Chronic Pain Therapists in Los Angeles, CA
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Jessica G. Schairer
Psychologist, PhD
Verified
Verified
It's never too late to start having a better life. My goal is to give you all the tools you need to overcome anxiety, depression and fear and to maintain your psychological balance mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. You will go home with personalized audio programs and homework assignments tailored to solving your specific problems.
I use cognitive-behavioral therapy, hypnotherapy, and creative problem solving to deal with anxiety disorders and depression. I also help people with difficult life transitions including divorce, job loss, career change or
illness
, including
chronic pain
, cancer and irritable bowel disease.
Julie Markowitz
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW, MBA
Verified
1 Endorsed
Verified
1 Endorsed
I believe in all people’s innate capacity to heal. To me, all symptoms that we experience whether it be
chronic pain
, anxiety, depression, panic attacks, etc can be explained by trauma. Trauma does not have to be big events. Trauma can be if we are not attuned to emotionally as children or if our parents have their own unprocessed trauma—this sort of trauma often leads to deep seeded beliefs that we are unloveable and bad. Our healing comes from teaching our parts that we are loveable and accepted just as we are.
Megan L. Wagner
Psychologist, PhD, BCB
Verified
6 Endorsed
Verified
6 Endorsed
Wagner has an extensive background working with individuals with
chronic pain
and other health-related problems, anxiety, depression, ADHD, OCD, perfectionism, and career concerns, as well as with students, artists, & veterans and military family members.
Dr. Wagner utilizes therapy approaches that have been thoroughly studied through scientific research, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), biofeedback, and mindfulness-based methods. She also takes into account each client's unique needs and preferences and will collaborate with you to reach your therapy goals. She is currently taking new clients for both short-term and long-term individual therapy, and has a variety of scheduling options including daytime and evenings.
Cheryl Feldmann
Psychologist, PhD
Verified
Verified
I believe in your capacity to change and to fully live and enjoy your life. Relationship struggles,
illness
, addictions, and many other obstacles may be blocking your way to a fully actualized experience. For over 20 years I have helped people overcome their obstacles, come to a new understanding of their choices and relationships, and experience a new freedom. When given a nurturing environment, people flourish. I provide a therapy that is active, warm, and at the same time challenging enough to help you achieve your goals and reach an enjoyment of life that you didn't know was possible.
Casey Taslitz Certified Emdr Therapist
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, LMFT, EMDR
Verified
Verified
Hi, I am Casey! I would love to help you lead a more connected, meaningful and fulfilled life. I know looking for a therapist can be overwhelming and exhausting during a time where you may be feeling like you need additional support. While working with clients, I provide warmth and containment as they learn to heal from trauma,
chronic pain
, anxiety, depression, phase of life issues or whatever may bring them into my office.
Dr. Doug Polster
Psychologist, PhD
Verified
Verified
I specialize in treatment of anxiety, with a focus on high performers (athletes, executives, entrepreneurs) as well as individuals with
chronic pain
(e.
My clients come to me for practical, tangible guidance and support on how to overcome the challenges they face. I use an evidenced based approach, combining Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, that helps clients regain control of their lives, reduce unhelpful racing thoughts, and develop resiliency and confidence. Unlike traditional "talk therapy," where much your time is spent discussing vague concepts, my approach is to create realistic, attainable solutions and help you identify the roadmap to achieve them. About half of my practice involves working with teens/young adults and half with adults.
Mia Ray
Marriage & Family Therapist Associate
Verified
Verified
By seeking outside support, you've already taken one of the hardest steps on the healing journey. It takes courage to turn inward, face our present struggles, and open ourselves up to change. Unprocessed
pain
can create feelings of stuckness and negative thought patterns that worsen self-esteem. Therapy can help you understand how you got to this point, and how to identify and reframe the belief-systems and habits that are no longer serving you. These shifts create room for growth and can restore a sense of empowerment and agency over one's life.
Alyce Botwinick
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, MSW, LCSW
Verified
Verified
Do you feel stuck in one or more aspects of your life? Perhaps you would like to feel more connection in your relationships and at work. Sometimes things may feel so overwhelming, we lose our direction, feel anxious, experience emotional and physical
pain
, and don't sleep well. It's easy to get caught up in the way we tell our story, shaping habits and patterns around the roles we play.
