Family Therapy in Pasadena, CA

DIVORCE is devastating. As a skilled and trained Divorce Mediator, I specialize in assisting difficult and litigious couples through the entire process of their divorce. With 3 decades of experience, I mediate spousal and child support, investments, properties and pension funds, along with establishing a careful and appropriate parenting plan. My firm prepares all of the legal documentation. Mediation is one tenth the cost of Litigation. The stress, anger, physical exhaustion and emotional pain of the court system takes an enormous toll on ones life. Research shows that a litigious divorce in the courts creates significantly more trauma in children.

Now accepting new clients for telehealth or outdoor sessions. "Ultimately it is the quality of our relationships that will determine the quality of our lives" - Esther Perel. Our relationships are everything. When our connections with each are not what we hope for, it is natural to feel unsteady in the world or even sad or anxious. We often get in our own way from finding and maintaining our deepest connections with those we love. Looking to our past can give us clues to our future and how to "live our best lives" (I think Oprah coined that one!). I offer telehealth sessions as well as outdoor sessions in a local park TBD.

Life presents us with many difficulties. When things are unsatisfying or overwhelming, our mind naturally responds with emotional distress that might manifest as anxiety, anger, sadness, helplessness or shame. We often find it hard to navigate these feelings because dealing with the sources can be very intense and complicated, especially when we lack support. I'm here to provide a safe and supportive space where you can explore and express yourself freely. Together, we can navigate your difficult experiences, process any unresolved issues, and work toward a better relationship with yourself.

The focus of my work in Marriage and Family Therapy has been to help individuals and families gain greater control over their lives, acquire freedom from areas of trauma and maintain healthy relationships with God and loved ones.

Whether your challenges are recent or longstanding, or you are wanting to improve your mood, relationships, or the ability to cope with complicated emotions I offer an honest perspective and provide additional support that allows you to gain the momentum you are seeking in order to move forward and start healing. Over the last 20 years, I've worked in clinical settings and my private practice with individuals, couples, and families who have come to me with a variety of concerns like relationship and family conflicts, parent/child challenges, trauma, adjustment to phases of life, depression, anxiety, stress, and grief.

Navigating through life’s ups, downs, and curveballs can be stressful and confusing. It’s easy to feel even more discouraged and alone when trying to change these situations. I am here to support you through a collaborative process to find hope and direction in the midst of your emotional struggles. I was born in Taiwan, and have lived in the U.S., Hong Kong, and China for extensive periods of time so am fluent in both English and Mandarin. I especially enjoy working with couples, and individuals on communication improvement, acculturation, interracial marriage issues, and parent-child relationship improvement.

Welcome home to yourself. You are a creative entrepreneur, person of color, neurodivergent and conqueror. You want to obtain inner and outer peace, connect with others in ways that work and stop creating the same negative cycles in relationships. You want to better manage your emotions, be confident in your decision-making and transform the deeper pain which has been troubling you (and possibly generations before you). Pain often indicates the need for our compassionate attention to certain aspects of our inner life which need tending to.

Sometimes we feel lost, angry, or sad about our romantic relationships. I have been using the Gottman Method for couples therapy for 7+ years. This method is based on extensive research on what tools "master couples" use to have successful relationships.

We often go through life transitions unaware of how the past might still have a hold on us. Sometimes we simply need to take a moment to reflect on how experiences and relationships have shaped our perception of ourselves and situations. Processing how past traumas are linked to the present can help us to recover, heal, and to understand how behavior patterns and responses are formed in the first place so that we can change for the better.

I see adults and couples for therapy.

Waitlist for New Clients. Juliana specializes in working with clients struggling with depression, anxiety, ADHD, school and social challenges. She believes that as humans we are wired for connection. We long to experience “The Four S’s,” to feel safe, seen, soothed, and secure. Juliana approaches therapy as an opportunity to support clients in developing strong and compassionate relationships. She uses her intellect, humor, compassion, and sense of play to help clients and their families to develop insight, empathy, and skills to meet their individual goals.

CHANGE! Does something need to change? Are you overwhelmed, sad, anxious, or unsure of what's going on? There's hope! You're already on the right track; hardest step is to admit you need help. All individuals are capable of change and therapy can bring new insight to the changes that you want to see within yourself, relationships and other sectors of your life. I am here to provide you with tools and coping skills to accomplish that change in a safe and relaxing environment set at a comfortable pace to ease the process that can often be difficult.

We are a boutique group practice that prioritizes quality and outcome-based counseling services to individuals, couples, and families. We offer effective, individualized, and quality care. We strive to provide neutral, nonjudgmental, supportive counseling and believe in the journey of healing through therapy. Our expertise in various disciplines makes for a deep and engaging treatment experience that goes beyond intellectual insight. We help our clients reconnect with their inherent strengths & resilience, navigate through life obstacles, conquer their fears, alter self-defeating patterns, and successfully reach their goals.

I love those moments when a client has an “Aha Moment,” saying with raised awareness, “I’ve never thought about it that way before.” Perhaps this moment is in regard to helping heal an emotional wound or recognizing how to overcome a seemingly insurmountable barrier standing in the way of one’s goals. Sometimes clarifying what those goals are, discovering a path toward achieving them, then taking small/realistic steps to do so is what the therapeutic work is about. Healing emotional wounds and uncovering or remembering your strengths will help you clarify and possibly even reach your goals.

I specialize in anxiety, depression, relationship concerns, self-esteem and eating disorders. I try to creates a safe, non-judgmental space for all of my clients. With the right therapeutic relationship everyone at any stage in life can benefit from therapy. I feel therapy can be a great tool to help clients gain insight, heal, motivate change, and grow as a human being. I use a strengths-based and person-centered approach, often drawing from cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, somatic therapy and motivational interviewing techniques.

I am interested in your story - where you have been and hope to go, what you have done and dream of doing, and who you are and have yet to become. My clients are often highly intuitive and high achieving adults, creatives in the art and entertainment industry, helpers, parentified adult children, entrepreneurs, executives, couples, Asian American professionals, and parents. Common issues include: relationship issues with loved ones, dissatisfaction with current life/direction, work/life balance stress, burnout, codependency, self-neglect, complex family dynamics, performance/creative blocks, anxiety, depression, and trauma.

Welcome! My name is Blanca Khalifeh. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. I I have worked with a wide range of populations including children, teens, adults, and families dealing with depression, anxiety, and/or trauma. The clients I have had the pleasure of working with have worked towards living a better quality of life where their symptoms don't dictate their behavior. They have learned how to manage their symptoms in a way where they honor what they are feeling without getting stuck in them.

Are you currently struggling with stress or relationship challenges? Many people struggle balancing the demands of life. It is not easy to ask for help. You don't need to suffer alone. Although you may be going through a hard time, you also are worthy of receiving care. I am here to listen and to assist in strengthening self-esteem and to offer ways to increase self-compassion. I practice with a person-centered approach and have extensive education. I enjoy working with individuals, couples, and families on creating meaningful life experiences and in overcoming difficult challenges.

Let me help you be as successful in your relationships as you are in other areas of your life. This is one of the greatest challenges we will ever face - to achieve intimacy and have self-understanding. I sincerely believe (and see!) the effectiveness of therapy and I love guiding you from trauma to transformation! I appreciate how hard it may be to seek counseling, and, I greatly respect my clients' willingness to sort through the difficulties in their lives in order to develop better insight and achieve the skills to create long-lasting change.