Trauma and PTSD Therapists in Sierra Madre, CA

I am passionate about working with individuals and couples toward the goal of discovering how to access and express our deepest selves and form meaningful connections. I specialize in relationships, addiction and recovery, trauma , body image issues, and transitioning from adolescence into adulthood. I am committed to celebrating LGBTQ and gender variant people and communities and have a particular interest in working with gender variant individuals and their loved ones. I use psychoanalytic and postmodern theories in making links between subject and culture/subculture, always challenging gender stereotypes that keep us limited.

Dr. Katharine Putman seek to create a warm, healing collaboration with each client. With over 18 years' experience providing therapy for children, adolescents, adults and families, Dr. Putman blends expertise in healing from trauma , anxiety, depression and grief. Life Tree therapists also tailor a unique approach to help each client to help the client to heal and thrive. Dr. Putman works within clients' spirituality, culture and worldview to reach short-term goals and/or longer-term therapy goals for those who wish to pursue deeper healing and growth in their relational patterns.

The circumstances that lead you to looking for a therapist can be overwhelming, and I'm here to partner with you through the pain and uncertainty. Whether it's a child or family member you're concerned about, family conflict, or your own mental health, I can help. I have provided compassionate care for more than twenty years to children and adolescents, families, and adults in both mental health and substance abuse treatment. I've worked in community-based agencies, residential treatment and intensive outpatient programs, mental health administration, and teaching at the graduate level.

Have you ever doubted yourself as a parent? Wife? Employee? Do you feel nothing you do is "good enough?" The challenges for women in today's "you CAN have it all" society leave many of us feeling inadequate and overwhelmed. If you are feeling insecure or fearful about your relationships, you don't have to go through it alone. Let's talk about how I can help you find the light at the end of the tunnel.

Therapy is a delicate art and a science. Finding the right therapist is important. The connection by an understanding, intuitive professional, someone with wisdom and effectiveness, who also respects the time and the cost of your investment is valuable. I use an attachment-focused orientation, and tools from EMDR, Ego State Theory, CBT, 12-step recovery model, and other modalities. I have enjoyed a rich 25-year career as a trauma informed specialist. I have supervised and directed programs in public and non-profit sectors. Adoption is my specialty, as well as work with teens, young adults and families.

Kathy Scott has a warmth and vitality, which foster a sense of trust and safety, and she has an especially strong ability to connect with and understand her clients. Her training in EMDR and psychoanalytic therapy effectively support her work-- helping heal abuse and trauma of all kinds. Because of her own personal experience, she has compassion and a heart for women who are widowed and experiencing deep losses. As a result, Kathy works well with women in transition, divorce, parenting issues, single-parenting, step-parenting, blended families, "empty nest" difficulties, and parent-caregiver concerns.

Are you feeling stuck, numb, or tired all the time? Are you having trouble focusing - on your work, family and friends, your partner, or even YOURSELF? Do you experience anger, guilt, sadness, or hopelessness? Would you like to find a way to overcome this but don't know where to begin? I believe through exploration there can be freedom, from fear, guilt, shame, doubt, and uncertainty. As with all explorations, I will be your guide to walk with you through the frustration, pain, and confusion. Regardless of what we find, I will be committed to doing it with you.

I enjoy partnering with people to develop more satisfying and meaningful relationships, including with partners, children, family, and themselves. By exploring experiences of the self in relationships and the meaning of these experiences, new possibilities are created. Good clinical matches include adults in early adulthood (ages 18 - 45) and parents seeking to increase self-awareness, reflect on past experiences, make sense of their story, heal from trauma , and learn new healthier ways to be in relationship than what they learned from their family of origin.

Does this describe you: "I'm running on empty and living a frazzled life. I feel like I'm in survival mode." The process of exploring your inner life (the unresolved traumas, as well as the resiliency that has helped you survive) creates opportunities for you to heal. I am trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). As Viktor Frankl wrote, "When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves." We can rewire our brains and reprocess our past traumas using EMDR. I am currently providing EMDR via Zoom. Yes, this is possible, and it works.

