Therapists in South, Pasadena, CA

Maybe today's struggle feels bigger than your ability to cope. Asking for help may make you feel a little sick, but more of the same just isn't an option. Your self-esteem has bottomed out; a harsh inner critic is running the show. Maybe you’re experiencing grief after a death or the loss of a relationship. You’re getting pushed around by anxiety or depression; you've reached mid-life and are asking, is this it? You’re dating and wondering why nothing seems to work out. Your relationships cause more stress than fulfillment and you want marriage counseling or pre-marital counseling. Whatever the reason, welcome.

Professionals, leaders, high-achieving individuals: You project a persona of “being on top of it, having it all.” You have managed to harness the power of your high intelligence, potential, intensity, and drive. But secretly, the pressure, pace and responsibilities are taking a toll on you. You may also be struggling with loneliness, depression, anxiety, perfectionism, or feel that you are “too much." If you relate to this, I welcome your call. I offer a safe, professional working relationship for you to sort through it all.

It is in our nature to live our lives through stories. Often our stories can become overshadowed by the effects of problems in our lives. Trauma, anxiety, depression and difficult life transitions may have taken you away from what you value most, leaving you feeling overwhelmed, stuck or disconnected. My goal is to honor all parts of your story, providing a compassionate space for you to heal and re-claim your own agency in your life.

Are you tired of being unable to do the things you want to do, but repeatedly do the things you do not want to do? Are your best intentions producing the kind of relational fruit you desire in your relationships? The invisible pain from the emotional, relational, and spiritual realm activates the same region of your brain that is under physical pain. The need for proper attention and treatment for this invisible pain is as urgent and necessary as physical pain. Your pain will be properly metabolized through validation and comfort and ready to be resurrected as wisdom, strength, and compassion

Sometimes we reach a point in our lives where we recognize that the way we've been living is not supportive of the type of life we want to create. Be it struggling with depression, anxiety, life-transition, parenting, relationships, pregnancy, or postpartum, we all need extra support to change, grow, and heal. I help you release old patterns and work through uncomfortable emotions to create more space in your life. By developing a healthier relationship with yourself you will be able to create healthier relationships with others. Together we create resources and tools that will support you as you embody new patterns and choices.

Clients seek me out sometimes years into trying typical CBT/DBT life-skills therapies. They feel they need something more than self-regulation skills to feel understood, desiring to know themselves on a deeper plane of existence. My depth psychology approach is a soulful dive into Psyche: the Jungian unity of unconscious Dreams, Motivators, and Shadow, -married to your consciously-lived life. When unconscious patterns conflict with our known desires, we become stuck, feeling anxiety, depression, disconnected from ourselves and from humanity. Is it time to embark on a different journey of self-discovery? Schedule a free consultation!

I am passionate about helping people live the life they want, and bring my values of honesty, kindness, humor, compassion and "keeping it real" to my practice. Therapy can inspire change, create greater self-awareness and improve the quality of one's life and relationships. I provide a comfortable and collaborative environment in which you can take risks and explore different ways of thinking, feeling and being. My aim is to help you gain clarity about the underlying causes of problems, provide strategies to help you cope and empower you to trust your inner voice and live each day authentically.

Is anxiety, depression, or trauma holding you back from being your true self? Do you feel stuck in managing difficult life transitions? Now, every little thing becomes super overwhelming. Those negative experiences reopen old wounds and cause new ones. You tried burying your pain hoping it would go away. You feel lonely and tormented. You feel exhausted, stressed, and angry all the time. You wonder how much more you can take. You are unsure of who or where to turn for help. In the midst of this painful journey, you do not have to go through it alone.

Do you ever struggle with feeling like you’re not enough? Do you feel like you have to prove yourself? Do you feel stuck and triggered by childhood trauma? The symptoms of trauma include anxiety, depression, high conflict relationships, occupational impairment, addiction, and much more. I believe therapy can help you develop a more self-awareness and actionable plan to alleviate these symptoms. I specialized in working with people who are willing to explore past, present, and future challenges and to find tools for personal growth.

Do you feel anxious due to your work, family issues, low self-esteem, and relationship issues? I can especially help those with anxiety/panic attacks. I make it a priority to help clients with buried feelings who have trouble speaking on their emotions. Communicating emotionally is extremely important to promote well-rounded and mature adults. I will help you enhance your self-awareness around unhelpful thought and behavior patterns and build skills necessary to handle life more effectively and develop actionable steps to reach your goals.

As the Founder and Clinical Director of Oakwood Family Treatment Centers, I have been treating adolescents, young adults and their families for over 30 years as a psychotherapist, clinical director and consultant in both outpatient and residential programs. I treat such disorders as anxiety, trauma, family conflict, drug, alcohol and behavioral addictions, co-dependency, depression, ADHD, self-harming behaviors, and self esteem issues.

Mr. Howard has been empowering people and organizations for over 40 years. He says, " often clients become their own therapist and experience greater meaning and happiness in their lives from working together .” He is in the service of people, inviting volition and the possibility of coming to our senses. Of taking charge of our lives, with awareness of our organism, moment to moment. Sensing our senses, soul and all. The possibility of being open with change right now and making healthier choices. Preventive and recovery practices are encouraged and taught in order to heal from traumas, depression’s and anxieties.

We are constantly in relationship–to ourselves and our bodies, to one another, to our many identities, to the contexts and systems we exist within–and issues in our lives arise as a result of these nuanced relationships, not because something within us is "broken" or "wrong.” My work focuses on being curious about, exploring and renegotiating these relationships to help clients discover their most authentic selves.

I specialize in working with survivors of trauma/CPTSD and LGBTQIA+ folks, as well as folks in the non-monogamy and kink communities. I use a holistic, mind-body approach. As a lifelong dancer, I understand the transformative power of movement and its ability to facilitate healing. In my practice, I draw upon my background as a dance instructor and my research on Dance/Movement Therapy for trauma. I'm comfortable integrating mindfulness and movement into psychotherapy sessions. This means that we can explore different ways of expressing emotions, connecting with your body, and finding new avenues for self-discovery.

Are you living the life you want to live? Or the story someone else wrote for you? The world is so loud. Whether it is society, school, work, family, social media, religion, or friends, there are so many voices telling us how we ‘should’ be. With all that noise, it can be hard to hear our own voice. Living out of alignment with ourselves can lead to feelings of anxiety, loneliness, depression and psychic pain. Our job, together, is to create a calm, safe space where you can tune in to yourself, connect with yourself, learn to accept yourself, and figure out how to live a life that honors your values and the desires of your heart.

Together, we’ll explore patterns that once may have protected you, but now hold you back. With a background in dance and experience working at creative agencies, I particularly enjoy partnering with clients who are willing to use their imaginations to process challenging experiences.

*Accepting new clients. These are really tough times. Uncertainty and shifting social norms are taking a toll on our mental health. Have you been going through the motions only to find that now everything feels intolerable? Are you finding that what has worked in the past isn’t working any more? Do you feel like you just don’t care, or just feel disconnected? I can help. Let's get you to that place where you are enjoying yourself and others, even when life throws you challenges. I work with individuals and couples who want a safe place to get curious, be honest and explore old patterns that are keeping you stuck.

Maybe you feel alone and unable to connect with others. Maybe you find yourself struggling with feelings of overwhelming fear and anxiety. Maybe you are experiencing thoughts and emotions that are difficult to share with friends or family. Often, the initial reason people come into therapy becomes the medium through which deeper spiritual, emotional, or existential deadlocks make themselves known.

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.