Therapists in Santa Monica, CA

As a certified psychoanalyst, I specialize in treating teens and adults who struggle with depression; intense anxiety; obsessive-compulsive symptoms including invasive, disturbing thoughts; intolerable, painful emotions; high-conflict relationships; impulsive behaviors including suicidal and self-injurious behavior; substance and/or alcohol abuse; eating disorders, and post-traumatic stress symptoms. Our collaboration strives to help you find internal harmony. My method of investigation of the mind is designed to help you gain clarity in your thinking, achieve emotional containment and experience self-empowerment.

Therapy can be a helpful and beautiful transforming tool. My primary goal is to create a space for you to feel safe to share whatever you need in our sessions. It is your time, and I am here to help guide you and work with you. You are the expert in your story, and together, we will work hard to find solutions and peace. I specialize in working with teens and young adults but have clients of all ages. I also specialize in OCD, trichotillomania (hair-pulling disorder), ADHD, and anxiety. Seeing all clients residing in CA via telehealth.

I am a licensed psychologist primarily serving adults and adolescents who struggle with depression and anxiety; borderline personality disorder; substance and alcohol use; relationship distress; emptiness; intolerable emotions; impulsive behaviors including suicidal and self-injurious behavior; eating concerns; and histories of trauma. My therapeutic approach centers on utilizing Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). DBT was initially developed to treat borderline personality disorder but is now used to effectively treat a broad spectrum of psychological problems by focusing on enhancing the skills necessary to not only cope but thrive in a world full of obstacles.

Living with intense and debilitating feelings may leave you with a sense of overwhelm, hopelessness, and anger. You may have conflicts in your relationships, hold resentments, or try your best to manage with unsuccessful ways of coping. Do you have a hard time feeling safe or heard in your relationships, or trusting your intuition? You deserve a safe and supportive relationship to heal the impact of life. I help highly emotional and high conflict persons manage their intense emotional experiences, understand the causes, and learn alternative ways to cope so they can navigate life and relationships with greater satisfaction.

As a marriage and family therapist, I believe that with a strong therapeutic relationship and using the treatment modalities that best fit your needs you can overcome your struggles and live life to its fullest potential. I am experienced in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy as well as Psychodynamic, Mindfulness and Client-Oriented therapeutic techniques to assist individuals, children, couples, or families to improve their ability to manage stress, depressive symptoms and anxiety, cope with emotional difficulties, relapse prevention issues, develop insight and improve their communications.

I am licensed in CA, TX, HI, and all psypact states. My mission as a clinical psychologist is to help individuals reduce suffering and achieve purpose in their lives. I view therapy as teamwork and am dedicated to collaboratively helping clients reach their goals. I strive to provide evidence-based treatment, rooted in the latest scientific findings, facilitated by a validating and safe space.

You feel broken and unlovable. You feel disconnected from yourself and your life. You have past experiences that you try to forget and you tell yourself that the past does not affect you- but that's not the truth. The truth is, you feel deep pain, hurt, and maybe shame and you are tired of pretending that you're fine. You just wake up and go through the same motions over and over again. Maybe things look great on the outside but on the inside you are struggling to feel anything or you are feeling everything all at once. Let me help you. I will guide you and support you as you process the past so that you can enjoy the present.

I believe that everyone is doing the best they can with the skills they have at the time. If you feel like the ways you are coping aren't working well enough anymore or that difficult emotions are getting in the way, let's talk. As a therapist, I want to meet you where you are and at the same time empower you to make changes that will reduce suffering and increase fulfillment. It is important to me to understand your world and help you create a life worth living. I use a balance of compassionate, nonjudgmental support and straightforward feedback, helping you gain more tools to cope with life on life's terms.

