Marriage Counseling Therapists in West Central, Pasadena, CA

As a therapist, I know how difficult it can be to juggle all that life expects of us while experiencing mental or emotional distress. Whether it’s unwanted anxious thoughts, healing from a past trauma, or feeling stuck in your relationships, you are not alone. I will provide you a warm and safe space, free of judgment, for us to sit in your darkest moments and work toward giving you a more peaceful, joyful, and fulfilling future.

Seeking therapy is a courageous starting point for pursuing more fulfilling relationships and life experiences. Your past and present circumstances do not have to define your identity. It is normal to experience uncertainty as you begin this process but I am committed to providing a safe space to explore your unique needs at your own pace. I am confident that we can collaborate to identify goals, clarify obstacles, and develop effective skills to promote change and improve your quality of life. My approach is best described as warm, empowering, and non-judgmental, but active and direct. I offer both in-person and virtual sessions.

DIVORCE is devastating. As a skilled and trained Divorce Mediator, I specialize in assisting difficult and litigious couples through the entire process of their divorce. With 3 decades of experience, I mediate spousal and child support, investments, properties and pension funds, along with establishing a careful and appropriate parenting plan. My firm prepares all of the legal documentation. Mediation is one tenth the cost of Litigation. The stress, anger, physical exhaustion and emotional pain of the court system takes an enormous toll on ones life. Research shows that a litigious divorce in the courts creates significantly more trauma in children.

Are you feeling confused or stuck in your relationships or just life in general? Are you unsure how to change your situation, or feel like nothing seems to make much difference? Taking the first step to making change can be scary and takes courage. I am so glad you are here. I believe one of the bravest things you can do is begin to understand your own story.

Welcome to my Practice. I am currently accepting new patients. My work includes Individuals, Couples and Families in the assessment and treatment of trauma, anxiety, depression, mood disorders, job dissatisfaction, relationship issues and grief and loss. In addition, I specialize in the assessment and treatment of Perinatal and Postpartum Depression/ Anxiety. Considering therapy is a positive step for yourself, your relationship or your family this year.

Are you feeling stuck although you've already achieved a lot in your life? Do you feel you have reached many of the goals in life you set for yourself, and yet still feel there is something missing or have feelings of depression and emptiness? Do you have a difficult time enjoying the success that you have achieved? Perhaps you have a feeling of not being able to reach your full potential? These are often signs of a neglect from an early home life that was lacking, to a degree, in nurturing and support.

Life is hard, even when it's going well. And then there are the times that it isn't going well, and we need to expand our network of care. Therapy is a helpful process in both times of life. I work to connect with you, follow your needs, support you in the growth and transformation you crave, and help you through the discomfort that change can bring. I believe in the closeness of dualities, such as trauma and resilience, crying and laughing, masculine and feminine, and seeking ways to get these dualities into a closer and more symbiotic relationship with one another.

Jessica Richards, MS, MSW, LCSW is a licensed psychotherapist who specializes in providing therapeutic services to young children and families. She is endorsed in CA as an Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist. Jessica uses relationship and brain-based modalities for comprehensive treatment. Jessica has been trained in Child-Parent psychotherapy, a relationship and play-based therapy with a strong evidence-based foundation for the treatment of trauma and family stressors. Additionally, Jessica uses the Neurorelational Framework (Lillas, 2009) for an integrated approach. Her specialized Dual-Masters education provides an advanced foundation in applied child development.

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with over 10 years of experience in the field. I practice focusing on client self-awareness and their understanding of how the past has influenced the present. It is my goal to provide a safe environment for us to explore what it is you need to move forward in your personal journey. While it is not always easy, we will work together towards self reflection and empowerment identifying strengths and abilities to build a foundation for a more enriched life.

You’ve been used to playing small: treading lightly so that you don’t upset others. The very idea of identifying and speaking to what you truly feel, fills you with anxiety. Yet you long to feel more than just the familiar cycles of dread and guilt. You want to feel more joy, more creativity and fulfillment… I want more for you, too. Together, you and I will create a space for you to heal. A space to feel, talk about the hard stuff, reflect and learn…a space to come back to YOU.

