Existential Therapists in Eagle Rock, CA

I believe in working collaboratively with clients and building a therapeutic relationship based on trust, honesty, and openness. I see my role as a curious, caring human being first and a clinician second. I encourage feedback and work diligently to tailor treatment to meet a client's needs, ranging from achieving short term specific goals, symptom reduction, and crisis management to long term growth work focusing on personal development, relationship patterns, and wellness maintenance.

As a warm and curious therapist, I work with you to explore the inner dynamics of your personal story and to instill a renewed sense of hope. We look closely at self limiting patterns of belief and behavior which are often routed in culture and family- of- origin relationships, and we focus in on your strengths and resiliency. In a compassionate environment we address your specific goals and help you rediscover your authentic and vibrant self so that you may connect more deeply with the loved ones in your life, and with the work and activities that give you your sense of life's meaning.

I offer client-centered therapy in Eagle Rock and in Old Town Pasadena. Guiding principles are: that one always remains the expert on one's own life, that people have the internal resources to overcome their "stuck-ness," and that a collaborative therapeutic relationship is the key to encouraging positive change and more meaningful living. While I deal with a wide range of client issues, most of my clients are high-functioning or gifted intellectually and/or artistically. I use Rogerian, Experiential Focusing, Gestault, Attachment Theory, and Existential concepts and methods, working with clients to help them maximize their personal freedom and growth.

I am here to help you embrace your authenticity and find liberation from stories, patterns, habits and ways of being that don't fit who you want to be. I am passionate about working with young adults navigating adulthood and transitioning into life beyond families of origin; folks healing from racial trauma and minority stress; and couples and partners looking for better communication, security, and connection. I am especially drawn to working with LGBTQ+ adolescents and young adults embracing queerness and supporting other white, cis men to cultivate their own vulnerable, feminist masculinity and allyship.

I work with teens, children, and adults struggling with unresolved trauma, relational issues, existential fear, grief, gender dysphoria, self-harm, addiction, anxiety, ADHD, and depression. I work from a psychodynamic lens, which means looking at my client’s past as a means of informing the present and helping them discover the unconscious blind spots that unknowingly contribute to their distress. I am passionate about helping to reconcile past trauma such as abuse, bullying, oppression, and toxic relationships. I also work with families and couples stuck in destructive patterns and having the same fight over and over.

My specialties include anxiety, perfectionism, addiction, spiritual and religious trauma, and creative industry careers. I'm a psychodynamic, existential, and trauma-aware therapist, trained in EMDR (Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) therapy. I also do work with IFS (Internal family systems) and dreams.

TELE-HEALTH AVAILABLE. Relational wellness is a harmony between how one relates to self, others, and the world. Let's work collaboratively to recognize your resources and grow your abilities and uniqueness. I offer openness, enthusiasm, and flexibility in my practice and I look forward to working together.

My priority is to help clients lead a valued, fulfilling life. I work well with creative or insightful individuals who are dealing with anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, or major life decisions or transitions. In addition to working through specific challenges, psychotherapy is an opportunity for you to gain insight into why you act the way you do, explore who you want to be in the world, and better understand what you need in order to thrive. I feel privileged to do this kind of work with people.

I believe that all individuals are their own best experts. Acting as a co-detective and working alongside clients to connect them with the person they want to be has proven to be both effective and inspirational. From anxiety and depression to parenting issues to PTSD, the ability to connect and provide a safe productive place to explore, reflect and dig deep has served my diverse clientele well. I am honored to be let into my clients' worlds and feel lucky to join forces and help forge a path to healing, re-awakening and transformation.

I'm a holistic therapist who is passionate about helping you experience a more meaningful and fulfilling life. Change can be daunting. Feeling overwhelmed or stuck can prevent you from living in greater alignment with your purpose. This can impact your relationships, career, and general sense of well-being. My goal is to create a safe space and help empower you to connect with your own authenticity and meaning so that you can break free from the patterns that are limiting you.

Choosing a therapist is deeply personal and usually comes down to an unexplainable sense or feeling that it's right. Of course it's difficult to develop that sense from a web profile so I provide a free initial consultation to support a more personal and informed process of choosing a therapist. The catalyst for therapy is often a debilitating chronic anxiety or depression that "is not me", or pain in a relationship that we care deeply about, or an addiction that hurts the ones that matter most to us.

Something in your life has become enough of a problem that you are seeking help. When things don't turn out the way you imagined, or you find yourself repeating the same patterns that keep you working against yourself, it is only natural to feel anxious, depressed, and/or overwhelmed. You might feel blindsided by a big life transition, paralyzed by shame or fear, or as if you are constantly fighting an uphill battle. Whatever the issue, you are capable of making change, and I am here to help.

I believe in therapeutic conversation; I am not the 'expert' on your life; you are that expert. My expertise lies in facilitating dialogue that looks at the obstacles currently blocking your preferred vision for your current and future self. My ultimate quarry is change: not just the hoped for differences you may want from your partner, your job, your family, but the changes from within that you must incorporate. The old adage really is true: you can only change yourself. Truly effective therapy happens when you are honestly ready to tackle the person in the mirror.

If you are struggling with anxiety, depression, your past, your present, or your future, you don’t have to do it alone. A shift in perspective can profoundly affect how we feel and what we are able to do, or stop doing, in our lives. Talking with someone who is both objective and 100% on your side can help you see things from a new angle and move forward in new ways, with someone who cares standing behind you.

People often reach out to me because they are feeling stuck, either they have not progressed in therapy or they are looking for something more. If you are going through a difficult time, therapy can offer support, help you overcome obstacles and provide guidance to change your life for the better. I believe that within every individual lies the potential to live a happy, full life. I can help you align your actions with your values. I do what I do because I believe that the therapeutic process can bring about greater self-awareness and authentic, lasting change.

Life is pretty good, so why do you feel so terrible? Muscling through usually works. You’re smart enough to figure it out. Just go a little bit harder and stop complaining so much. But you can’t remember the last time you felt happy. So here you are, hoping therapy can help. Part of you worries that it will be just venting or talking about your mom. Another part tells you that it’s time to try something different. You can’t keep having the same conversation or scrolling through endless internet “self-care” tips. This is bigger than downloading a meditation app. You're ready to stop just going through the motions of your life.

Wouldn't it be great if Life came with a How-To manual? Navigating our time on Earth is best a self-made journey. Through therapy together You can learn to deeply enjoy the experience of Your unique self. In my work with clients I support Your goals according to Your timeline. You and I will work through interventions tailored to Your strengths, gaining the skills to adapt to ever-evolving challenges.

You feel overwhelmed by the pressure to succeed, yet still feel like you're falling behind some invisible measure of "real success." You are over being the giver in your relationships, whether in friendships where you initiate all of the texts or your intimate relationships where you feel more like a manager than a true partner. Your nervous system is spent because you're burned out, but even the thought of downtime gives you guilt. You're ready for something to change on a deeper level so that you can finally understand yourself, accept yourself, and trust yourself, no matter the circumstances.

At times, we may find ourselves struggling with anxieties, insecurities and fear; and in these we can feel stuck and alone as we navigate the hardships that inevitably cross our paths. I strongly believe that insight and awareness are some of the best tools we can possess to create lasting, positive change in our lives. It is my goal to provide a curious, informed space to explore the ways in which culture, family dynamics, and identity influence the ways in which we are able to move through the world.