I believe the relationship between therapist and client is essential in understanding the underlying issues affecting one's obstacles to personal growth and happiness. It is my goal to provide a calm space and safe relationship towards that end. Working with adults, young adults and families for more than 20 years has given me a breadth of experience that I bring to the therapeutic relationship. I have particular experience with early trauma and PTSD ; depression/anxiety; life transitions; addiction related symptoms; and, relationship issues.

My mission is to empower those that I work with to have meaningful connections to themselves and the world around them.I specialize in supporting individuals, couples and families who are in transition - specifically, if a family member is in treatment or struggling with abuse, trauma , eating disorders or chemical dependency. It is very important to me that I respect my clients' philosophies, values and goals in therapy. As I work with a family, I'm sensitive to the experience of being invited in and I only offer solutions that fit within the family culture.

The most successful component of therapy is the relationship that you and your therapist will build. And building this relationship in a safe non - judgmental environmental is crucial. I will provide this environment for you, to allow you the freedom to express yourself, thus enhancing your personal growth. I greatly enjoy working with individuals from all walks of life. This includes students, professionals, retirees, parents, unemployed etc. I have also worked closely with undergraduate- and graduate students in both the helping professions as well as the sciences. Let's meet and see if we can work together.

I am invested in helping my clients find their strengths among the challenges they may face in life. I consider it a privilege to create and hold space for them to do the work which will allow them to live to their greatest potential. My experience working with individuals, couples and families in a multitude of settings helps me better understand the complexities and uniqueness of individuals. I partner with my clients to create meaningful change in their lives, so that they feel connected and thrive.

Welcome! I am currently accepting new clients. Maybe you're feeling anxious about a current situation, tired of being your own biggest critic, unmotivated to get things done, or maybe you are not quite sure what you're feeling, but you just feel off. Whatever is bringing you here today, know that I am committed to walking alongside you on your path towards healing. My goal is to support you in working through any obstacles that you are facing, from past and present circumstances, so that you can move onward in your life and into a joyful, empowered, and peaceful future.

Searching for a therapist is a vulnerable & intimate decision toward self-exploration & healing. Often, we don’t know what causes feelings of anxiety, sadness, anger, & disconnection from our life & our loved ones. My therapeutic style is grounded in creating an emotionally safe environment to decrease internal shame & explore life concerns & struggles while identifying strengths that will assist with creating sustained meaningful change. Each person’s experience is unique & includes nuances that deserve great emotional care, collaboration, & respectful difference to explore internal beliefs & strengthen understanding of the self.

Humorist, Mark Twain once wrote, "I've had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened." Left unchecked, fear-based thinking shapes reality and impedes potential and growth. The unknown and mixed messages surrounding the pandemic has reinforced this mindset and may have left you with perpetual feelings of sadness, uncertainty and doubt. The first step of our journey together is establishing a relationship built upon trust, respect, and safety. Through shared conversation, mindfulness, and self-regulating techniques, we create a bond that honors your unique story and circumstance.

I’m passionate about helping women transform their lives. Supporting them on their path to growth and healing. Being a woman in today’s modern world is hard. There’s pressure to have a healthy relationship, successful career, to be a good parent, and to be physically and emotionally healthy. High expectations of us take a toll on our minds and our bodies. Many women I work with talk about losing themselves and feeling frustratingly stuck. You want to feel grounded and confident. You need time to look inward and heal. You’re ready to develop a pathway forward, one where you feel hopeful and in control. You're in the right place.

I love working with people who are focused on personal growth and healing. I enjoy helping clients understand their own story, which often results in changing their current narrative to one that is more empowering. My hope is to see clients walk in greater freedom and see tangible changes happen in their life, while also enjoying this messy, yet beautiful process of healing as much as possible. I believe that as we grow in self awareness and develop a deeper sense of identity, that shame, disappointment and negative beliefs no longer have the same hold over us and we can move toward a deeper sense of fulfillment in life.