Attachment-based Therapists in Santa Monica, CA

The foundation of our programming is our team of compassionate and highly experienced behavioral healthcare professionals. The Newport staff is comprised of the best mental health leaders in the country, surrounding each client with 360-degree care. Because Newport’s philosophy of care views family as central to long-term, sustainable healing, the groundbreaking Attachment-Based Family Therapy (ABFT) methodology is also a central component of our approach. ABFT is proven to be successful in addressing adolescent and young adult suicidality by repairing ruptures in the parent-child relationship.

Yelena Kashtuyeva has extensive experience treating depression, anxiety, trauma, and substance use. Her specialties include panic attacks, complex trauma, recurrent relapses, and eating disorders. Yelena integrates attachment-based approaches with other treatments and offers ways to take what's learned in therapy into one's life.

Do you feel stuck in patterns of relationship stress, anxious thoughts, or disordered eating? Do you feel unsafe in your body due to trauma or chronic illness? I use Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Somatic Therapy to help clients get unstuck and reconnect to the wisdom and safety of their body. I use a trauma-informed, attachment-based approach to help clients identify their unhelpful narratives, challenge them, and take healthy risks. If you are ready to go deeper than traditional talk therapy and crave a healing connection with your mind, body, and spirit, I am here to help.

I am a practical clinician who draws from an array of psychological approaches to assist my patients in achieving their goals. In addition to being practical, my therapeutic approach is aimed at understanding and integrating the dissonant thoughts and feelings at the core of most problems. I employ a focused and systematic method to identify the barriers to an individual's development and bring about change through an understanding and relinquishing of old models of coping. I am also able to utilize psychological measures of personality and aptitude to assist my clients in making decisions about their treatment and goals.

Are you looking to remove the obstacles that stand in the way of achieving well-being and live your most authentic and connected life? In the work with clients, it is my job to support you through a supportive therapeutic relationship. Whether you are coming in to process a relationship, attachment trauma, increased anxiety or depression or struggling with life transitions, I am here to help provide you with a safe space to reach your goals.

Dr. Smith's genuine, grounded and integrated therapeutic approach allows for a connection to her clients where through modalities such as EMDR, IFS (parts work), and attachment-based talk therapy, there is a focus on insight shifting to somatic integration and actionable change, discovering and healing the core self, learning to regulate emotion and express needs in healthy ways, adapting internal dialogue, core beliefs, and reinforcing coping resources. Dr. Smith believes in building an authentic therapeutic relationship based on respect, empathy, challenge and change while creating a renewed sense of self, empowerment and hope.

Are you struggling with behavior patterns that no longer serve you? Are feelings of stress and anxiety overwhelming you? Are you immersed in persistent negative thoughts? Let’s collaborate to ease these obstacles, and help you move towards well-being, calm, and more fulfillment.

Karina is a bilingual Spanish-speaking associate marriage and family therapist in Santa Monica, California, specializing in child development, including work with at-risk youth, neurodivergent disorders, and developmental delays. Working from an attachment-based lens, Karina is passionate about supporting families and children experiencing conflict and a variety of stressors, including high conflict family dynamics. Karina has a strong appreciation for the relationship between the body and the brain, thus integrating mindfulness, self-regulation, and other somatic-based modalities into her work.

I strive to help people become their own authority, which may have been compromised by unhealthy relationships, substance abuse, depression, and anxiety. I focus on the individual's relationship with themselves, fostering an understanding and compassion towards personal strengths and vulnerabilities. I believe it is imperative to address underlying issues with out judgment or shame, so that we can heal parts of the self that are no longer serving us. My clinical training is in psychodynamic therapy, and I tend to gravitate towards an attachment based and humanistic approach.

I currently see adolescents, adults, parents, and couples in private practice specializing in psychotherapy. I work from a contemporary psychodynamic/attachment based model. I seek to create an emphathic environment to help clients feel understood, while also challenging them to go to greater depths by confronting self-defeating or growth inhibiting patterns of relating to self and others.

