Acceptance and Commitment (ACT) Therapists in Santa Monica, CA
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Karen Clay Beck
Marriage & Family Therapist Associate, MA, AMFT
Verified
2 Endorsed
Verified
2 Endorsed
As a registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, I embrace success in working with clients by utilizing integrative forms of psychotherapy that harmonize well to their specific needs, motivation, and treatment goals. My active engagement encompasses Emotion Regulation Therapy,
Acceptance
and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, mindfulness and meditation interventions.
Not accepting new clients
Rachel Lauber
Psychologist, PsyD
Verified
Verified
Incorporating mindfulness and
acceptance
strategies gives you additional tools for managing stress and difficult emotions.
I am a licensed Clinical Psychologist with over 20 years of experience providing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and other evidence-based strategies to treat depression and anxiety disorders. I am also trained and experienced in working with maternal mental health concerns (pregnancy and postpartum), relationship difficulties, work/career issues, low self-esteem/self-worth, transition to parenthood and parenting issues, and those going through difficult life transitions. My collaborative, authentic, and non-judgmental approach gives you a safe space to explore your concerns.
Rebecca Branda
Psychologist, PsyD
Verified
2 Endorsed
Verified
2 Endorsed
I am trained in evidence-based treatments, such as CBT and psychodynamic psychotherapy, and incorporate mindfulness and
acceptance
-based interventions.
The desire to start therapy often begins when you realize something needs to change. Are you feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or stuck? Is the pain too deep? If so, I am here to help. I specialize in women’s mental health, ADHD, and trauma. I work with you to uncover how your past impacts your present, find success and fulfillment in your relationships and career, heal from traumatic or dysfunctional relationships, and process guilt and shame. I’ll meet you with curiosity, warmth, and respect, creating an environment where you can reconnect with your best self.
Sarah Segal
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW
Verified
Verified
It is through a combination of ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention, the gold standard treatment) and
ACT
(
Acceptance
and Commitment Therapy) that OCD and anxiety loses its stronghold.
Have you noticed that it's in the places you are supposed to be most relaxed (meditation, vacation, weekends, sleep) that your mind feels louder than ever? It might feel like the idea of letting your thoughts go is meant for “normal” people and that does not include you. Maybe you stand guard to keep yourself from your worst case, as if your attention to your thoughts keeps you from descending into unimaginable fear. All the advice you get from those closest to you feels so out of touch with the agony of daily doubts around the things that matter most. Anxiety is the bully that tells you are both incapable and at constant risk.
My Therapy Corner
Marriage & Family Therapist, LMFT
Verified
Verified
Our therapists utilize EMDR, Attachment-Focused EMDR, Polyvagal, Brainspotting, Narrative Therapy, Trauma-Focused CBT, DBT,
ACT
, etc.
My Therapy Corner is a boutique practice that focuses on individual and relational/couples healing. We work with clients struggling with anxiety, trauma, depression, addiction, codependency, couples dealing with a wide range of relationship problems (infidelity, addiction, parenting, etc.) We believe that therapy should be supportive, and trauma-informed. Additionally, it should be culturally sensitive and consider all the layers of one’s identity. My Therapy Corner has a strong focus on experiential and holistic healing, emphasizing mind, body connection in healing.
Kelsey Harper, Psy.D.
Psychologist, PsyD
Verified
Verified
I engage multiple science-based models including EMDR, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), CBT,
Acceptance
and Commitment Therapy (
ACT
) and tailor according to each client's individual needs.
Many survivors of trauma feel isolated from their supportive relationships & community, feeling intense and persistent fear, anxiety, agitation, & at times disconnection. Trauma dramatically shifts our experiences of the world & how we relate to others, leaving many feeling alone & stuck simply surviving. Trauma is a psychological injury, & is reparable & treatable. With a multimodal approach, I help clients restore a sense of safety in their environment & within themselves, deeply heal traumatic injuries, and reconnect within relationships & engage in meaningful lives.
Elizabeth Bisarya - Hooghkirk
Marriage & Family Therapist, LMFT
Verified
2 Endorsed
Verified
2 Endorsed
I am well-versed in EMDR, mindfulness,
ACT
, Gottman, and Intuitive Eating tools that are often helpful in managing the struggles we face as humans.
Welcome to my page and thank you for visiting it on your journey to healing, balance, and overall well-being! I genuinely believe that finding the right-fit therapist is imperative in the therapeutic process. I place a large focus on developing the therapeutic relationship as I believe that healing happens through relationships that are respectful, compassionate, vulnerable, and accepting of you as a whole, authentic person. I support individuals and couples in learning to trust themselves and the wisdom of their bodies to live expansive and joyful life aligned with their values.
