Therapists in 90403

If you feel like nothing makes you happy, no one understands you, and reaching your true potential is an impossible task, I’m here to help. I will give my absolute best so that we together can solve your dilemmas—however small or encompassing. I am an English and Farsi bilingual California-licensed therapist with eight years of extensive professional experience. I have a Doctorate (PsyD) in Marriage and Family Therapy.

Our lives are constructed from many roles and stories. We, as human beings, are the teller of those tales. Is your narrative one, as Plato stated, flowing from "three sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge?" Is it rich in self-care, dignity, and compassion? Or, are the stories and thoughts you carry heartless, punitive, or corrosive?

Are you looking for a safe space to feel supported and understood? I can help. I treat depression, anxiety, eating disorders, substance abuse issues, self-esteem issues, and relationship issues in adolescents, adults and families. Through professional and personal experience with therapy, I have learned that feeling understood, supported and safe can be some of the most valuable parts of the healing process. In my practice I meet my clients where they are in the moment, and together with the client, I work to help them reach their unique goals for therapy. My approach is direct, compassionate and genuine.

Through establishing a genuine therapeutic connection in a compassionate environment we can collaboratively unpack difficulties and challenges you may be experiencing and look at possibilities towards overcoming these towards living a more manageable and satisfying life. I utilize various methods and approaches towards this end and work with a diverse population of children, adolescents, teenagers, adults, elders, couples, families and groups. I treat a wide variety of issues with ease in a present and nonjudgmental manner.

Life can be unpredictable and the challenges that come with it can leave lasting impacts that leave us feeling disconnected. Many of these challenges come without choice, these individual experiences can be arduous and demanding. I approach therapy with this in mind, undertaking an honest understanding of how your feelings and behaviors have changed in response to your lived experiences. I want to foster a safe space for you to process your journey, acknowledge your experiences, and best support your individual needs.

Our goal at Hunter Therapy Family Counseling is to create a safe and playful environment where your child can discuss and process stressful situations. We offer a wide range of activities, including art therapy, painting, sand tray, athletic psychology, jewelry, and gardening, designed to help your child develop coping mechanisms and build a strong emotional foundation. Looking for a creative and fun way for your child to talk about their thoughts, behaviors, and feelings? Hunter Therapy Family Counseling uses different expressive techniques to help your child learn healthy ways of coping with stress.

The first step in creating meaningful change, is the desire for things to be different followed by the courage to take action to make it happen. You've already taken that first step by seeking therapy and I honor you for that, and gladly meet you there! Together, we we will co-create a safe and supportive space for you to feel seen, heard and honored where you will feel held as you enter a more deep exploration of self. Here we will identify patterns, themes and the source of which have brought your to your current reality and identify how and where you can make conscious shifts to create the change you want to see in your life.

Beginning therapy takes courage and you've already taken the first step. My goal is to help you create a more fulfilling life. I provide a safe space to work collaboratively with you. I will listen and use my knowledge base to help address the parts of your life that feel challenging. I work in both short term and long term treatment modalities.

I am a practical clinician who draws from an array of psychological approaches to assist my patients in achieving their goals. In addition to being practical, my therapeutic approach is aimed at understanding and integrating the dissonant thoughts and feelings at the core of most problems. I employ a focused and systematic method to identify the barriers to an individual's development and bring about change through an understanding and relinquishing of old models of coping. I am also able to utilize psychological measures of personality and aptitude to assist my clients in making decisions about their treatment and goals.

Life is too short to live it feeling unsatisfied, confused, depleted and or powerless. Sometimes you can manage, but other times you want to turn to someone who will provide an compassionate, non-judgmental space for you to (re)connect with your deepest, most authentic self. Maybe you're in a relationship which feels stagnant, emotionally/physically disconnected or is burdened by accumulated hurts and betrayals, and you and your partner are seeking clarity, support and a new way of being either together or apart. Being skillful in relationships with others (and oneself) has become essential, and is central to our well being.

Perhaps you're down or anxious - maybe you're unsure about the future of a relationship, or just feel that you aren't living the life you were meant to lead. Whatever your needs may be, I am here to offer support. It is hard asking for help and it can be scary to think about finding the right therapist, but it does not have to be. Therapy is a process of growth and self-discovery, and in my sessions I create space to explore with care, kindness and collaboration.

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.

The natural ebb and flow of life can keep us flowing between a state of connection & disconnection to our authentic selves. Often times, the disconnection sparks the desire to seek therapy, subsequently leading to an inward journey back to our essence. I would feel honored to be part of your journey. The foundation of my therapeutic approach is based on the idea that wisdom lives within all of us. My hope is to help you tap into & live from that place of connection to your own unique inner compass. I utilize mindfulness, somatic, narrative, CBT & family systems theoretical frameworks to help you create & lead a more fulfilling life.

Life can be really hard and oftentimes we need additional support. I love working with individuals through life's transitions and challenges. A belief and dedication to growth, resilience, and well-being, I prioritize trauma-informed care and social justice in my practice. I emphasize authenticity and genuine connections by integrating empathy, creativity, and humor into sessions using Gestalt Therapy. Whether guiding teens or adults through various life’s transitions or focusing on improving a client’s mental well-being, my approach remains culturally conscious and sensitive to individual experiences in the broader societal context

Rooted in depth psychology, mind body and complementary practice, integrating trauma based psychotherapy and other evidence based psychological methodologies and modalities, I see adults, teens, couples struggling with personal, emotional, relational, parental challenges, life transitions, anxiety, depression, stress, disillusionment, as well, young adults navigating individuation, contending with middle, high school, university and post graduate adjustments. My approach is to open a present, safe, focused sphere inviting vulnerability and honest expression of true experience moving deeper and deeper into one's own knowing sense.

You've been feeling like your life just wasn’t supposed to go this way… like you were once on solid ground, but now you’re swimming through quicksand. Maybe the pain of infertility or miscarriage has left you feeling completely hopeless...or you're a new mom wondering why no one ever told you how tough it would be. Maybe difficult memories you thought you'd buried long ago are beginning to sabotage your life…or the promising future you were headed for as an athlete, dancer or performing artist seems to have vanished. You feel lost in an overwhelming sea of emotion..things just aren’t working out…something has got to change.

Relationships are problematic. You’re up late at night researching your partner’s behavior online – learning new terms like narcissist abuse, gaslighting, boundaries, and how to be happy. You fantasize this search will make your partner say, “Thank you for this enlightening information. Now I understand my alcoholic mother and chaotic childhood caused my behavior in relationships.” Realistically, you know that late-night research got you nowhere. You might think, “I will find a therapist and get to the roots of my personality, why I act the way I do, and work on myself.” Unfortunately, this is not likely to happen without a plan.

A life worth living is one that is full of relationships, and commitments that align with and express our personal values; a life of meaning and purpose. For many people with BPD or CPTSD, such a life feels like a fantasy, wholly unattainable and not within grasp. We often simply hope for a life we can survive, getting through day to day, weeks, months, and staying alive and ok. But we can hope for more than that from life. We can recover and heal, and learn about ourselves and what makes us come alive. I’m here to help you navigate overwhelming emotion so you can feel safe and grounded; connect to yourself so you feel powerful.

My therapeutic style is grounded in the belief that authentic relationships are healing. I support people of various ethnic groups, sexual orientations and socioeconomic backgrounds to bring meaning to their lives, connect with their aliveness, and expand their sense of personal choice and freedom. My approach combines gestalt therapy, attachment theory and somatic experiencing. I am also trained in EMDR. For more than a decade I have been providing therapy to teens, adults and couples.