Mindfulness-Based (MBCT) Therapists in Santa Monica, CA

I teach couples tools and I give homework. My background is in Positive Psychology. People describe me as warm, down-to-earth and they say I have a good sense of humor. I think couples therapy should be uplifting -- and show results. I help all kinds of couples: married and unmarried, straight, gay, and couples soon to marry. I'm dedicated to helping couples overcome their problems. I'm even-handed and I find solutions. (And on a personal note, I've been happily married for 30 years). I combine Positive Psychology, CBT, mindfulness , Gottman, and the best of contemporary psychology. I taught in the medical school at UCLA.

When you are feeling disconnected from your experience it can be confusing & overwhelming. We can work on this...together. It can be frustrating when the go-to mindfulness practices aren't doing the trick. You're eager for skills to cope better. Some parts of you my feel comfortable in the "stuck-ness" while other parts know you deserve a full and joyful life. I work with you to address the pain, hurt, and/or traumas holding you back from experiencing life fully. It's messy, confusing, and painful. That's probably why you're here - and that's okay. I'm here to navigate through these issues with you.

Would you like to reduce your suffering? Would you like freedom from destructive patterns of behavior? ------When we look deeply at ourselves...when we take the time to take care of ourselves with mindfulness and compassion, we begin to understand balance. I am committed to helping you learn how to stop living with self-sabotaging thoughts and behavior, to cultivate a life of emotional balance, deepen your connection with loved ones, resolve trauma and conflict, process grief and loss and become your best self.

Life can be tricky, but also a beautiful journey of learning, growing, and experiencing change. You may wish to cope with conflict better, have a hard time resisting temptation, or frequently feel overwhelmed. I offer a safe, non-judgmental space where you can be your true self. Through learning and practicing the art of self-compassion, we will work together to help navigate the challenges you're facing. As your emotional tour guide, I can bring awareness to perspectives you may be missing and provide tools that will be forever useful. Clients say that I make sessions fun without sacrificing the hard work that can change your life.

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.

Are you or your child struggling with anxiety, depression, or behavioral issues? Have you found yourself feeling stuck or unable to create change? Therapy can help you cope with these challenges and set you up for future success. I find a positive and trusting client-therapist relationship to be the most essential component of the therapeutic process and place an emphasis on creating a safe and non-judgmental space for effective reflection and growth. Incorporating humanistic, mindfulness , and strengths-based approaches, I work with anxiety, depression, self-esteem, oppositional defiance, high-risk behavior, and family dynamics.

Dealing with various types of trauma and the ways in which it can impact our daily lives can be challenging. I am here to help you understand that your trauma does not define you. Your trauma reactions are valid and I’d like to support you in the development of healthy coping skills. This will allow you the freedom to transcend beyond traumatic experiences, forging a new path toward growth, healing, recovery and wellness. I can help you navigate and cope with addiction/substance use, PTSD, depression, anxiety, life transitions, identity related issues, and family/interpersonal relationships.

Feeling connected is so important, and my specialty is connecting with children, adolescents and their parents, and young adults. I am calm, open-minded and nonjudgmental, and I provide a safe space for you and your child to express yourselves. My approach is to help you recognize your strengths, work towards your goals, and provide you with tools and coping skills to get there.

I believe anxiety and stress to be the foundation of many issues we all face. My first goal is to help my patients reduce stress thereby decreasing chronic pain, depression and even the ravages of disease and illness. By developing rapport and trust and then utilizing healthy coping skills, the goal of anxiety reduction can be achieved. Its important to remember that we are engaged in a collaborative process where we learn to accept, resolve, move on and let go. I find that mindfulness , meditation and breathing is highly effective in decreasing anxiety and depression.

I work with motivated, loving clients and with folks who are ready to heal from childhood wounding. My clients engage in self-study, discovering who they are and how to love and re-parent themselves. I work with teens, young adults, and families. I offer parent coaching to parents who want to learn how to effectively communicate and intervene with their children. My style is warm, curious, direct, and relationship focused. In the course of our work together, my clients learn skills that are accessible yet powerful. I've been in the field over eighteen years and feel lucky to support such incredible people on their healing path.

Therapy is a process and a relationship which is deeply personal and holistic. I create a safe, confidential, trusted, collaborative and creative space to move toward your personal and relational goals and potential. I offer EMDR to address trauma, resiliency and attachment, and the latest neuroscience knowledge, coupled with body and mindfulness practices. In session, we focus on your unique history, relationships, beliefs, strengths, goals, trauma, dreams and values. We uncover blocks to freedom, expression, and relationships to move toward the goals and vision you wish for yourself, to enable your fullest aliveness.

You have your share of life stress. There's almost no way to get around it in our fast-paced culture where work is exhausting, relationships and family require attention, and to-do lists are endless. You're going through the daily grind, juggling lots of balls, and trying to keep people satisfied. Meanwhile, you're coming unglued. You start losing your cool with others, become paralyzed with fear, or want to run away from it all. You might be exhausted, edgy, or have trouble concentrating. Maybe you self-soothe in unhealthy ways. You're tired of this but don't know what to do. This is where I come in and our work together begins.

My favorite clients to work with are children and teens ages 5 to 18 as well as young adults ages 19 - 35. I have an innate ability to connect and communicate with children and teens while at the same time being able to form a relationship with their parents to assist in the work they are doing in therapy. I work to create a safe, non-judgmental space that allows clients to be themselves. As a therapist, I show up authentically and establish a real connection using empathy, creativity, and humor.

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.

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.

You can walk on the beach while you talk with your therapist! I specialize in anxiety and related conditions, including panic attacks, worry, depression, social anxiety, PTSD, and phobias. Feelings of loneliness are often associated with anxiety and depression. As we walk side-by-side on the beach, you may feel that you are, in fact, not alone. Walking in nature can enhance your feelings of joy and connectedness, and together with effective coping skills, can help you develop more resilience toward life’s challenges. Imagine doing all of this work while breathing in fresh air, listening to crashing waves, and walking in the sand!

Are you ready to make a change in your life? Is there a pattern you keep repeating in relationships that you want to let go of? Do you want to feel comfortable and happy in your own skin? Is your past affecting your present in debilitating ways you want to change?

For many people life can go through periods of intense difficulty, pain and suffering, and it can feel overwhelming. My practice focuses on understanding these feelings with the hope of decreasing the distress. I work collaboratively with my clients believing they contain all the wisdom they need to heal and that together we will help you access it. I work and am trained in several models; psychodynamic, internal family systems, attachment theory and emotionally focused therapy.