Beginning therapy can be scary and intimidating, but also hopeful. Discussing your wishes and uncertainties in session can promote clarity and lead to positive changes in thinking and behavior that are necessary to improve circumstances and relationships. Action is required for positive life changes to occur. It isn't always easy figuring out what action to take or what changes to make. Therapy is a safe place to explore these thoughts and feelings. Small shifts can lead to large improvements in mood and relationships. Please reach out with questions or to schedule an initial consultation.

Life is hard enough -- seeking therapy doesn’t have to be. I provide therapy via Telehealth in the comfort of your own space to address challenges and needs in a safe and supportive environment. You deserve to invest one hour a week into your personal growth and life improvements to help life’s challenges - past, present and future. Together, we can investigate what patterns and behaviors have been causing challenges in your life, and work to create healthy habits and make your life easier. I’ve been working with clients for the past twenty years, with individuals as well as families.

I have worked closely with the perinatal community as a prenatal yoga instructor and a postpartum doula. I was also an educator prior to having my own children. I enjoy helping women and families move through major life transitions. As a woman transitions into motherhood, she has specific developmental hurdles such as learning to adapt to a new role and growing comfortable with a shift in her identity. Simultaneously, she is creating a bond with and relentlessly tending to the needs of her infant. Such change and energy consumption can lead to many difficult emotions that need to be processed and normalized for the new mother.

CURRENTLY OFFERING TELE-THERAPY (ZOOM) AND PHONE SESSIONS Do you desire more healthy, functional relationships? Are you tired of feeling overwhelmed or paralyzed by your anxiety? Do you need a safe, non-judgmental place to explore your feelings? Everyone has the capacity for growth and change. As an attuned, skilled, empathetic and psychodynamically oriented therapist, I can help you discover a richer, deeper understanding of yourself and your possibilities while overcoming the obstacles to change.

I am a licensed Clinical Psychologist, Clinical Sex Addiction Therapist - Supervisor, and licensed MFT with a private practice in Santa Monica, California since 1994. I offer interpersonal psychotherapy with individuals, families, and groups as well as psychological testing and assessment. My areas of expertise include: substance and process addictions, trauma/abuse, positive psychology, impaired professionals and first-responders, as well as grief/loss, disfigurement, and cross-cultural issues. I provide traditional, forensic, and pre-employment psychological assessment as well as Collaborative/Therapeutic evaluations.

Self destructive lifestyle patterns? Can't find a meaningful relationship? My emphasis is understanding the underlying causes of your emotional pain, not just the symptoms Through cognitive and insight oriented therapy, we will focus on problems related to your unique life circumstances. For over 20 years, I have worked with individuals who face many challenges including relationship conflicts, anxiety, depression, loss, and work related difficulties. I work with individuals who lack a general life orientation and have trouble determining their own needs. Once you understand the basis of your current life situation, you can turn years of pain into positive change.

Are you suffering from unresolved grief and loss, stress, addiction, anxiety or depression? I can help. I specialize in the treatment of trauma for adults, adolescents and children. We will work together to create a therapeutic space where we can assess your challenges and find creative resolution to your problems. You don't have to do it alone. My approach is to provide a safe nurturing and empathetic environment while supporting you to uncover your own natural resilience. I will help you connect with your innate ability to heal, develop skills to reduce your negative symptoms, and live a full and authentic life.

I love being a therapist and am grateful for the opportunity to connect with clients who are committed to changing and improving their lives. With a blend of cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness, spiritual principles, and psychodynamic therapy, I will actively partner with you to co-create your empowered and authentic self so you can move toward living a deeper, freer, and more actualized life. I collaborate with clients so they can accomplish their goals, find relief, and move toward happier, more fulfilling lives. I focus on helping you gain clarity and finding solutions to your problems.

For over 25 years, Dr. White has maintained a wide-ranging private practice that includes individuals, groups, couples, children and families. Her work draws on developmental and depth psychologies as well as family systems theory. Special interests include couples coping with infertility, parenting, and dreamwork. She often collaborates with colleague and husband Barry Michels--author, along with Dr. Phil Stutz, of the best-selling book The Tools. Parents seeking advice appreciate Dr. White's extensive background in child development. She helps children and families with issues that involve discipline, life transitions and loss such as divorce and death, and academic and social challenges.

Being assertive seems easy in theory. You tell someone what you're thinking, feeling, or wanting. You express yourself in a clear, firm, and respectful way. You set clear physical and emotional boundaries. Unfortunately, if you've experienced childhood trauma, abuse, neglect, or harsh punishment, being assertive can be really difficult. You may fear upsetting other people. You may fear coming across as 'aggressive.' You may have a hard time expressing your thoughts and feelings.