My work as a therapist is dedicated to empowering youth, strengthening families, and navigating life’s challenges together through empathy, connection, and the use of evidence-based practices. I work with children (3+), teens, young adults, and families on their journeys to grow, thrive, and create lasting change. Is your child or teen’s anxiety getting in the way of them completing tasks or going to school? Does your child have trouble expressing their feelings? It is easy to get stuck in survival mode; I enjoy supporting my clients by nurturing the mind-body connection, managing big emotions, and increasing adaptive coping skills.

Psychotherapy is an opportunity to experience an awareness of yourself and the obstacles that hinder your emotional growth and connection to others. In this courageous journey, the match between you and your therapist is essential. I view our work as an important collaborative journey and welcome all of your experiences. We will work together to identify your goals as well engage in a meaningful way in your life. My role is to provide a genuine and safe environment to make life-affirming changes.

Are you a teen or young adult struggling with low self-worth, feeling misunderstood, or experiencing confusion around who you are and where you belong? Furthermore, are you longing for connection and support from others but aren’t really sure what you need or how to even ask for it? If any of these things resonate with you, I’d like to help. Life as an adolescent or young adult can feel extremely overwhelming at times, especially when you are faced with challenges in multiple areas of life; all while trying to explore your identity.

We try to make sense of our lives through telling our stories, but when we are unable to find the words, we express ourselves in other ways, such as in symptoms, dreams, and behaviors that we don't understand. My previous training in fine arts and filmmaking (MFA, USC School of Cinema) make an excellent fit with the type of in-depth therapy I provide. I have a wide range of professional experiences from my private practice, in residential and outpatient clinics, as an adjunct professor of psychology at Antioch University, and as a supervisor training other therapists.

Are you struggling with sexual trauma, a history of childhood abuse, extreme forms of abuse, cult abuse, LGBTQI related issues or needing a therapist whose focus in on empowering you in your life? If so, I am the therapist for you! Feminist Therapist, Board Certified Expert in Treatment of Trauma/PTSD. If life is throwing you a curve ball, let me see if either I or one of the therapists who work with me can help! Special focus in tx sexual trauma & victims of violent crimes. Help with gay/lesbian & transgendered issues. Call me, I can help!

Welcome to my practice. I have been in practice since 2007 and have been featured on ABC, NBC, and KCAL as an expert psychologist. I work primarily with men who have hit “rock bottom” and would like help getting up. These men are often in crisis when we first meet. The issues I address are typically related to unhealthy sexual behaviors, infidelity, financial recklessness, gambling, drugs/alcohol, dishonesty/lying, and relational conflicts. My therapy approach is a combination of psychoanalytic, cognitive-behavioral, and the 12-Step recovery model. I also share insight from my own painful but redemptive recovery journey.

I'm Dr. Dean Leav, licensed psychologist and qualified medical evaluator (QME). I've been featured on ABC, NBC, KCAL, and other programs as an expert psychologist. I provide Evaluation Services, including (and not limited to): diagnostics (ADHD, Autism, Learning Dis.), cognitive/neuropsychological evaluations, workers' compensation (QME/AME), immigration-related evaluations, pre-adoption psychological evaluations, parenting/bonding assessments, drug & alcohol evaluations, pre-employment evaluations, and legal/forensics/criminal evaluations. These evaluations may be used to meet eligibility for certain services or accommodations.

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.

The Malone Collective is a high-end, concierge group practice. We specialize in personalized integrative care, working collaboratively with people struggling with a variety of concerns, including addiction, trauma, depression, anxiety, and dual-diagnosis. We believe people are unique, and therefore, require unique and innovate solutions to their problems. Our programs focus on developing an individually tailored and personalized set of services to meet your unique needs and achieve your goals, which may include individual therapy with a psychologist, acupuncture, family therapy, life coaching, chiropractics, personal training, and more.

Therapy is a platform to identify and nurture your strengths, explore emotionally charged topics, and discover potentials in order to create a strong, loving relationship with yourself. I am certified in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and I work from an integrative framework, combining mindfulness, somatic interventions, and strengths based approaches.

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.