Blair Lord
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW
Verified
Verified
Are you tired of being told your thoughts are the problem? Have you been labeled as "too sensitive?" If you are looking to heal the body which holds our
pain
and trauma and become more empowered to understand your own nervous system, then we may be a good fit. I work with womxn and non-binary clients who experience
chronic pain
, chronic
illness
, anxiety, depression, or trauma. I am LGBTQIA+ allied, social justice, and feminist therapist. Clients I work with come in when experiencing life transition, relationship stress, new health diagnoses, career changes, increased
pain
, or family-of-origin
pain
.
Not accepting new clients
Michelle Feng
Psychologist, PhD
Verified
1 Endorsed
Verified
1 Endorsed
I am a USC and UCSD trained clinical psychologist specializing in the treatment of
chronic pain
and age-related issues. Living with
chronic pain
makes everything else more difficult. It can be hard not to think about the
pain
and the never ending search for a cure. I use evidence-based treatments such as cognitive-behavioral therapy to help clients cope with physical symptoms so that they can get back to living your life.
Elika Razmjou
Psychologist, PsyD
Verified
Verified
As a health psychologist, I specialize in the treatment of insomnia,
chronic pain
, stress/anxiety, and depression.
When it comes to our emotional health, many of us suffer in silence until things have become unmanageable. Unfortunately as children, we don't often get the emotional education that we feel we need; many of us are not taught how to notice, label, or effectively express our emotions. Therapy is a process in which you begin to explore your old patterns and habits, discern those that are no longer serving you, while equipping yourself with more helpful coping skills to add to your toolbox.
Jane Parrott
Marriage & Family Therapist Intern, MA, AMFT
Verified
1 Endorsed
Verified
1 Endorsed
I work with depression, trauma, PTSD, chronic
illness
/
pain
, relationships, youth, families, grief, major life transitions, new endeavors, and emotional/behavioral patterns.
I offer insight and empathy through the difficult aspects of life. Looking at relational patterns and emotional needs, I hold a non-judgmental and safe container. My manner is gentle yet direct, meeting my clients where they are at and offering assistance in finding their own path to a life less burdened by struggle and more attuned to their authentic self. My approach is steeped in the wisdom of Depth Psychology, Buddhist Psychology, Psychodynamics, and psychedelic-assisted therapy. I am LGBTQ+ allied and lead with trauma informed practices.
Rebecca Stein
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW
Verified
Verified
I have extensive training in anxiety,
pain
management, work burnout, ADHD, and relational grief/loss.
Do you find yourself completely avoiding or “numbing out” because things seem so overwhelming? Do you find yourself so “revved up” to do things, to only later find yourself completely burned out? Do you feel like you can’t enjoy life because there is a constant pressure to do things and “do them right?” I help YOU manage these heavy feelings, learn coping strategies, and begin discovering “what’s right with you.” I have empowered many clients at UCLA Medicine, The
Pain
Psychology Center, and The Relational Center feel in order to truly heal. I am a Certified ADHD Clinical Services Provider (ADHD-CCSP).
Nicole Quaid
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, MFT
Verified
Verified
"I believe therapy is an empowering experience that allows us to make changes in our lives. I provide a safe environment to work in collaboration with you in a process of exploration. I specialize in working with relationship issues, depression, anxiety, self-esteem, career and life transition challenges. I also work with chronic
illness
,
pain
, body image issues and eating disorders. I integrate meditation, mindfulness and somatic work (accessing feelings through the body) as part of a holistic approach. I have a unique understanding of the issues and stresses that artists encounter having come from a fine arts background.
Marcia Margolis
Marriage & Family Therapist, MFT
Verified
Verified
Are you dealing with life threatening
illness
? Would you like to recapture sexual intimacy in your relationship? Are you having relationship, grief or divorce struggles? Having experienced the grief and loss brought forward by my spouse's terminal
illness
, I have developed strong insights to help my clients:
* Live with
illness
* Recapture sexual intimacy
* Live a full life after divorce or widowhood
* Sustain deeper intimate relationships, and
* Gain autonomy
Molly Garber Therapy
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, MSW
Verified
Verified
I combine Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), motivational interviewing, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing), and Solution-Focused Therapy to target feelings of dread, abandonment, isolation, anxiety,
chronic pain
, and the many other symptoms that may come up for you on a daily basis.
“Regardless of how long ago something happened, and regardless of how long symptoms have been there, it doesn’t need to be permanent.” - Getting Past Your Past (Shapiro, 2012) Whether you are experiencing anxiety, depression, interpersonal issues or other daily symptoms that leave you feeling discontent, there is a solution. By utilizing a client-centered approach, I meet you where you are from session-to-session in order to provide an environment focused on comfort, trust, and understanding. I see healing as a sine wave, with ups-and-downs but always on an upward trajectory. Together we will walk through your healing.
