Adoption Therapists in Los Angeles, CA

I have over 20 years of experience working with individuals and couples who are creating their families through foster care, adoption , and third party reproduction. I work with individuals and couples who have struggled with infertility and are now considering what the next step is for them. The decision to start a family through alternative means will significantly impact your life. Alleviate the anxiety and stress involved in such an emotional decision by allowing me to assist you in navigating the family building process and help you decide on the best option for your family.

No two people are alike and neither is my approach, therefore, I work eclectically fusing narrative, somatic, experiential, and mindfulness in my practice. I am also an art therapist and enjoy working with clients who want to dig deeper through creative ways when words are not enough. I am adoption competent and an adoptee myself, and I am also LGBTQ+ affirming.

Are you looking for a safe space to share your feelings; to better understand your emotional self? If you are experiencing relationship problems, feel stuck or blocked, anxious or depressed, we can work together to understand these issues. Sometimes we know that things don't feel right, but can't put our finger on it. Through guided exploration, we can discover underlying causes for these feelings, and develop a more authentic connection with ourselves and with others. I work with individuals, couples, families, and adolescents.

Due to a unique combination of both professional and personal experience in adoption and infertility, who better to guide you through your transition, adoption journey or adoptive parenting. If you have experienced infertility/secondary infertility, and are considering growing or expanding your family through adoption and don't know where to start, then I can help. If you are already a prospective adoptive parent, I can provide educational and supportive services, including monthly support groups. If you are an adoptive parent needing support with an open adoption relationship or talking to your child about adoption , I can also help.

I have specialized for the past 20 years in the treatment of children/teens/adult adoptees and foster youth, foster-adoptive parents, and birth families. I have developed unique psycho-therapeutic interventions that support children/teens with serious psychological problems secondary to histories of abuse, neglect, and /or multiple placements and adoption . I work with former foster youth and adult adoptees who are struggling with grief and loss and help them in their journey through search and reunion. I educate families about open adoption . I help first mothers and fathers process grief and loss & facilitate successful reunions.

Imagine having new tools to deal with difficult feelings and difficult people. Imagine feeling ready and excited about what might come your way. Therapy offers you the opportunity to move forward in your life towards the goals and dreams that are most important to you. Informed by previous careers in theatre and film along with specialized trauma training (both TRM & EMDR) and my experience as an adoptive parent, I am uniquely positioned to engage challenging issues in the creative professions,trauma (both incident specific and developmental) and adoption along with the anxiety and depression that are too often part of making our way through life.

Dr. Jennifer Bliss is the Director of Adoptions and Foster Care at Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services. She also maintains a small private practice working with hopeful parents going through fertility treatments, building their family through third party reproduction, and all members of the adoption triad. Both individuals and couples counseling can be provided in-person or via teletherapy.

I work with clients who are creative and want to use their talent to make a difference. I also specialize in individuals and couples who have not received the necessary support, love, limits, and validation needed during childhood. I see adults who are cautious regarding a romantic commitment because they've experienced parental abuse, addiction or divorce in childhood. I'm an adoptive mother, with a specialty in adoption . I work with birth parent grief, adoptive parent child management, adoptee resolved issues, within the context of open, closed or reunion adoptions.

Therapy is a process of self-discovery that often entails delving into past relationships and trauma to uncover their affect on our relationships with ourselves, our families and the outside world. My work with children, adolescents, individuals, couples and families is designed to restore trust, joy & zest and to develop meaningful connections and skills to thrive-mindfulness, authenticity & inner strength. As a Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapist, I work with an attachment focused interpersonal neurobiological approach creating a safe space to nurture individuals, couples and families in any orientation or socio-economic status.

People come to therapy at different times, for different reasons, and with different needs. Perhaps you need a space to process current or past events in your life, or maybe you know there is a difficult change you need to make. Maybe both, or maybe you're not sure. My approach to therapy is to provide the specific balance you need between support and challenge. As we develop the therapeutic relationship, it is my hope that you will feel safe and supported to do the kind of work that is most beneficial to you at this time.

Life can feel overwhelming. An unexpected event can suddenly throw everything off balance, or many smaller stresses can build up and make it hard to cope with everyday tasks. Together we can explore your inner strengths and how to use them moving forward and find healing throughout the process. I am dedicated to social justice and believe that it’s important to find awareness of one’s resilience in the process of self-discovery and acceptance.

I have designed a practice that recognizes diverse paths to family. Because I believe each journey is unique. I respect what you have experienced and will help you discover and reach​ your goals. This mindful approach allows me to bring an open mind and heart to each situation. I offer Counseling, Education and Consultation services in the area of Family Formation, specializing in the area of Adoption . I provide counseling to pre-adoptive and adoptive parents, expectant/birth parents, and adoptees, covering an array of topics.

I view psychotherapy as a creative, collaborative process between client and therapist. I value the uniqueness of each individual client and strive to create an environment of trust, compassion, respect and empathy. While we cannot change difficult and oftentimes traumatic past experiences, we can work together to better understand and resolve challenges in your life.

I work with a diverse population with varying goals. For some it is to work through their anxiety and depression, and for others it is to work through their current struggles with relationships, parenting, career or loss of a loved one. I help clients understand how they want to live, and to explore, meet and overcome their challenges. My relationship with each client is unique and an important part of therapy. I incorporate different types of treatment and work from an inclusive perspective of each client's own experience.

I'm Dr. Dean Leav, licensed psychologist and qualified medical evaluator (QME). I've been featured on NBC, KCAL, HLN, and other programs as an expert psychologist. I provide Evaluation Services, including (and not limited to): diagnostics (ADHD, Autism, Learning Dis.), cognitive/neuropsychological evaluations, workers' compensation (QME/AME), immigration-related evaluations, pre- adoption psychological evaluations, parenting/bonding assessments, drug & alcohol evaluations, pre-employment evaluations, and legal/forensics/criminal evaluations. These evaluations may be used to meet eligibility for certain services or accommodations.

Hello beautiful people. My most treasured skill as a therapist but most importantly as a human is the ability to connect and relate with almost any one no matter your race, gender, culture, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or age. I am learning in practice and in life that no matter how old, young, accomplished or established we become there will always be a natural human yearning we carry to feel like we belong and that we matter to others.

I specialize in treating anxiety, stress, trauma, relationship difficulties, and behavioral problems. When overwhelming experiences leave their mark, it can be hard to know where to turn for help. Memories, fears, distress, and anger take over and damage our relationships. Parenting becomes fraught with tension. Children lose control, resulting in tantrums and behavior problems. By understanding the root of your distress, I can help you or your family find new ways to cope.

I am dedicated to helping others improve the quality of their lives. I have a deep respect for those who come into my office and want to look at issues that can often be very painful and challenging. We all have areas that we struggle with at different times. I provide a very compassionate approach, one that will help you gain insight into what gets in the way of you having a fuller, healthier and happier life.