Therapists in Seal Beach, CA

I have provided mental health services for a wide variety of disorders and diverse populations of children and adults for over 20 years. I am licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist in multiple states. I use a holistic approaches to facilitate therapeutic change. I infuse my work with elements from evidenced-based interventions, behavioral, cognitive, experiential and psychodynamic therapies, and art therapy. My therapeutic work facilitates the individuals' desired changes using traditional and non-traditional methods, such as art therapy, EMDR, neurofeedback, mindfulness, and interpersonal process therapy.

My work focuses on emotional and personal development, where there is space to feel, explore, find insight, and confront challenges. I have special interests in highly sensitive people (HSP) work, couples work, trauma, biracial concerns, and anxiety. I believe therapy is about building a stronger sense of self through empathy, insight and symptom relief. I will be there to provide understanding, support and a different view of the problem that makes progress attainable and installs hope. Therapy provides an opportunity to grow as a person, get through personal struggles including mental illness, and strengthen relationships.

I will teach you how to develop confidence and belief in yourself. I will teach you how to be a strong and assertive man or woman. I will teach you the skills needed to develop high quality and fulfilling personal and business relationships. My therapeutic approach is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and results oriented.

Welcome to my practice. I have been in practice since 2007 and have been featured on ABC, NBC, and KCAL as an expert psychologist. I work primarily with men who have hit “rock bottom” and would like help getting up. These men are often in crisis when we first meet. The issues I address are typically related to unhealthy sexual behaviors, infidelity, financial recklessness, gambling, drugs/alcohol, dishonesty/lying, and relational conflicts. My therapy approach is a combination of psychoanalytic, cognitive-behavioral, and the 12-Step recovery model. I also share insight from my own painful but redemptive recovery journey.

Welcome to my practice. I have been in practice since 2007 and have been featured on ABC, NBC, and KCAL as an expert psychologist. I work primarily with men who have hit “rock bottom” and would like help getting up. These men are often in crisis when we first meet. The issues I address are typically related to unhealthy sexual behaviors, infidelity, financial recklessness, gambling, drugs/alcohol, dishonesty/lying, and relational conflicts. My therapy approach is a combination of psychoanalytic, cognitive-behavioral, and the 12-Step recovery model. I also share insight from my own painful but redemptive recovery journey.

Personal discovery and growth is one of life's greatest challenges but also provides one of life's greatest rewards. Through my own healing journey to address childhood trauma, I did many years traditional talk therapy. While I found this to be helpful, it wasn’t until I discovered somatic experiencing (SE) therapy that I began to experience a deep settling in my body and mind in a relatively short period of time. This settling of the nervous system can lead to a newfound sense of feeling present and engaged in life. One gains more capacity to experience positive emotions, tolerate negative emotions without becoming overwhelmed.

Are you struggling? Have you given up on your dreams? I offer a safe place where we bring compassionate attention to your challenges, and help you uncover a rich source of understanding to light your way forward. Together, we help you discover for yourself your own truths, so you may pick up the tools to aid you with your distress. Your path is unique to you alone. I walk alongside you, and guide within a supportive and empathic environment to help you broaden your way forward toward more satisfying relationships and a more full experience of life.

My clinical approach is based on Solution-Focused Short-Term Therapy. I believe strongly that each client comes to therapy equipped with the inherent strengths and abilities necessary to uncover and implement the steps required to resolve the difficulties facing him or her. I see my role in that process as being one of assisting my client to heighten their awareness of, and access to, those strengths. I help my client become aware of all the possibilities for change and then collaborate with them in the creation of alternative solutions. (Note: Accommodations to my fees will be considered on an individual case basis).

As life progresses, there may be events/situations that may lead to imbalance which can be uncomfortable and distressing, as well as attribute to mental health issues. The combination may minimize or compromise our inner strengths. I aim to collaborate and support in maximizing your inner strengths to better manage, work through, and cope with life transitions and difficulties. I work towards empowering you to take control of your life through self-awareness, insight, and techniques specific to obtain your goals. My approach with each client is uniquely tailored to take into consideration of any diversity and/or culture differences.