I've been in practice over thirty years, dividing my time between my private office ( where i've mostly seen adults) and CHLA Mental Health Clinic where I specialized in adolescents and where I served as one of the training directors for many years. For the last five years, I've devoted my time exclusively to my private practice where I use a range of treatment models ( individual/conjoint/family) and enjoy working with a diverse clientele in terms of presenting problems, age, gender and sexual orientation.

Navigating personal struggles often leaves us feeling alone, anxious, and disconnected. This experience can become even more intense when dealing with issues such as eating disorders, trauma, depression, anxiety, life transitions, bipolar disorder, and co-occurring conditions. I specialize in helping individuals navigate these challenges. Collaborating with psychiatrists, doctors, and dietitians, we form a holistic support team, going beyond traditional methods for comprehensive healing. We aim to equip you with tools for emotional, physical, and mental wellness, enabling lasting growth and resilience.

We all want to become, be, and remain adults able to enjoy times of great happiness and grow from times of stress, difficulty, and sadness. This is not an easy process and requires learning from feeling, thinking about, and experiencing the ups and downs of our lives, understanding what our experiences mean, where they come from, and what we can do to make changes in our lives. In this process we know that we can experience anxiety, depression, stress, tension, and many other things that require professional help in order to maintain our footing and keep moving forward in our lives.

Do you find yourself having a difficult time coping with anxiety, depression, and trauma? Do you have a hard time communicating and setting boundaries with others? Life is full of obstacles and hardships that may be difficult to overcome without the right tools, resources, and, guidance leading to the manifestation of these symptoms. I specialize in working with adults, couples, and adolescents using a Psychodynamic approach to explore unconscious thoughts and behaviors. In doing this, we are able to collaboratively recognize old ineffective patterns and process unresolved feelings and trauma.

After 13 years of clinical experience, one thing I have learned is that no matter what reason brings you to therapy, the single most important factor in finding the right therapist for you is comfort and trust in the relationship, not just clinical skill. This is where you as the client get to be choosey. I'm a highly interactive therapist, as eager to offer observations and insights as I am to listen. My approach to therapy focuses on developing your strengths and effective coping tools, while helping clients build insight into underlying factors that feed problematic symptoms.

My approach is to provide support and practical feedback to help you effectively address personal life challenges in a safe and judgment-free space. As every person is unique, I integrate a variety of theories and techniques to engage in a personalized approach tailored to every individual. With compassion and understanding, I work with each individual to help build on your strengths and attain the personal growth you are committed to accomplishing.

When we find ourselves feeling burdened or "blocked", or when a certain satisfaction in life seems out of reach, it is often difficult to understand why things aren't clearer to us, or why we can't simply make the changes we want. The truth is, for all of us there is much that goes on in our psyches which eludes our awareness, but which nonetheless informs how we think, how we feel, and even how we act. So the question becomes, how can we open a window into those pockets of our inner world which somehow keep us stymied.

I believe that we all have the resources within us to heal, and yet sometimes we need a little help. The right connection between a therapist/client can help start that healing. Maybe your teenager is sullen and isolated. Maybe you are in love and scared to be truly seen by another. Maybe there’s an angry side of you that your family doesn’t understand and a vulnerable side that is too scary to feel. Together we can work on acceptance, healthy coping skills, and letting go of bad habits. Without judgment, we will build an understanding of who you are as a person so as to realize your strengths and fortify them.

Do you struggle with depression, anxiety, and trauma? Do you experience difficulties managing family and relationship issues? I believe that healing happens when we pay attention to all the parts that make us whole—our mind, body, and soul. The subconscious mind controls most of our reality and choices, so building awareness and active presence can improve the quality of daily living and assist in not only surviving but thriving through life. As an intuitive & holistic therapist, I will assist you in strengthening your inner psyche and developing new tools to manage negative feelings and thoughts.