Would you like to experience a positive change in your life and in your relationships? I offer tools which will assist in the process of positive change. I am committed to helping you find greater wellness, clarity and joy. Whether you are looking for relief from suffering of symptoms of depression and anxiety, an enhanced relationship with yourself and others, greater self-awareness, the cultivation of your own voice and authentic self, or you want to move more fully in the direction of your vocational, athletic, or artistic dreams, therapy is a life-changing gift to give yourself.

Therapy is a process of discovery, recovery, and repair. Rooted in evidence-based psychodynamic and cognitive behavioral theories, my approach to therapy focuses on helping clients increase insight and awareness to support lasting positive change. I strive to create a relaxed atmosphere where clients feel supported as they explore and discover their own unique paths to a deeper understanding of themselves and their ways of being. I believe that every person is born with a sacred self, an intuitive knowing of who and how we are.

Let's face it- Whatever you are going through and whatever is bringing you to seek a therapist, it is probably not fun. Whether it is a break up, a divorce, a job loss etc. you have come to the right place. Seeking therapy and gaining self awareness is life changing and can help break old ugly habits. Whether it is a current life crisis or the desire to change old patterns, my style is nurturing, directive and fun. I work with you as a team getting to the core of the problem to help you move forward, and with a fresh perspective.

I work to help you be the best person possible. I empower clients to recognize their choices in life and take advantage of them. I enjoy working with adults, families, and couples, but especially love working with teens/adolescents and parents. I've had success with anxiety, stress, depression, family problems, relationship problems, and work and school issues. I have an eclectic style where I utilize methods that best suit my client's needs. I treat my clients with the utmost respect to create and environment of safety and comfort. My clients grow through the partnership we create together.

I am enthusiastic and passionate about bringing people closest to the most pure and honest versions of themselves through understanding, insight, and acceptance so they have the freedom for connection, enjoyment, and prosperity in a better world. People enjoy my strengths-based approach and I often incorporate therapeutic techniques from interpersonal, family systems, and culturally-informed treatments. Clients find me sincere, attentive, and compassionate and I thoroughly enjoy building a relationship with my clients. Clients often mention that I provide a sense of security for them through my active listening. I mostly work with emerging adults, adults, and elders as individuals, as a couple, or within a family.

I am an Associate MFT with a specialization in Art Therapy. I work collaboratively with clients to support identifying personal values, strength and knowledge to live those values, and re-authoring “stories” they have developed about themselves. In sessions I am warm, casual, and conversational. Clients say they feel safe and open to talking about anything without judgment. I take notes during sessions to help guide identification of patterns and stories, which clients comment makes them feel truly cared about and understood by me. I work mostly with adolescents and adults individually, as well as with families and couples.

I believe that everyone is doing the best they can with the skills they have at the time. If you feel like the ways you are coping aren't working well enough anymore or that difficult emotions are getting in the way, let's talk. As a therapist, I want to meet you where you are and at the same time empower you to make changes that will reduce suffering and increase fulfillment. It is important to me to understand your world and help you create a life worth living. I use a balance of compassionate, nonjudgmental support and straightforward feedback, helping you gain more tools to cope with life on life's terms.

Change – inevitable, inexorable, unavoidable. Change can be scary, disruptive, and messy. Even good, positive, welcome changes mean saying goodbye to the old while preparing for the new and unknown. Change means overcoming challenges, building relationships, developing character, growing professionally and personally, unearthing and integrating parts of oneself previously hidden. We all need compassionate, focused empathy, supportive insight, and unconditional acceptance. Allow me to help you grow through the changes. Let me help you find and express your best self. Let me join you on your journey.

Life can be complicated, overwhelming and unpredictable at times. These pressures and demands can be chaotic and cause one to feel anxious, inadequate, depressed, or stuck. These very feelings can impact our functioning, relationships with others and how we view ourselves. While we cannot change the nature of things, we can change how we react. With practice, we can learn how to manage life’s challenges by developing resilience, and learning healthy coping strategies. Therapy is a gift to the self. When we develop a deeper understanding, we have the power to change, find our voice and not let life just happen.

My main goal as a therapist is to assist you on your journey to feeling more emotionally whole; helping you figure out who you are, offering support as you navigate your current life circumstances and creating the life and relationships you truly want and deserve. I primarily work with teens and adults, and use a direct approach that is both caring and down to earth. We will work together to normalize your human experience, create awareness and insight into aspects of your life you would like to enhance or repair, and develop the essential tools needed to make the behavioral changes you are looking for.