Experiential Therapy in La Canada Flintridge, CA

Love, connection, and safety are the sources by which all relationships and individuals thrive. My wholehearted pursuit as a therapist is to welcome individuals and couples into an environment constructed and bound by these foundational needs. I believe our most significant relationships sculpt not only how we see the world but also how we see ourselves.

I am a licensed Clinical Social Worker and have provided therapy and clinical supervision for almost thirty years. I specialize in working with life transitions, anxiety, depression, grief, recent and past trauma, relationships (monogamous, same-sex, polyamorous, open, fetish, and non-traditional), coming out and transitional gender issues, and sexual health problems. I am not religious but very spiritual and enjoy discussing spiritual issues. I employ techniques from many modalities including CBT, art therapy, experiential therapy, humanistic therapy, and more.

Hello, my name is Cecelia Pooley Gillespie, LCSW, SEP. I work with all ages, with a recent focus on youth and families, including those in rural and Indigenous communities.. I can help with anxiety, depression, PTSD, stress, parenting, life transitions, and more. My therapeutic approach is strengths based and solution focused. While I find the cognitive and behavioral lens of CBT, DBT and Narrative Therapy to be valuable, I believe it can be important at times to also incorporate Experiential Therapy, such as creativity, movement, and expression, as well as Somatic work for exploring the mind-body connection.

Ceccily Bednash MA LMFT ATR is the Founder of the Creative Wellness Institute which provides talk therapy, art therapy, coaching services, art programming, training and workshops. The Creative Wellness Institute was founded on the principle that human beings are innately creative. Therefore, we need a creative approach to understanding our inner world in order to live our best life possible. By using our capacity for creative expression as a means for understanding ourselves and the world around us we can evolve into the highest versions of ourselves and live a happy and fulfilling life.

Learn how to express yourself so that you are heard and understood by the ones you love. I work with families, couples, and individuals to break generational patterns that no longer serve them. We all deserve to be connected with ourselves, our children, and our loved ones and I hold a special place in my heart for co-parents who want to put their children first but can't figure out how to collaborate effectively. In collaboration, we create a safe space to connect and relate from intentional intimacy.

I work with adults and teenagers who are looking to manage symptoms of Anxiety, Depression, and Trauma. I will be with you on the journey of healing to discovery, recovery, and connection to your true self. I also specialize in working with individuals experiencing life transition issues such as career/academic concerns and relationship stress. I approach therapy with a person-centered mindset to create as comfortable and welcoming an environment as I can. I believe the trust built between you and a therapist is one of the more powerful tools we as clinicians can offer, and I hope to garner that trust in my own practice.

I believe that every person has the capacity to change from within. I see my role as a therapist to walk alongside and hold space for you to connect with yourself - to your body, your inner resources, and your wisdom. Together, we can make meaning of your past while increasing safety and joy in the present so that you can step into your chosen future. Many of my clients experience doubts about their worthiness and their ability to change engrained patterns or heal from past wounds. They struggle with people-pleasing, codependency, perfectionism, chronic shame, unexpressed grief, and connecting to their intuition.

If you want to chat and get something off your mind or put it ease, I'm here to support you. Maybe you're looking to become more confident and loving of yourself or you feel stuck and want to move forward but just can't seem to find a way to do it. I enjoy helping others learn more about themselves and how the world around us can really have a significant impact on mental health. Identity and attachment issues, addictions, past traumas, significant life transitions, and general anxiety and depression can be really overwhelming and it isn't always something you can do on your own. I work primarily with individuals 11-65 years old.

Are you struggling to change? Do you know in your mind what you need to do but can't get your emotions or body to do it? Do you repeat relationships or patterns and wish you could break the endless cycle? Maybe little things feel more frustrating or overwhelming than usual. Sometimes, we aren't sure what causes our distress, but we can sense we're not reaching our potential for health, happiness, or success. Even when we know the cause, change can still feel impossible. That's where I come in. My job is to listen without judgment, help you understand the root causes of your issues, and teach you practical tools to change your life.

Do you wonder if you’re an addict, maybe not? I provide assessments and interventions for addiction. I’ve worked with famous actors, directors, major league athletes, scholars, scientists, studio executives, engineers, Hip Hop moguls and successful individuals. I specialize in trauma and addiction. I deal with issues such as controlled drinking, sobriety, relationship, couple's or family issues, Court, incest survivor trauma, and addiction issues. I'm also a LMFT, and Yoga and Meditation Therapist and EMDR Therapist which gives me a unique ability to help my patients integrate in their bodies emotionally and mentally.

Are you feeling disconnected, stressed, stuck, scared, or angry? Are you repeating relationships, patterns, or situations and wishing you could break the cycle? Maybe life feels more frustrating or stressful than usual. Sometimes we aren't sure what causes our distress, but we know we're not reaching our potential for health, happiness, or success. And even if we know what the issue is, change can feel impossible. That's where our team of qualified professionals can help. Our job isn't to judge you or your choices, it's to help you understand the root causes of your issues and work together to create a custom plan for change.

Do you want to dig deeper? Are you repeating behaviors or situations and wishing you could break the cycle? Are you or your partner struggling with mismatched communication, attachment, intimacy, vulnerability, desire, culture, or conflict resolution styles? Sometimes, we're not sure what causes our distress, but we can sense we're not reaching our potential for health, happiness, or success. And even when we know the cause, change can still feel impossible. That's where I come in. Without judgment, my job is to listen, help you understand root causes of your difficulties, and teach you practical tools to help change your life.

Suffering comes in many forms. It is personal and intimate and often times overwhelming and sometimes debilitating. But you don’t have to face it alone. Many people have sought my help for feelings of anxiety, stress, overwhelm, and an out of balance work-life; others, for unresolved trauma , PTSD, and other stress-related disorders which keep people trapped in disregulated states of being; still others because they were unhappy with their life and the spark of their passion was dim.

Nobody’s childhood dream was to grow up and feel overwhelmed, alone, stuck or unworthy. I aim to help individuals heal from trauma-related issues such as anxiety, depression, and relationship/family issues. If you find yourself living without a navigation system to understand emotional terrain or trauma that impacts your well-being; you are not alone. All of us go through rough patches in our lives. My approach is specific to meet your unique needs in a safe and non-judgemental space.

I work with individuals and couples who feel disoriented, trapped, and need help walking forward. Pain comes in many different forms such as trauma, grief, anxiety, depression, fear, low self-esteem, discrimination, betrayal, anger, or just feeling lost. This pain can be like quicksand, constantly trapping you no matter what you do or try. My specialty is working with people whose pain is made more complex by intersecting identities (Religion/Spirituality, Culture/Race/Ethnicity, LGBTQ+, immigration). In addition, I have specializations in working with, multiracial people, emerging adults, men, and helping professionals.

Do you want to experience life with less burdensome patterns getting in the way, meet challenges with less anxiety, and heal from limiting self-criticism and shame? I will help you meet all of the parts of yourself with reverence and compassion as we tend to the wounds that are ready for healing.