Parent-Child Interaction (PCIT) Therapists in Seal Beach, CA

Is your child controlling your household with their demands, tantrums and power struggles? Are you feeling exhausted, out of control and defeated? Are you embarrassed in public and afraid that people see your child's behavior as your failure? Are you tired of fighting, struggling, and trying so hard, but getting nowhere?

Welcome! I am Maria Elizabeth Padilla, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT). I provide telehealth services in California. I work with children, adolescents, adults, and families. My approach consists of Client-Centered, Family-Centered, and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. I utilize attachment and social learning principles in order to improve the quality of parent-child relationship and decrease disruptive behaviors, focusing on reducing depression. anxiety, and emotional difficulties by utilizing specific skills and techniques to support clients in managing their behaviors.

I specialize in working with individuals and families that have been impacted by foster care, adoption, attachment, and trauma. I am passionate about supporting youth and adults in thriving; including providing parenting support, utilizing strengths, and overall providing a safe place for you to begin your journey. We all are able to heal and thrive through the support of healthy relationships.

I believe change is possible for all individuals willing to seek out support and lean into discomfort. You can do hard things and together we'll come up with a plan to live a more fulfilling life. Sometimes it is easier to stay stuck than it is to put in the work to improve our lives and circumstances. I'm here to assist you in getting unstuck whether it be from dysfunctional relationships, depression, communication issues, or life transitions by exploring our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Hello. While working together, I strive to accomplish significant milestones for your child and family. Some examples of skills learned for a child and their family include fostering independent dressing, facilitating the transition from non-verbal to functional communication with AACD, and addressing self-injurious behaviors like head-banging. We guide children to express distress through alternative means, such as hitting their thighs or stomping their feet. Applying evidence-based ABA techniques has a profound impact, enhancing family communication, refining dressing routines, and offering an alternative behavior to self-injury.

Is your toddler, child, teen or adult family member struggling to thrive due to family dynamics, cultural pressures, or other challenges? I can help you to reconnect and understand your child as well as yourself. A key aspect of my therapeutic approach utilizes insights from my extensive experience with full service partnership (FSP) wraparound programs. This family-based, community-driven model has deepened my understanding of how to address mental health needs through a holistic, culturally-responsive lens.

What is your story? Listening to people’s stories and being a part of their unique journey has always been my passion. The ability to share personal information is not always easy and being open to guidance may not always be natural. I strive to create a supportive environment in which this process becomes more comfortable. My professional experience is centered around working with individuals, children, adolescents and their families.

As a Level 1 trained Gottman Marital Therapist, I help couples strengthen their relationships. Couples learn to replace negative conflict patterns with positive interactions and to repair past hurts. Interventions are designed to increase closeness and intimacy, improve friendship, and deepen their emotional connection. Using primarily a cognitive-behavioral approach, I provide both short and longer term therapy to children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families with a broad range of presenting problems.

Hi! My name is Pooja and I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. My focus lies in helping people understand themselves better and leading them to better health. In my practice I’ve had the privilege to help children, individuals, couples, and families from diverse backgrounds seeking help with a variety of issues such as: day-to-day stress and burnout, mood and anxiety-related concerns, relationship difficulties, complex trauma, behavioral concerns, and life transitions. My commitment involves helping people develop effective coping skills, enhance emotional intelligence, and help build healthier relationships.

I'm so glad you're taking the time to begin your healing journey! Life, and the uncertainty that comes along with it, can be very difficult to navigate. I have the experience and treatment skills necessary to help you achieve a better quality of life. I have helped both children and adults process trauma, and gain effective coping skills for managing anxiety and unwanted thoughts to help them live a more fulfilling life. Our work together will help you gain clarity on how to navigate the problems you are facing by providing you with a safe environment as you begin your journey toward healing.

Frustrated with your: relationship? sex life? child? I am trained in 2nd level, Gottman Method, a specialty that started with couples. John Gottman, the author of, "7 Principles of Marriage," is known for predicting divorce with 90% accuracy, has been influential over my career. The Gottman Method has transformed my practice to focusing on couples, parenting, and children. If you're looking for guidance through a challenging situation with your children, partner or anyone else, I look forward to working with you to accomplish your goals.

Life can get complicated and there is no handbook on how to handle things like depression, anxiety, addiction and relationship problems. It is important to know two things: 1. you are not alone, 2. challenges are always opportunities to grow and change your life. You are probably here because it's time to "do something different." Let us help guide you through this journey!