Everyone processes life experiences in many different ways. I help clients uncover, explore and process self-limiting beliefs that impact well-being. I focus on building on a client's strengths and supporting them in uncovering new ways of fostering personal growth and wellness. I have 21+ yrs of experience working with adults, couples, children, adolescents and families with issues ranging from anxiety, depression, trauma, addiction, chronic illness, phase of life transitions, sports performance, relationship issues, parenting, foster/adoption, high risk/severely emotionally disturbed children/adolescent's.

I have experience in inpatient and outpatient settings working with eating disorders, addictions, depression and anxiety, and trauma. I understand and respect the mind-body connection and how it can be an avenue for healing and change.I see the therapeutic relationship as a partnership and I provide a safe, comfortable and compassionate space. This space allows individuals to openly explore thoughts, emotions and behavior patterns, while learning to express emotions and relieve distress in a healthy way. I balance this with an authentic and direct approach which guides and challenges clients to move forward in their growth process.

I work with those who are having difficulty or trouble in relationships or in relating to a difficult person. You will find me easy to talk with as together we find solutions for your difficulties. I will encourage you as I walk beside you to systematically discover the answers that you already have within. I will not force or push but gently challenge you to become your best. This journey of counseling will have a beginning and an end. We will be a team every step of the way. I look forward to meeting with you. Let's get started. You will find the help you are seeking.

Palm Desert individual, couples and family counseling offered in a warm and comfortable environment! We help individuals and couples work through difficult life processes in a nurturing and loving way. We assist your process offering effective communication practices and tools to work through even the most difficult situations. We specialize with mental health counseling in Palm Desert and Long Beach dealing with infidelity, blended family difficulties, life transition, anger management, substance abuse and dependence, and healthy communication practices. We look forward to hearing from you.

Is this the best it can be? You know you are not living your life to its fullest. You look around you at the state of the world and you see conflict, disasters, people being awful to each other and changes that happen so fast, no one can seem to keep up. It seems like you either have to shut down to the pain of the world, or you will drown in it. It’s so much easier in any given moment to lose yourself on your phone, or Netflix, or a drink or…. You can see that you’re checking out – and there’s a price to pay for that – but in the moment, you can’t muster anything better.

I have over 30 years experience in individual, marital, family, and group counseling, working with those who have faced a variety of issues in life. Counseling will guide you through a healing process to find a profound sense of your purpose. You will find a warm, healing environment that will impact you intellectually, emotionally, relationally and spiritually. Tools will be provided to increase your sense of well being, your ability to cope with adversity, and your understanding of your brain chemistry as it relates to your emotional struggles along with exploring how one's faith can impact their transformation.

My general frame work is that you cannot separate the body from the mind nor can you separate a person from their life time of experiences, therefore working with all of these systems is a highly effective way to improve happiness, decrease anxiety and stress, and increase coping skills to manage life with more ease and improved relationships. Now offering emergency Intensive Couples Counseling! I work well with individuals and couples who are seeking to learn more holistic ways to address their emotional and relational challenges whether they be family of origin issues, trauma, chronic illness, anxiety, or depression.

I am well versed in numerous modalities, among them; Individual therapy to address possible lifestyle changes, your relationship issues and goals. Couples therapy to address interpersonal and intrapersonal conflict Child psychotherapy ,(play therapy and dyadic therapy) from 0 to 5 years old through specialized training. Family therapy to increase effective communication within family dynamics. Crisis management as past occupational experience includes drug treatment and law enforcement crisis situations. Mental health consultant in educational settings, and occasional speaker in mental health related topics. I am fully bilingual

Seeking therapy takes a great deal of courage and finding a therapist who is the right fit for you can seem overwhelming. Congratulations on taking that first step. I enjoy working with individuals, couples and families in private practice and am excited at the possibility of working with you. I believe it is vital to focus on the importance of building a therapeutic relationship while utilizing a healing-oriented approach that takes into account the whole person. By doing so, we are able to address the full range of physical, emotional, social, spiritual and environmental influences.

My ideal client is seeking support for compulsive sexual behaviors or pornography addiction to the point it is negatively affecting their lives. I am fluent in Spanish and help clients and couples struggling with self-confidence issues and relationship frustrations. I am able to work individually, in group therapy and also provide psycho-eduction as part of a comprehensive intensive treatment program if needed. At Novus Mindful Life Institute, I work closely with my colleagues to care for our clients whose lives have been affected by sex addiction, porn addiction and betrayal in at a pace that feels right for you!