Experiential Therapy in Sierra Madre, CA

If you are struggling with mood, anxiety, motivation, energy, sleep, adjusting to a new baby, relationship turbulence, or difficulties at work or school, I may be able to help. I work with a lot of college students, parents, and corporate workers to help bring out our strengths and guide you towards greater alignment within yourself. I have a specialty interest and intensive training experience in prenatal and postpartum mental health. So if you're a new parent, I'd be happy to help you navigate the beginning of parenthood. As a yoga student and teacher, I'm a big fan of using yoga practices to assist with healing.

Hello, my name is Cecelia Pooley Gillespie, LCSW, SEP. I work with all ages, with a recent focus on youth and families, including those in rural and Indigenous communities.. I can help with anxiety, depression, PTSD, stress, parenting, life transitions, and more. My therapeutic approach is strengths based and solution focused. While I find the cognitive and behavioral lens of CBT, DBT and Narrative Therapy to be valuable, I believe it can be important at times to also incorporate Experiential Therapy, such as creativity, movement, and expression, as well as Somatic work for exploring the mind-body connection.

My name is Bayley Dark LCSW 110397, and I have been working with young children and adolescents for the last 4-6 years. My approach to therapy is to provide all my clients a safe space to verbalize their thoughts and feelings without any judgment and to address any concerns or topics that they feel are important to them. Most of my experience is with teenage boys who are within the juvenile justice system and within the child welfare system. The clients I typically see have severe trauma, history of substance use, and severe mental health diagnoses.

Therapy is a very sacred space in which you are trusting another individual with your story and in order to heal, you need to feel safe. I am here to provide you with that space, so that while you have to wear a mask in every other area of your life, while you are in this space, you can remove that mask and be your true authentic self, without judgment. My role is to support you and to assist during your healing process, providing you with what it is that you need. My therapy process is solely tailored to each and every unique individual that I am working with.

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.

I assist individuals in overcoming their inner pain, and learning to face the challenges of life from a place of strength, compassion, and connection. As your ally in healing, I can help you process the emotions, memories and experiences that may underly your current suffering, so that you’re free to feel connected with yourself, with others, and with life. Sometimes past traumas become trapped in our bodies and minds, and we need help to feel safe in ourself and our relationships. My approach is based on these principles: Efficacy (I use Evidence Based modalities), collaboration, individualized care, and warm relational connection.

Do you struggle with feelings of anxiety, depression, guilt, or low self-esteem? Do you find yourself avoiding social engagements or so preoccupied with excessive worrying? Finding ways to navigate these difficult feelings can help you get back on track. I use a psychodynamic approach and CBT that focuses on uncovering patterns of behavior and ways of relating to ourselves and others that are often outside of our awareness. I also consider how our past impacts who we are today. Through acceptance and empathy, we will establish a trusting therapeutic relationship and work together toward your personal growth and self-discovery.

Although it can be challenging to begin therapy, my primary objective is to make it a true collaborative process and to partner with you through every step of that process.

I enjoy working with the client's present day experience while bringing in relevant aspects of one's personal history. I work collaboratively with my clients on re-creating a life of healing and fullness. Therapy might mean working through depression and anxiety, significant events in the past, exploring spiritual meanings, all the while exploring the here-and-now. Having had extensive international experiences, I also actively engage in an intercultural frame and approach in therapy, exploring cultural values and intergenerational issues. Wellness is actively defined by the forces and people that has shaped and continues to shape us.

Sometimes we feel alone and confused in our lives. Our world does not always feel safe to express authentically and be ourselves. Social, environmental, work, and political aspects in our lives are both influential to our well-being and confusing to navigate. I offer a safe container to explore your inner Self and external identity. Whether you are experiencing, traumatic memory, racial or sexual identity oppression, abuse, anxiety, depression, burnout, addiction, helplessness, or relationship stressors, I Can Help you through the darkness at hand. Allow me to be your ally on your mental health journey.

My therapeutic approach mainly focuses on helping my clients identify their strengths to help alleviate anxiety, depression, and trauma. I am a firm believer that our childhood experiences contribute to our beliefs, behavioral patterns, and selecting a romantic partner. Therapy is a process! To allow ourselves to be intimate and vulnerable with someone about our experiences and trauma can be daunting. As a therapist, it is my goal to help validate, create a safe environment and help understand aspects of lived experiences.

Humans are relational beings and relationships play an important role in our everyday lives. When relationships get off track, it can be overwhelming. I work with individuals, couples, and families to help relationships heal. I seek to help individuals, couples and families navigate a wide range of challenges pertaining to relationships. I have an interest in relational concerns around sexual dynamics as well as improving relational vulnerability and connection. I work from both a contextual and systems perspective to honor how an individual's intersections of identity influence how they interact with and are received by the world.

Jacqueline Hong, LMFT124664, has extensive knowledge and experience working with adults with undiagnosed/diagnosed ADHD. I also work with disorders comorbid with ADHD, such as anxiety, panic, and depression with anxious features. My approach to therapy is mainly psychodynamic and relational, but also integrative since the needs of the client are all different. My approach to therapy is integrative. I mainly use psychodynamic and relational approaches. However, I use CBT for initial symptom reduction.

Sometimes there are unforeseen circumstances that lead to difficult roads ahead, and we can feel stuck. What am I doing here? Where am I going? When will this be different? These are just some of the questions that come up when we feel overwhelmed, anxious, or depressed. Sometimes it gets foggy, and we cannot seem to find our way out of the cave. This is where therapy can come in and be transformative. Change is only created when there is acknowledgement of emotions, better understanding, and the process to unlock your full potential.