I work with children and teens of all ages, and specialize in working with “littles” (ages 0-5), with extensive training in early childhood mental health. I specialize in helping children cope with anxiety, depression, trauma, and difficult life transitions, and often take a cognitive-behavioral approach to teach adaptive coping skills to help kids manage challenges. I approach my work with children by viewing them in the context of the whole family, using a family-systems lens and attachment-based approach to strengthen family relationships and to support parents in developing tools to feel equipped to manage behavioral challenges.

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT) with certification from the International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals (IITAP). After graduating from UCLA with a degree in Sociology, concentrating in Conversational Analysis, I earned my Master's in Social Work from USC, concentrating in Business and Social Work in Global Communities. Prior to becoming Clinical Director at Center for Sexual Integrity, I served as the Associate Clinical Director at Center for Healthy Sex, working closely with one of the most respected authorities in the field, Dr. Alexandra Katehakis.

At times life can feel challenging. Navigating relationships, work, family, or just day to day tasks can sometimes feel overwhelming and disheartening. It takes courage to reflect on ourselves, our experiences, and our life choices. I commend you for taking this step.

I believe that the relationship that you have with your therapist is essential for change. Finding a good fit can be hard, but I'm here to help you through that process. We will work together to help you better understand yourself so you can see things more clearly and uncover opportunities to move through challenges, conflicts, trauma, and anxiety. Gaining insight into how the patterns from your past impact your daily experience is an important tool for meaningful change. Together, we will collaborate to identify and resolve challenges, and deepen awareness so you can move forward to your best self.

Navigating overwhelming emotions and life's stressors can be a difficult process. Whether it's your past keeping you from being in the present moment or struggling with a sense of worthiness and belonging, you don't have to do it alone. I work collaboratively with clients to create goals, identify triggers, and address behavior patterns. There is strength in seeking support to build coping skills and resilience to thrive and enjoy life.

Are you a driven person yet having difficulties managing your relationships, work stress, and family life? Are you feeling anxious or depressed? Do you need help getting through a traumatic event? Are you feeling like you’ve exhausted all your coping skills and nothing seems to work? From a trauma informed and attachment-based lens we will explore your core issues and help you improve your mental health and emotional well-being. You can heal from past trauma, learn to regulate your emotions, lift your mood, and communicate effectively. Together we'll work through unresolved feelings and patterns to live a more authentic life now.

Are you struggling to focus? Do you feel emotionally drained, insecure, or stuck in people-pleasing? Does conflict feel uncomfortable or scary? Do you fall into patterns in relationships, friendships, or career and wish you could break the cycle? Sometimes, it isn't obvious why we do the things we do, but we can sense we're not our most authentic or successful self. And even when we know the cause of our distress, changing our behavior can still be hard. That's where I come in. My job is to listen without judgment, pressure, or bias and help you examine the root causes of your challenges to create the change you want in your life.

Have you noticed that it's in the places you are supposed to be most relaxed (meditation, vacation, weekends, sleep) that your mind feels louder than ever? It might feel like the idea of letting your thoughts go is meant for “normal” people and that does not include you. Maybe you stand guard to keep yourself from your worst case, as if your attention to your thoughts keeps you from descending into unimaginable fear. All the advice you get from those closest to you feels so out of touch with the agony of daily doubts around the things that matter most. I can help you sift through the noise and regain your confidence in yourself.

Welcome, and thank you for clicking on my profile. You would probably like to know a little about me and how we might work together. I am a psychotherapist who is passionate about my work and whose interest lies in developing rapport and trust through active listening, respect, and creating an environment where you feel safe to share your thoughts and feelings. My approach is multidisciplinary, eclectic and highly interactive. My demeanor has been described as warm, accepting, non-judgmental, and compassionate. Together we will identify your concerns, what you hope to accomplish and build strategies for leading a happier life.