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barbjlcsw@gmail.com | 310-361-2409

Services

Individual Therapy Couples Counseling EMDR

Individual Therapy

If you are anxious, stressed out, feeling controlled by others, feel depressed, trapped by negative self-talk, are grief-stricken, or stuck in unfulfilling relationships, therapy can help you explore your perspective of life, uncover your unique strengths, have more control of your emotions, create healthy boundaries and help you move closer towards the life you want.

Common issues I have experience in:

  • Low self-esteem and feelings of inadequacy
  • Addiction
  • Depression, anxiety, feelings of guilt and shame
  • Experiences of loss and grief
  • Emotional regulation and coping skills
  • Life transition such as parenting, dealing with aging parents, retirement, divorce
  • Past traumas – sexual abuse, psychological and verbal abuse, neglect, sexual assault
  • Stressful work environment/burnout and work/life balance

Couples Counseling

We long for connection and relationships. Intimate relationships can bring fulfillment to our lives and other times they can be challenging and draining.

If you are experiencing increasing conflicts, find you are not communicating well, are having trouble respecting differences, have blended family challenges, have parenting challenges, are recovering from an affair, couples therapy can help provide support, communication tools and help for rebuilding trust and security in your relationship to bring you closer together.

Each partner has their unique perspective about the problem and the relationship, and I will ensure that both partners feel heard and understood. When working with couples, I often see them stuck in interaction patterns that seem difficult to change. The goal of  couples counseling is to help identify ineffective communication patterns, and learn ways to improve connection, emotional and sexual intimacy, and satisfaction.

Common couples issues I have experience in:

  • Communication breakdown; communication gridlock
  • Improving emotional and physical intimacy
  • Control and equality issues
  • Rebuilding trust after an affair more.

EMDR

Patterns of thought can influence the way we behave. When those patterns are bad for us, we repeat the same behaviors over and over, despite their poor results in the past. We may not even notice when we fall into these self-destructive, negative patterns. Changing those patterns can be difficult to do on your own.

For trauma to heal, we often have to face the past. But how do we face the past without reliving the pain? EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) offers a way. By stimulating both sides of your brain, EMDR allows you to work through trauma without  re-experiencing pain. EMDR provides the ability to process painful emotions and memories, and use them to gain a new perspective on your life.