Paul Carter
Marriage & Family Therapist Associate, AMFT, APCC
Verified
2 Endorsed
Verified
2 Endorsed
Your life is not a problem to be solved. Rather, it’s a journey I hope to give you the courage to compassionately face and savor. My hope in our collaboration is to help you achieve greater psychological flexibility. I have had success working with creative people looking to heal their wounds without losing the edge that fuels creativity. I help people navigate depression, anxiety, relational issues, life transitions, men’s issues, artists struggling to find their creative voice, social anxiety, and self-
acceptance
. I work from an
Acceptance
and Commitment Therapy framework, which works across a wide variety of issues and concerns.
Beyond Psychology Center
Marriage & Family Therapist, LMFT, SEP, CGP
Verified
1 Endorsed
Verified
1 Endorsed
Yay! You’re considering therapy, and going through these profiles is a LOT on your nervous system. Let us help. Schedule a free consult call, have a friendly chat, and get matched immediately with someone personally chosen for you. There are ten of us, each with different specialities, personalities, and schedules, so odds are high of finding a good match. What unites us is that we all combine traditional talk therapy with evidence-based practices that work quickly and effectively to bring relief and transformation. These include EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, Internal Family Systems, Mindfulness-Based Therapy,
ACT
, and DBT.
Diana Beck
Marriage & Family Therapist, LMFT, LPCC
Verified
Verified
This relationship warmly invites exploration,
acceptance
, and release to occur through open expression.
Increasing awareness of the self and building insight to our experiences allows for improvements in relationships and greater understanding of the mind, mood, and behavior. Life experiences change us. Often our relationships embedded within these experiences create wounds within our self that remain stuck within the body. We may feel unsafe and our world becomes confusing and challenging to navigate.
Emily Ferro
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW, MPH
Verified
Verified
These include: Attachment Theory,
ACT
, Interpersonal Psychotherapy, Psychodynamic Theory, EcoTherapy, Play Therapy, and Trauma & Resiliency Informed Care.
Therapy is for YOU. It is a space to explore your needs, emotions, beliefs, relationships, values, goals, and so much more. It is also a place to process how personal, intergenerational, and societal history has shaped your way of life. Therapy can support you in challenging yourself to make important life changes by developing skills and techniques to break habits and patterns that are no longer useful.
Santa Monica Psychology Group
Psychologist, PhD
Verified
Verified
At Santa Monica Psychology Group, we have expertise in evidence-based treatments (including CBT,
ACT
, CPT, and PE) for anxiety, depression, and trauma-related disorders.
Choosing a therapist can feel overwhelming — unlike medical treatment, there are fewer guideposts for the general public in finding effective, science-based care. We are a team of Stanford- and UCLA-trained psychologists whose approach to therapy is grounded in psychological science and emphasizes the client-therapist relationship. We deliver evidence-based treatments to help you identify patterns of thinking that no longer serve you and manage emotions that interfere with living your best life. Our goal is to teach you techniques that, once mastered, will allow you to continue the work of therapy independently.
Alice Kuhns
Marriage & Family Therapist Associate, MA, AMFT
Verified
3 Endorsed
Verified
3 Endorsed
Previous clients have shared that they appreciate my warmth and
acceptance
.
Does it feel like something is off in your life? Maybe you have reached major milestones, or established a successful career, but still question your sense of self and self-worth. Sometimes our past experiences are influencing the way that we relate to ourselves, and others. If you are curious to make those connections, and create new ones, I can help.
Not accepting new clients
Katie Merrill
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW
Verified
Verified
The treatment approach that is most effective for OCD is Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP),
ACT
, and Cognitive Restructuring/CBT.
Are you feeling overwhelmed by obsessive, unwanted thoughts and anxiety? Maybe you're experiencing concerns about harm, a past event, contamination, or being with the wrong partner. Do you feel trapped in a cycle of repetitive mental rehearsing, checking, cleaning, reassurance-seeking, or avoidance behaviors in an attempt to get relief? OCD is a frequently misunderstood disorder that can present itself with a myriad of themes, leaving the sufferer feeling trapped and hopeless. Luckily, effective treatment is available. I offer a safe, supportive space for clients to learn the tools to break free from the exhaustive grip of OCD.
Austin Smythe
Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, LMFT
Verified
Verified
——I am currently accepting video clients throughout California——Good therapy is a conversation that evokes our unique desires, emotions, and challenges. Through this open-ended exploration, in which everything, everything is fair game, we learn more about ourselves and discover the courage to
act
on it.