Los Angeles, CA 90041
& Online
Katya Kosarenko
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW
Verified
2 Endorsed
Verified
2 Endorsed
It takes a certain person to look for support, and I commend you on taking this first step. Life is challenging, and there are times when no matter how hard we try, things just don’t change. We often find ourselves spinning out of control feeling overwhelmed, scared, sad and tired… beyond tired, feeling alone, stuck and in
pain
, dealing with distressing thoughts, feelings and body symptoms. And the list goes on.
Hannah Khoddam
Psychologist, PhD, MA, MSc
Verified
2 Endorsed
Verified
2 Endorsed
I specialize in treating individuals with physical health difficulties, such as
chronic pain
,
illness
, or insomnia that may contribute to one’s emotional well-being.
I am a licensed clinical psychologist with years of experience working with individuals, couples, and families who may be struggling with difficulties related to the intersection between physical and mental health. I specialize in evidence-based treatment and have extensive training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and mindfulness-based approaches. I see therapy as a way to utilize these evidence-based treatments to explore whatever may be keeping you stuck in the habits, patterns, or situations that may no longer be serving you and learning skills to help you overcome these circumstances.
Sarah Brock Chavez
Clinical Social Work/Therapist
Verified
Verified
I identify as a queer, femme, Chicana therapist. I provide Psychotherapy that is Intersectional and Trauma-informed treatment. Combining techniques of traditional Psychodynamic Therapy as well as Somatic Therapy together we investigate your past and what is happening currently in your body (physical
pain
, ailments, sensations) in relation to environmental triggers (systemic racism, queer & trans-phobia, sexism, micro-aggressions), as well as attachment styles that inform your core beliefs to get you to a place of a fully developed and embodied sense of self and well being.
Daniel Gaines
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW
Verified
Verified
Having experienced various challenges related to
chronic pain
, OCD, anxiety and depression, I enjoy working with people who have also experienced these issues and are looking for some guidance and support from someone who better understands what they are going through. Coping with a mental
illness
can feel extremely isolating and hopeless; I aim to create a safe space where clients can share their feelings and hardships without fear of judgment, and to help them develop the skills needed to overcome the obstacles they are facing. Note: I now do in-person hiking sessions in Los Feliz and elsewhere as well as on the basketball court!
See more therapy options for
Chronic Pain Therapists
How does chronic pain therapy work?
Engaging with a psychotherapist to help treat chronic pain does not mean that one’s pain is all in their head. Therapy for chronic-pain patients has been shown to benefit both the mind and the body, targeting physical symptoms and increasing daily functioning. In other words, for many, addressing their emotional health through therapy affects their physical health. A therapist can help a client challenge unhelpful thoughts about pain and develop new ways to respond to it, such as distraction or calming breathing techniques. Studies have found that therapy can be as effective as surgery for certain cases of chronic pain and many doctors recommend trying psychotherapy in advance of considering invasive surgery.
What are the most effective treatment options for chronic pain?
Stress, anxiety, depression, catastrophizing, ruminating, lack of activity, and social withdrawal all make chronic pain worse. Addressing these issues, research shows, can help people gain control over their pain symptoms. Therapeutic approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy, biofeedback, and mindfulness-based stress reduction, along with greater pain-management education, have been found to help people reduce fear and disability.
Are there new treatments for chronic pain?
Many cases of chronic pain, particularly those involving back pain, remain medically unexplained. But there is evidence that changes in the brain or nervous system are caused by previous physical ailments such as tissue damage; in such cases, the brain may continue to send out pain signals despite the physical cause having healed. To aid patients under these circumstances, a recently developed treatment known as pain reprocessing therapy (PRT) is designed to help the brain “unlearn” this response. A PRT practitioner helps individuals to reduce the “threat value” of their ongoing pain signals until they can reappraise them as less threatening and fear-inducing. They also help an individual to develop new emotional regulation skills.
How long does therapy for chronic pain take?
There is no set timeline for recovery from chronic pain, especially as there may be a range of physical and psychological causes for any individual’s discomfort, but most patients should expect to see a therapist for a number of weeks or months, typically spanning at least 12 sessions. Studies of pain reprocessing therapy found that many individuals’ experience of pain lessened in eight sessions over four weeks.