Relational Therapists in Highland Park, CA

Are you struggling with anxiety or sadness related to painful relational patterns? Do you feel that you are constantly striving for "better" and "more" in most aspects of your life, but often feel unworthy or not enough? Do you find that people pleasing depletes you and leaves you feeling burnt out? Many of these patterns are examples of relational coping styles that we adopted in early childhood as a way of dealing with our family systems. These coping skills were helpful when we were children, but usually become frustrating stuck points in adulthood.

Have you felt broken? Or like you're "too much" for other people? Do you have a history of choosing people romantically or in friendships who just aren't the right fit? Did you have a traumatic or chaotic childhood filled with fear, loneliness, an overwhelm? If so - please know, you are not alone - you are welcome here! It is possible to find self-acceptance and healing, identify your wants and needs, learn how to set healthy boundaries, develop the capacity to communicate compassionately and directly. And most of all live a free and vibrant life! Please be in touch to set up a free phone call and we can talk about this together.

Hello and thanks for stopping by my profile! I am EMDR trained and my expertise includes working with eating disorders, anxiety, body image, self-worth, life transitions, relationships, depression and grief. I believe in culturally attuned therapy, tailoring it to your unique experience and needs.

Hello! I’m Kate, a collaborative, relational, trauma-informed, and LGBTQ+ affirmative therapist. For 10+ years now, I’ve aimed to provide a safe, empowering space where we can slow down & untangle all the messiness of being a human. My hope is always for my clients come away with a greater sense of knowing themselves, more personal agency, & confidence that they can navigate the inevitable challenges of their future. I strive to embody a lens that is feminist, anti-racist & anti-oppressive in this work. My training includes Hakomi Mindful Somatic Therapy, Attachment-Focused EMDR & Emotionally-Focused Couples Therapy.

Life is complicated, and often very difficult. My goal is to help you deal with that. Relationships are so important to us, yet they’re the hardest thing we do. Sometimes the people that love us most, hurt us most.

There are infinite reasons we seek therapy. You may find yourself disconnected from your relationships and exhausted by not feeling understood. You may feel pressure to be a perfect person, partner and parent, or struggling to name your feelings or needs in your relationships. I strive to co-create an attuned, safe space and our collaboration will center around your hopes, goals, and intersectional identities. When we allow the unfolding of emotional experiences, it can lead us to the emergence of a deeper understanding of yourself, self-acceptance, and connecting to the power and participation you have in relationships.

Accepting New Clients. As an integrative and holistic therapist, I use shadow aspects of the individual and collective as tools for growth and understanding. I believe genuine healing comes from mindful awareness (being present to the experience of living), honoring emotions, cultural awareness, and curiosity. Relational approaches are at the foundation of my work, along with Depth Psychology (exploring how the unconscious shapes our thoughts and actions). When serviceable to explore, art and somatic based practices can be used, as these approaches offer rich sources of integration for artists and those in the healing profession.

Being human isn’t easy. It can be awkward, scary, beautiful, exciting, and completely bewildering. Seeking help for your humanness is brave. Therapy can provide a safe environment to challenge lifelong patterns, address old wounds and traumas, and develop a deeper understanding of yourself. It can also help undo old wiring and unhelpful narratives so that you can create better habits, communication skills, and behaviors. Through a relational, direct, and compassionate approach, I treat individuals, couples, and families who want to find more joy, create better relationships, "update their software," and live more authentically.

Sometimes it feels as though the wounds we experienced in our early lives have control over our well-being and emotions in the present. These wounded places, which often show up in our relationships can be healed and repaired. I'm here to help you untangle those past hurts, to connect more deeply with yourself and in turn with your partner. Relationships are one of the most vital and potentially rewarding ways in which we can feel both secure and alive, which is why I’m interested in helping to guide you through the work of building healthy relationships and giving you the tools to learn how to be your true and most authentic self.

