Codependency Therapists in South, Pasadena, CA

I work with people using the model of codependency/immaturity described by Pia Mellody of The Meadows. Looking at the five core issues of self-esteem, boundaries, reality, dependency, and moderation informs me as my clients "get their histories straight." In other words, I help people understand just how they have gotten to their current circumstances. Codependency, 12-step recovery, sex and pornography addiction, chronic depression and anger management are some of the areas in which I specialize.

Being human isn’t easy. It can be awkward, scary, beautiful, exciting, and completely bewildering. Seeking help for your humanness is brave. Therapy can provide a safe environment to challenge lifelong patterns, address old wounds and traumas, and develop a deeper understanding of yourself. It can also help undo old wiring and unhelpful narratives so that you can create better habits, communication skills, and behaviors. Through a relational, direct, and compassionate approach, I treat individuals, couples, and families who want to find more joy, create better relationships, "update their software," and live more authentically.

VIDEO, Saturday and Evening Sessions available- Having anxiety, depression, work/career issues? Relationship, family or addiction (alcohol, drugs, phone, sex/love addiction, codependency), ADHD, chronic pain/health issues? I can help. It is extremely valuable to have a truly experienced and effective therapist to work with now more than ever. I have been doing counseling professionally for over 20 years and have seen my clients consistently make progress dealing with whatever challenges they have been facing. I offer support, compassion, valuable experience and a healthy relationship where a person can heal and grow.

My approach blends years of experience with natural compassion, humor and insight. I'm not a passive therapist. I'm interactive in sessions, using a holistic, relational approach with techniques from CBT, DBT, psychodynamic and narrative. I specialize in helping re-wire patterned thinking in your brain through talk therapy. Without a bunch of clinical jargon, we have relatable conversations in session where I will both nurture you and challenge you when needed. We stay in the present to shift behaviors and ways of thinking, while also getting to the root of the issues and feelings by understanding and processing them at the core.

Living in survival mode can be a constant struggle. Considering whether to begin or continue your therapy journey is a step in which you should feel proud. As an associate psychotherapist, I serve individuals, couples, and families. My clients may be enduring the effects of long-term and short-term traumas, depressive and anxiety-related disorders, grief and loss, living with stress, chronic pain, childhood abuse (neglect, physical, sexual, emotional, smothering), personality disorders, relational problems, low self-worth, coping issues, codependency, abusive relationships, sexually related concerns, and general avoidance.

You are here for that sense of belonging & connection, especially when multiple global crises have left communities hopeless, and in a constant state of vigilance. While some anxiety/depression is a normal response to the hyper-violence we are facing as a collective (on screens or in reality), it can feel extremely overwhelming to experience this every day, on top of expectations from work, family, and other relationships. As a child of the Lao Isaan/Southeast Asian diaspora, my passion is working with fellow children of refugee/immigrant diasporas to feel seen + heard + validated through an anti-oppressive framework.

Do you need a place to be yourself? To be seen and fully accepted for who you are and encouraged to take leaps and risks to craft who you want to be? The fear of failure and judgments, our own and others, often holds us back from exploring the edge of our possibilities. I am passionate about creating a nurturing relationship where you can begin to practice and embody the changes you want to create in your own life. I work with individuals, couples, children, adolescents and families. I specialize in women who are reinventing themselves and family members of individuals with mental illness.

Pema Chodron states that the "essence of life is that it's challenging." I believe that with the right support, your difficult life experiences and challenges, whatever they may be or however they stemmed, can be overcome with time. I work with adults, adolescents, and couples through these challenging experiences. I bring empathic energy, intuition, careful consideration, humor, and challenge to the process of converting difficulty into growth. My work is driven by philosophies and therapies based in trauma-informed care, neurobiology, attachment theory, nonviolent communication, Emotion Focused Therapy, Buddhism, and EMDR.

Does it ever seem like you should be doing better than you are? Does it seem like everything in your life looks great on paper- and yet you can't seem to feel good? Believe me, I've been there. It can be so much easier to sort out the external parts of your life than to look inside yourself to figure out what's keeping you frustrated.

