Dual Diagnosis Therapists in Sierra Madre, CA

I am passionate about working with individuals and couples toward the goal of discovering how to access and express our deepest selves and form meaningful connections. I specialize in relationships, addiction and recovery, trauma, body image issues, and transitioning from adolescence into adulthood. I am committed to celebrating LGBTQ and gender variant people and communities and have a particular interest in working with gender variant individuals and their loved ones. I use psychoanalytic and postmodern theories in making links between subject and culture/subculture, always challenging gender stereotypes that keep us limited.

I like helping people find contentment and happiness in their lives. I believe it is important to understand one's self and one's personal values and to make choices that are positive and life-affirming. I have had extensive experience working with people having experienced trauma and loss, relationship problems, and who have substance abuse problems. Creative people are also one of my specializations. My training is primarily psycho-dynamic along with cognitive-behavioral orientation. I believe mindfulness, spirituality and forgiveness are ways of helping alter patterns of behavior that can keep us stuck in our lives.

The circumstances that lead you to looking for a therapist can be overwhelming, and I'm here to partner with you through the pain and uncertainty. Whether it's a child or family member you're concerned about, family conflict, or your own mental health, I can help. I have provided compassionate care for more than twenty years to children and adolescents, families, and adults in both mental health and substance abuse treatment. I've worked in community-based agencies, residential treatment and intensive outpatient programs, mental health administration, and teaching at the graduate level.

Is ongoing daily stress taking its toll at work or home? Does it feel like the most important people in your life can't hear what you want or won't take "no" for an answer? Let's work together to manage stress and take control of emotional reactions and behaviors. When we're angry, hurt, afraid, or nervous we often react in ways that can make an already difficult situation worse. Or, we just freeze and it gets even bigger! It often feels like the more critical the situation, the less effective we are! We can help.

I am a licensed psychologist who works with adults and couples who face either temporary distress in their lives or longstanding problems with depression, anxiety, trauma, or personal/communication difficulties. I also specialize in the treatment of the psychological problems and decisions encountered in infertility and have expertise in helping persons, within their religious framework, resolve negative or traumatic experiences.

I am an out-of-network provider, which means I do not bill insurance companies for my services. For additional billing information please visit my website. I offer psychotherapy for adults, and young adults, who would like to be able to cope more effectively with their emotions and life stresses, heal from difficult experiences, and improve their relationships. Whether you're struggling with depression, overwhelming stress, addiction, relationship problems, life transitions, career direction or you want to work on taking your performance to the next level, we'll work together to explore and address your concerns and challenges.

I believe the relationship between therapist and client is essential in understanding the underlying issues affecting one's obstacles to personal growth and happiness. It is my goal to provide a calm space and safe relationship towards that end. Working with adults, young adults and families for more than 20 years has given me a breadth of experience that I bring to the therapeutic relationship. I have particular experience with early trauma and PTSD; depression/anxiety; life transitions; addiction related symptoms; and, relationship issues.

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.

Whether it is time for you to mend an emotional wound, get relief from anxiety and depression, seek the right relationship, repair the current one, or to create a larger purpose for your life, including a therapist during your journey can help you discover what is possible for you. In addition to his main therapy approaches, Rudy believes that psychotherapy can be vastly improved by integrating deeper exploration into your EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE (EQ): Self-awareness, Self-regulation, Motivation, Empathy, and Social skills. Optimizing these primary components of EQ with your therapist can be a game-changer during your work together.

My mission is to empower those that I work with to have meaningful connections to themselves and the world around them.I specialize in supporting individuals, couples and families who are in transition - specifically, if a family member is in treatment or struggling with abuse, trauma, eating disorders or chemical dependency. It is very important to me that I respect my clients' philosophies, values and goals in therapy. As I work with a family, I'm sensitive to the experience of being invited in and I only offer solutions that fit within the family culture.

The most successful component of therapy is the relationship that you and your therapist will build. And building this relationship in a safe non - judgmental environmental is crucial. I will provide this environment for you, to allow you the freedom to express yourself, thus enhancing your personal growth. I greatly enjoy working with individuals from all walks of life. This includes students, professionals, retirees, parents, unemployed etc. I have also worked closely with undergraduate- and graduate students in both the helping professions as well as the sciences. Let's meet and see if we can work together.

Are you feeling stuck? Maybe you feel stuck in the past or present. Maybe it's hard to feel hopeful about the future. It's easy to become trapped in painful memories and negative experiences. A negative experience could be one life changing event or many smaller events that accumulate over time. I specialize in treating people who have experienced trauma. Trauma takes many forms but always takes a toll. Trauma can make you feel overwhelmed, insecure, and hopeless. Trauma can make you forget who you used to be.

Hey there. I'm Erin. Are you looking for a trustworthy presence to walk alongside you on the path towards change, healing, and purpose? I work with adults and kids whose challenges may relate to anxiety, depression, parenting, identity, trauma, spiritual wounding, and substance use. Are you wanting to develop your coping skills or your ability to experience your emotions? Are you curious about some of your behaviors or choices? Are you hoping to explore where you've been and determine where you're heading in your story? You’re the author. Let’s discover what’s next.

**Telehealth Video sessions are available** Are you having trouble controlling your drinking but feel like "rehab" isn't for you? Have loved ones in your life pleaded with you to stop? Is your alcohol or drug use causing relationship issues? Anxiety problems? I know exactly how your feeling. Alcohol or drug abuse can extremely difficult to manage on your own. For the last 19 years I’ve been helping clients navigate the personal recovery process and the trials and tribulations they come with it. If you are in a place in your life where you are ready to make some needed changes, I can help you be free from the grips of addiction.