Therapists in Long Beach, CA

Everyone deserves the opportunity to live a happy, peaceful and progressive life. I have worked with many diverse populations, I recognize that your circumstances are unique and I can assure you that we'll approach this process in a way that is comfortable as well as incorporates your individuality and your strengths. I am color, race, religion, diagnosis, age and LGBTQ friendly. Whether you're struggling with mood symptoms, anxiety, self-esteem, work/life balance issues, family and "significant other" relationship issues, parenting concerns or something else entirely, we will work together to create realistic goals.

My clients seek out therapy recognizing that they have endured unsafe, harmful, violating, and/or invalidating experiences and are unsure how to navigate their healing journey. I aim to provide LGBTQIA+ BIPoC folx culturally relevant and affirmative mental health services where we may explore how larger systems of oppression have contributed to their distress. As we navigate your healing journey together, you can expect that I will utilize a trauma-focused integrative approach, where we balance fostering insight into how your past influences your present distress and coping.

Everyone in their journey to become whole will get stuck sometimes. By providing a caring, empathic, and person-centered approach, I will help you build skills and strategies to enhance the quality of your life and deepen its meaning. I incorporate a strength-based and solution focused approach which has proven to be effective in helping individuals gain insight into their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. I will teach you self-love and acceptance instead of being harsh on yourself when you experience great pain. You will learn stress management techniques such as mindfulness and cognitive restructuring to reduce your symptoms.

Do you find difficulties with feelings of depression, anxiety, relationship/family problems, and trauma? These emotional disruptions can have a significant impact on our lives. Coping with these events requires various approaches, and I can assist you in recognizing your emotions and identifying possible patterns in your relationships. I can also help you develop resilience and acceptance towards challenging emotions, and support you in setting meaningful goals. I utilize EMDR, CBT, trauma-informed care, mindfulness, & person-centered therapy to reduce anxiety and trauma symptoms, foster resilience, and enhance the quality of life.

Life can feel impossible to avoid struggling and we often don't feel we have the skills to cope successfully through. Unfortunately, sometimes we don't have all the resources we need for a given situation. Parts of us take on desperate roles trying to help us to survive. This might look like anxiety, depression, PTSD, addiction, and relationship/family issues. I aim to help you process unresolved issues and feelings and find solutions.

I have extensive experience working with various evidence-based modalities as well as alternative and somatic therapies. I currently work at Harbor UCLA as a Clinical Director of a Trauma service and as Associate Professor at UCLA, David Geffen School of Medicine. I am Bilingual in Hebrew and English. Areas of specialization: Mood disorders; anxiety disorders; post traumatic stress disorder; life transition and adjustment issues; bereavement and loss; couple and relationship therapy; Family therapy; Parenting strategies; work related stress. I am also available for lectures, and trainings and certifications (Prolonged Exposure)

A warm welcome to my page. I recognize the courage you are showing by exploring options for support. I am interested in the journey that has taken you to this moment, and I will provide a nonjudgmental and collaborative space to explore your story, your feelings, and your hopes for the future. I believe that we are all vulnerable to finding ourselves "stuck" in patterns that don't serve us well. I also believe in every person's ability to lead a fulfilling life and to maintain relationships that are meaningful, safe, and rewarding.

It is very hard to feel safe and grounded in this uncertain world. I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who uses humor and compassion when providing the support, understanding and empathy necessary to help you with your emotions . You may have experienced a sudden career transition , life change. or loss. COVID may be contributing to social anxiety. I can help you master these unwelcome emotions that prevent you from living your best life. Our goal together will be to assist you in obtaining the personal insight, strength and skills to find peace. It's spring, a time for beginnings

Experiencing anxiety, depression, and trauma can be hard to navigate on one’s own. Through the use of integrative modalities, my goal is to help you find your way so that you can manage symptoms, feel your best, discover who you truly are, and move forward in the direction of your dreams whereby your past no longer holds you back. Using warmth and compassion, I also aim to provide trauma-informed care to discuss your struggles without judgment and safely process unresolved trauma and feelings.

If you are near the Southern area of Los Angeles County, you may want to consider psychotherapy or counseling in Long Beach. I work evening hours, as well as day time, and have experience with most mental health needs. I work in Spanish, English, and Portuguese. I have extensive experience with problems in living using Evidence Based Therapy models and Mindfulness with substance abuse, depression, anxiety, as well as major mental illness including schizophrenia, , and other thought disorders. I work with family problems , including sexual dysfunction. Performing psychological assessments are offered when necessary to set new goals.

Throughout our lives, we all have experienced feelings of depression, anxiety, and anger. These emotions leave you feeling insecure, shameful, lonely, unworthy and stuck in unhealthy patterns of behavior. Trauma can have negative emotional and physical effects and can lead to family/relationship issues. I specialize in solution-focused brief therapy, motivational interviewing, mindfulness and CBT. These approaches allow me to work with the client to decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression and other health/behavioral issues.

There comes a time in everyone’s life when they really need someone safe to talk to. They need someone who will not use their pain against them. So often they end up holding that pain inside, masking it with a smile or adherent behavior. I can provide a safe place for you to empty your pain and take off the mask so that your quality of life can improve.

OFFERING VIRTUAL THERAPY. Do you feel inadequate when you are not in a relationship? Have you found yourself chasing after people who have rejected you and try desperately to change their minds. More than once, have you gotten involved with someone who is unable to commit—hoping they will change? Do you tend to take care of the needs of others before you take care of your own needs? You are not alone, and I can help you. I work with individuals, adults and couples experiencing complex life challenges.

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.

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.

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.

I utilize a client centered approach in working with adolescents and adults who struggle with anxiety, depression, grief, relationship issues, and life transitions. In a safe, supportive, and non judgemental space we can explore the negative patterns in your life, work through any barriers, and move towards healing, growth, and change.

Trauma, anxiety, and addiction can make you feel stuck. The most important step towards healing is to address the unresolved emotion inside you. Healing requires feelings. Acceptance slowly dissolves pain. When we function from the fear and scarring of our trauma, the cycles continue until we learn how to transmute that energy into love. I apply a Holistic approach that integrates physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual forms of well-being, addressing the “whole” self. Through a holistic framework tailored to your unique needs, the goal is to support you develop a deeper understanding of the self on all these levels.

We all feel lost from time to time, but there’s always light at the end of the tunnel. I’ve been through my own therapy as a young adult when I was stuck in a bout of anxiety and panic attacks due to childhood trauma. Throughout my years of working with traumatized individuals, I learned first-hand about how childhood trauma can have a strong impact on adulthood. I can help you address unresolved trauma, in order for you to find passion, connection, and purpose in your life.