My work specializes in sex-related issues. We all grew up with and have been affected by different narratives of sex. These narratives, as well as positive and negative sexual experiences, have shaped our current outlook and intimacy in relationships. I work with individuals and couples in a collaborative effort to identify, process and heal areas specific to problems with intimacy, sexual trauma and religious guilt. I also work with my client's to provide solutions to sexual issues like low desire, communication or betrayed partners.

My passion is conducting therapy with Asians, both immigrants and Asian-Americans. As a Taiwanese-American therapist, I am well-versed in the family dynamics of Asian culture. I am also experienced in dealing with parent-child conflicts between first-generation Chinese parents and their westernized second-generation teenagers and adult children. My work centers on helping parents and children recognize their cultural differences in order to better understand one another and maintain healthy relationships. Sessions may be in either Mandarin and English.

Hi! My name is Jennifer, but you can call me Jenn. Congratulations on taking this important step on your journey toward a better you! Change is hard. Asking for help…even more so. It takes courage to want to heal, and you did not find my profile by accident. With a client-centered and trauma-informed approach, I am here to support and empower you as you find balance and take the steps necessary to reach your goals.

You already possess the inner resources and capacity needed to heal. At certain times, however, we all need help gaining access to that nurturing capacity: a kind of 'Assisted Self Discovery.' When our minds, bodies, & emotions are all supported together in a safe process of present-oriented exploration, the potential for change is remarkable. I utilize an eclectic approach. Each session is tailored to your unique needs & personal goals. Long-lasting symptom relief/decreased suffering & achieving a more fulfilling life are priorities that guide my work with clients.

Childhood trauma can cripple us, it creates overpowering ‘intense’ emotions such as anxiety, depression, and anger when left unattended which begins to create physical symptoms to defend our bodies from the internal wounds. Has there ever been a time in your life where you have experienced this reaction? Are you experiencing these feelings based on current or past trauma from childhood, early teens, adolescence, adulthood, or as a senior? I aim to utilize a variety of actionable techniques to help reduce trauma related symptoms and make lasting changes in life.

Many of my clients report that they struggle with high levels of anxiety, are perfectionists, self-critical, have low self esteem and are extremely sensitive to the energy and moods of others. They are empathic to the point of having difficulty identifying what feelings belong to them versus what feelings belong to others. They struggle with disordered eating, toxic relationships, finding balance between productivity and self care and having clear boundaries. Many have had little luck with traditional talk therapy and are looking for someone that can help get them out of their heads and into their bodies.

Welcome home to yourself. You are a creative entrepreneur, person of color, neurodivergent and conqueror. You want to obtain inner and outer peace, connect with others in ways that work and stop creating the same negative cycles in relationships. You want to better manage your emotions, be confident in your decision-making and transform the deeper pain which has been troubling you (and possibly generations before you). Pain often indicates the need for our compassionate attention to certain aspects of our inner life which need tending to.

Finding the right therapist from a website is difficult, which is why I offer phone or in-person consultations. It takes courage to address challenges such as relationships, personal problems, or general unhappiness. Your success in treatment will depend on your readiness to open up and my authentic presence that will help create a safe space for you. Together we will work on identifying, experiencing and expanding your capacity to tolerate all ranges of feelings. You will become more conscious of your limiting patterns while developing healthy ones as your sense of a genuine and stronger self emerges.

Thanks for clicking on my page! I'm a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) with a passion for helping clients find greater peace, purpose, and fulfillment in their lives. Using an evidence-based approach called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), I work with individuals, couples, and families to overcome challenges and cultivate resilience.

I am a warm, collaborative Telehealth therapist and I utilize EMDR Therapy to help my clients achieve their goals of reducing the physical and emotional burdens associated with traumatic life experiences and their present day triggers. EMDR Therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is effective in providing relief from trauma-related symptoms. I specialize in treating PTSD, trauma related symptoms, and other anxiety-related issues. In our online sessions together, I curate and utilize a highly personalized set of EMDR tools tailored to each client.