that leads to healing, understanding, acceptance, and resolution.

My focus is on providing multi-culturally affirming therapy to help people achieve their therapeutic goals and cope with struggles they face. I use an integrative and collaborative approach to deeply understand my client’s concerns, meet people where they are, and support their specific needs from therapy.

Do you feel as if you are emotionally stuck and need a helping hand? Are you feeling overwhelmed, lost, and tired? You may be going through a life transition, relationship difficulty, or problems managing daily life. Most people go through times in their lives when they need some guidance. You don't have to go through this hardship alone. Reach out and let's get through this together. I am offering free consultations over the phone, at this time, to assess your comfort level before we have a full session. I am able to see individuals with a residence in the state of California and Nevada.

I specialize in working with the LGBTQ + community with a focus on transgender and nonbinary folks to address a variety of issues including gender dysphoria, identity exploration, anxiety, and depression. I utilize a social justice and intersectional framework in acknowledging the systemic oppression affecting BIPOC communities and its impact on mental health.

My focus as a practitioner is to help you connect with your authentic self, attune to your values and needs, and learn practical tools to improve your quality of life. With over 10 years of experience serving a diverse range of individuals, I provide a therapy experience that is warm, empowering, and puts your goals at the forefront of care. I specialize in trauma-informed, attachment-focused therapy, with an emphasis on cultural humility, honoring the brain/body connection, and holistic wellness. If you are ready to heal from within, then I am here to act as your ally in that process.

I use a combination of psychodynamic, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), mindfulness, and client-centered modalities. I have worked in various community mental health and educational settings with diverse populations in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and internationally, and have a particular focus in working with the LGBTQ + community.

My style is warm and collaborative. I aim to provide empathy, compassion, and non-judgmental space for building a strong therapeutic relationship that serves as the foundation for growth, healing, and achieving one’s therapeutic goals. I work from a trauma-informed and culturally-attuned lens. I am specially trained in and utilize EMDR in conjunction with mindfulness-based strategies, somatic therapy, as well as other evidence-based tools to support change and healing of past wounds that may be impacting overall health and wellbeing.

My approach is heavily focused on cognitive therapy and solution-focused, identifying short-term goals, being action-oriented, and actively engaging in therapy. Our work together is collaborative and focused on your individual needs and goals that you want to accomplish during our work together. Keeping in mind a social justice approach, my clinical experience has been working with individuals who experience life stressors including life transitions, family issues, mood and anxiety problems, and trauma-related stressors. I have worked with families and adults in community mental health.

Accepting new patients! Just living in today’s world can be difficult and exhausting. Many of us feel as if we are just “getting by.” We all struggle with our mental health, from daily conflict with others, feeling frustrated or irritable, painful past experiences(trauma), struggles with work and family, and anxious thoughts. These issues can hinder our ability to heal and grow. We can all use help at times, even if we don’t know how to ask for it. I provide comprehensive support and direct feedback to help guide you through this difficult journey, to reach a path that leads to healing, understanding, acceptance, and resolution.

Are you terrified of your own thoughts? Is your life ruled by a never-ending series of 'what-if's', each one more horrifying than the last? Maybe you're exhausted by your anxiety but struggle to relax or sleep through the night. You're tired of organizing your day around rituals, panic attacks, or debilitating thought spirals, but you just can't seem to stop. Together we can sift through the internal noise and find new ways to move through the world with more peace, agency, and flexibility. Calm is closer than you think!

“To fully relate to another, one must first relate to oneself. If we cannot embrace our own aloneness, we will simply use the other as a shield against isolation,” — Irvin D Yalom. You are finally ready to embark on your journey of self exploration— to understand how your past has molded who you are, how you relate to the world, and how you can take back your power over your life. Perhaps you are seeking relief from identity struggles, anxiety, insecurity, relational issues, trauma, or self image difficulties. Reaching out for help can be intimidating, but the relief that follows is so worth it.

What brings you here is something important. It could be a problem, pattern, question, or thought; or it could stand for something more difficult to represent with words. Our work may be long or short-term depending on the nature of this dilemma. We might focus on anxiety, depression, trauma, identity, relationships, or something else. Whatever the cause, the techniques I utilize for listening and hearing prompt you to speak on a register that leads to change. Psychotherapy becomes a creative space for opportunity and growth, as well as a time for you to focus and reflect inward, in order to bring forward something new or renewed.

Expansive Therapy is a bicoastal psychotherapy practice with locations in Los Angeles and New York City. We have a diverse team of therapists offering a wide variety of modalities and specialties, and we match you with a provider who meets your needs and availability. Our mission at Expansive Therapy is to create a safe space to heal and grow, to expand the things that are working, and to encourage personal freedom.

Some of the questions my clients often grapple with in therapy include: What has served me in the past that no longer serves me? Which choices help me open to experience rather than withdraw? How can I rely on my strengths to overcome obstacles? How do I grow from connections and disconnections in my relationships? I am primarily guided by the unique qualities and needs of each person or couple, and work collaboratively towards their desired outcomes. When appropriate, I provide suggestions for behavioral practices between sessions, in order to bridge what we do in therapy to your everyday life.

I work with adults, teens, couples, and families in private practice. I am also a partner at a new therapy center specializing in ketamine and psychedelic integration therapy. Every day I meet people who feel stuck in their lives and behaviors yet struggle to take the necessary steps toward facing their challenges and meeting their potential. Whether you struggle with addiction, depression, anxiety, social factors, trauma, grief, childhood experience, learning challenges, hopelessness, inherent biology, sexuality, LGBTQ +, or gender issues, I am here to help you clear the roadblocks between you and the best version of yourself.

Are you a survivor of trauma? Are you a BIPOC/POC (person of color), LGBTQIA +, immigrant or 1st-generation American in your 20s, 30s, or 40s? Do you feel lost, hopeless, anxious, or isolated, like no one "sees" you for ALL of who you are? Do/did you have narcissistic or borderline parents - and trouble living up to their (or your) perfectionist standards? Do you often feel "not good enough," "bad," ashamed, guilty, or unworthy of love? Do anxiety, depression, chronic, negative thinking, or self-defeating patterns hold you back or prevent you from moving forward and living a life you want /deserve to live?