Marco Paz
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW
Verified
3 Endorsed
Verified
3 Endorsed
Everything is temporary: anxiety, heartbreak, loneliness, feelings, boredom, sadness, frustration, anger, emotions. Through the process of psychotherapy you will learn that your experiences, feelings, and behaviors can be understood instead of avoided or judged, allowing for the eventual
acceptance
of whatever may emerge. Together we will collaborate on building from your existing strengths in order to help you forge a clearer, manageable, productive, fuller and compassion-based life experience.
Waitlist for new clients
Carol M. Lazo
Associate Professional Clinical Counselor, APCC
Verified
Verified
I am here to help you make the most of your intrinsic strengths and inner wisdom for healing,
acceptance
, and wellbeing.
Life transitions, whether welcomed or unwanted but needed, often seem to be too much to bear on your own. When it comes to college or career adjustment, family role or relationship changes, or grief and loss, you may not feel equipped to navigate the next chapter of your life story — even when you’re writing it for the better. You may have developed habits, emotional resistance, or long-held beliefs that were effective in getting you through to this stage of life but are now unhelpful or even harmful for where you are going now.
Alexa Kidman
Associate Clinical Social Worker, ACSW, MSW
Verified
Verified
I am here to listen and learn without judgement to find the best approach for you, whether that be through trauma-healing processes like brainspotting, more traditional talk-therapy approaches like CBT, DBT and
ACT
, or less formal modalities, like walk-and-talk therapy, expression through art, music, writing, and games.
Accepting new clients! I am passionate about helping teens and young adults develop life-long coping skills, discover a healthy sense of self and embrace what makes them uniquely beautiful. I believe therapy should be tailored to the individual, as each human’s experience is uniquely their own. While I specialize in working with adolescents, young adults, and LGBTQ+, I have experience and enjoy working with clients of all ages. I believe my education in child development provides a useful background for understanding current mental processes and patterns of communication, regardless of age.
Thomas Siggins
Clinical Social Work/Therapist, ACSW
Verified
3 Endorsed
Verified
3 Endorsed
I draw from various approaches such as CBT, DBT,
ACT
, & IFS.
From my past experiences in athletics, I have seen the power that the right guidance can have on achieving goals. As a therapist, I aim to be that guide for my clients. Starting with practical tools to relieve stress and then digging deeper to develop greater insight makes long-lasting, meaningful change possible. I especially enjoy working with young adults transitioning into the professional realm who would like to build confidence, develop healthy relationships, cultivate a work/life balance, achieve performance goals, heal past trauma, and navigate stressful “adulting.”
OCD & Anxiety Program of Southern California
Psychologist, PhD
Verified
Verified
I am a clinical psychologist and Co-Director of the OCD & Anxiety Program of Southern California. We are a group of compassionate clinicians who understand how difficult it can be to live with OCD and anxiety disorders. We specialize in providing effective treatment for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, OC Spectrum Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, and depression. We utilize Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), particularly Exposure and Response Prevention (E/RP), which is considered to be the gold standard for the treatment of anxiety disorders. We also utilize other effective interventions, such as mindfulness and
Acceptance
and Commitment Therapy.
See more therapy options for Santa Monica
Acceptance and Commitment (ACT) Therapists
How does acceptance and commitment therapy work?
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy encourages a person to listen to their self-talk. A person’s inner dialog can be indicative of how they treat themselves. ACT also encourages self-compassion; this can lead to a better understanding of negative thought patterns and emotional states. This understanding can then lead the individual to needed behavior change.
What are the goals of acceptance and commitment therapy?
The goal of acceptance and commitment is to expand a person’s psychological flexibility, a trait that encourages an individual to live in the present moment and to accept all their thoughts, feelings, and emotions, even ones that are difficult such as sadness and anxiety. In ACT, this acceptance is congruent with the individual’s values and beliefs.
Does acceptance and commitment therapy work for depression?
Acceptance and commitment therapy is effective for depression because it allows the individual to view their discomfort and suffering differently. Depressive feelings about relationship heartaches, for example, are a part of life. A despondent person learns to let go of their struggles and instead view their painful thoughts and feelings with compassion. This will lead the individual toward positive change.
How long are people typically in acceptance and commitment therapy?
A typical acceptance and commitment therapy session is 50 minutes long with one session per week. Treatment for common problems such as anxiety, depression, or relationship difficulties can last between eight weeks to four months. However, more severe cases may require more than one session a week and/or a longer time frame for treatment.