Therapists in Westlake Village, CA

INVEST in yourself! My passion is walking with people through life's victories and difficulties. With a combined 25 years of pastoral counseling and clinical experience, I take a holistic, collaborative, and strength-based approach to counseling. I believe everyone can change and grow.

I specialize in treating treating high achieving individuals & couples, with perfectionist tendencies. My priority is your emotional safety. Non judgmental support allows for your sharing openly and honestly. The need to "be right" can be unconscious, & you may be hurting those you love. My skilled intuition, and 25+ yrs. of clinical success, knows hope is available for the motivated and committed recovering anxious, obsessive, & over analyzing adult. Our trusting relationship inspires you to reflect upon your life/relationship goals; together we explore, & honestly challenge: "Do I want to be right?" Or, do I want to be loved?"

Is anxiety, depression, or trauma holding you back from being your true self? Do you feel stuck in managing difficult life transitions? Now, every little thing becomes super overwhelming. Those negative experiences reopen old wounds and cause new ones. You tried burying your pain hoping it would go away. You feel lonely and tormented. You feel exhausted, stressed, and angry all the time. You wonder how much more you can take. You are unsure of who or where to turn for help. In the midst of this painful journey, you do not have to go through it alone.

My name is Alan Schweizer and I am Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in CA and PA. The focus of my practice is to help clients to identify and overcome the barriers in their personal lives and relationships needed to experience more happiness. In helping you I use evidence-based practices such as Integrative and Systemic Psychology, Cognitive Behavioral, Family Systems, Existential, Emotion Focused, Mindfulness, and Mind-Body practices that are action-oriented and according to your specific needs.

Release anxiety, depression, stress, and traumas through Neurologically based healing techniques, that quickly restore you to explore your potential. I am a certified Brainspotting and Mindfulness expert who will help you set goals based on your personality type to release trauma integrating Art, Guided Imagery, Somatic, Mindfulness, SandTray, Psychodynamic, and Cognitive Behavioral techniques. Together we will choose from a combination of techniques that will release negative experiences and help you rebuild positive goals for your future! Experience true joy and love aligning your mind, body, spirit, and soul for purpose.

A successful counseling experience begins with a strong client/therapist rapport. As you consider your many highly-qualified options, look for professionals who specialize in your area of need and share your passion for growth. With an emphasis on high-conflict marital therapy, my expertise lies in helping clients develop crucial life-enhancement skills (e.g.-communication/conflict resolution/anger management) and a healthy sense of self. Using a variety of approaches, we will work together to build on strengths to maximize growth by learning and adapting more productive inter-relational methods, resulting in greater relationship satisfaction.

Is anxiety, depression, or trauma holding you back from being your true self? Do you feel stuck in managing difficult life transitions? Now, every little thing becomes super overwhelming. Those negative experiences reopen old wounds and cause new ones. You tried burying your pain hoping it would go away. You feel lonely and tormented. You feel exhausted, stressed, and angry all the time. You wonder how much more you can take. You are unsure of who or where to turn for help. In the midst of this painful journey, you do not have to go through it alone.

I am passionate about working with teens and adults to help navigate those challenges and guide you on that journey. I got into this work because I believe everyone deserves a safe space in which they can navigate their inner and outer worlds, overcome barriers, and be heard and valued. I believe by offering unconditional acceptance and empathetic listening, I can help you find your unique strengths which can move you towards healing and growth.

Relationships are an essential component of life, yet the fact remains that they can get complicated. Whether it is a relationship with yourself, your partner, work, or family, therapy can be the catalyst to moving from complication to cultivation. Certainly time will pass, as it does, allow it to find you in better relationship with yourself and those in your life. Whether you are managing a life transition/adjustment, relationship trauma, marriage plateau, or family and life distress, you are welcome here.

As a therapist, I value and create a safe, nurturing, and empathic environment for individuals, couples, and families to explore underlying issues to relationship problems, depression, anxiety, grief and loss, and addictions. I am trained & certified in EMDR, which helps a person to quickly move through recent and past trauma and successfully overcome symptoms related to PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). We'll work together to help you find a healthy balance between body, mind, and emotions that allow for success in relationships and work, self-empowerment, and to live a life full of hope, meaning, and purpose.

I provide clients with real life tools and aid them in developing effective strategies to cope with life issues. I view therapy as a collaborative effort to understand problems and conflicts, identify realistic goals and take advantage of strengths and strategies that promote change. While the focus is often on current issues, understanding the influence of past experiences and relationships is an important part of the process. I motivate, encourage and support my clients to make choices that improve their lives, relationships and overall well being.

Welcome! We are a team of psychotherapist who are united in our commitment to providing the highest-quality mental health care available to adults, adolescents, couples & families. We help high-functioning professionals, anxious overachievers, survivors of abuse, complex trauma and PTSD. Anger, numbness, relationship issues, anxiety, depression, phobias and addictions are usually the result of unresolved trauma. Even the slightest incidents can be traumatizing, impacting us from the inside out and hijacking our ability to cope. The good news is, you can’t change your past, but you don’t have to live there.

In my 30 years of personal and professional development, I have created a unique approach to bring hope and strength, healing and transformation to those who are ready. It is my honor to provide and hold space for you as I offer assistance with your empowerment, acceptance, trust, forgiveness and gratitude. My philosophy is based on healing relationship within Self, with others and with the world. Our time together is precious and I will share with you mindful and compassionate practices and share the value of authenticity, and presence.

At The Retreat Counseling Center, we provide therapy, counseling, and coaching services to Orange County's busy professionals and their families. Chances are, since you've landed on this webpage, some things in your life may not be working well. Maybe you're on the edge of a divorce? Or maybe your job is in jeopardy. Or maybe you just feel a bit lost with what you feel you're supposed to do next in life. And maybe because of reasons such as this and more, you're feeling more anxious and less happy than before. This is tough stuff, but we're glad you've landed here. We want to help.

The healing process begins with choosing a therapist with whom you are comfortable. You may be overwhelmed by trying to manage problems, conflicts, personal performance, or transitions in your life, and find that the support of family and friends is not sufficient. My approach as a therapist is to provide a safe, supportive, and confidential environment, and to partner with my clients to not only alleviate the presenting symptoms, but also their underlying causes.