You are ready to feel better and are looking for the right therapist to join you in your time of change. As your therapist, I will welcome you during this time with warmth and curiosity. My goal is to provide a collaborative, relational, and honest space where we can explore your internal landscape, gain insight into your patterns, and find new ways of being. I am a fit for adults seeking individual or couple therapy for a number of issues including major life transitions, managing complex intimate and familial relationships, heartbreak, trauma, anxiety, LGBTQ+ issues, and depression. I am an affinity therapist for LGBTQ+ folks.

You feel anxious, stuck, and often made to feel out of control by your own thoughts and fears. Whether you have OCD, are struggling with perinatal or postpartum issues, are in transition, or have a history of trauma, you are tired of letting your fears and doubts run your life and relationships. You're discouraged from continuing toward your dreams. You want nothing more than to feel confident in yourself and live a life aligned with your values, but you are not sure where to start or worry about finding someone who will actually hear you. You've come to the right place, I'm here to work collaboratively with you and really listen.

Do you always feel preoccupied about something? Do you overthink everything? Is it hard for you to make a decision because you are filled with doubt or you imagine every possible outcome? Are you often easily overwhelmed, finding it hard to shut off your brain at night or when you need to really focus on a task? Does one little thing going wrong ruin your whole day? Are your emotions getting in the way of you building the life you want? Maybe they're even preventing you from being present with your friends and family, leaving you feeling alone.

Are past traumatic experiences, being an adult child of a dysfunctional home, incest survival experiences, addiction issues, phobia, panic, anxiety, C-PTSD or depression affecting your success? Are distractions impacting your optimal performance abilities at work, in your intimate relationships, or in relationships with family members or with yourself? Are you surviving instead of thriving? I provide accelerated psychotherapy for individuals and couples who are challenged by performance loss and emotional unhappiness. Also offer Diagnosis evaluation for addiction, mood, personality, and adult Autism spectrum. HSP and Kink friendly.

A native Angeleno, Laura believes that healing emerges through intentional everyday practices that transform into rituals of self-care. Using an intersectional and strength-based framework Laura approaches therapy as a collaborative process to navigate the complexities of the individual lived experience and interpersonal relationships. She supports and identifies the strengths and internal resources clients are inherently born with and promotes the connection to self and community. She has been successful in helping professionals, artists, and creative individuals to create healthier relationships with their inner and outer worlds.

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.

Finding the right therapist from a website is difficult, which is why I offer phone or in-person consultations. It takes courage to address challenges such as relationships, personal problems, or general unhappiness. Your success in treatment will depend on your readiness to open up and my authentic presence that will help create a safe space for you. Together we will work on identifying, experiencing and expanding your capacity to tolerate all ranges of feelings. You will become more conscious of your limiting patterns while developing healthy ones as your sense of a genuine and stronger self emerges.

If you've become lost amongst obstacles on your journey, I'd like to help guide you to more happiness by offering suggestions, uncovering unwanted patterns, and leading you from the past to the present in order to heal and evolve, enhancing your happiness. Through changes in perceptions/attitudes and being willing to see situations with a new pair of glasses, you can reach your goals and evolve. My clients report that they enjoy my down-to-earth attitude and humor and my use of Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, TRM, meditation and yoga to treat mind-body symptoms. I work best with clients who are motivated to gain self-awareness and see patterns that are no longer serving them. I give homework between sessions in order to keep the continuity of healing working consistently. I feel very blessed to be working in a field that serves people who are finding their best selves and evolving into the people they want to be.

Adult children of narcissists and emotionally immature parents often find their way to therapy at some point in life seeking to understand why they feel depressed and anxious. I specialize in the impact these early relationships have on our adult lives. You may have developed heightened empathy either as a response to your upbringing or as one of the 20% of the population who identify as a Highly Sensitive Person. Either way our work together aims to alleviate your confusion and suffering, heal past trauma and restore your connection to yourself and others.

Does it ever seem like you should be doing better than you are? Does it seem like everything in your life looks great on paper- and yet you can't seem to feel good? Believe me, I've been there. It can be so much easier to sort out the external parts of your life than to look inside yourself to figure out what's keeping you frustrated.