Integrative Psychotherapy and Somatic Experiencing in Los Angeles

Individual and Couples Therapy in Los Angeles

It’s my firm belief that positive therapeutic outcomes are predicated on the client-therapist relationship. To feel seen, heard, accepted, and safe to speak freely without judgment by your therapist is critical — and it’s the keystone of my practice.


My approach to therapy is integrative and multi-faceted. What works for one client may not work for another. Our initial sessions are an opportunity for me to get to know you and determine which therapeutic approaches and modalities will best serve your individual needs and desired outcomes. 


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I help clients who want to go deeper intellectually, emotionally, and somatically to resolve a variety of challenges including:

  • Grief

  • Loss

  • Relationship issues/patterns

  • Self-doubt and insecurity

  • Greater self-awareness and becoming more embodied

  • Life transitions

  • Codependency

  • Loss of identity

  • Women’s issues

Individualized Treatment Plans —

Psychotherapy, Somatic Experiencing, and Working With the Unconscious

Specialties

  • Psychodynamic therapy is an innovative approach that aims to identify the way that your emotions, thoughts, and choices are impacted by unconscious processes. Oftentimes themes, patterns, behaviors, and negative beliefs show up in your life today but originated from somewhere in the past.

    It’s not uncommon for these factors to operate beneath your ordinary awareness. Identifying them, and tying them back to the core wound where they originated can generate awareness and insight, creating space to make intentional decisions rather than continuing to default to unconscious programs.

  • Jungian psychology, developed by Carl Gustav Jung, is an in-depth, analytical form of talk therapy. It’s noted for its focus on the journey toward personal wholeness by integrating the conscious and unconscious parts of the mind and developing a deeper understanding of the self.

    Using methods like dreamwork, art therapy, symbolism, and myths, you can cultivate insights to connect your individual experiences to broader, archetypal stories — helping you make meaning of aspects of yourself (and your life experience) that may seem unrelated without deeper inquiry.

    Jungian psychology uniquely incorporates spiritual, existential, and mythological dimensions into its understanding of the psyche, viewing these elements as central to psychological health and personal development.

  • Couples can face a myriad of challenges throughout the course of their relationship. Lack of trust, recurring conflicts, breakdowns in communication, and feelings of disconnection to name a few.

    The ways that people show up in adult relationships are often influenced by early attachment experiences with primary caregivers.

    Things like:

    • People pleasing

    • Difficulty reciprocating

    • Inability to communicate openly

    • Blocks to intimacy

    • Imbalances in various aspects of the relationship

    Using attachment theory and relational therapy, I work with couples to identify how learned patterns, behaviors, and defense mechanisms are negatively impacting your relationship. Connecting them to their childhood origins can provide incredible insights and understanding between you and your partner — strengthening your bond as you learn tools to improve your relationship.

  • EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a therapeutic technique aimed at reducing the distress linked to traumatic memories. It operates on the principle that psychological distress frequently stems from disturbing life experiences that the brain and nervous system have failed to fully process.

    Research has shown that EMDR can be very effective in treating trauma, particularly PTSD. The technique facilitates the reprocessing of traumatic memories to diminish the distress they cause and increase overall emotional wellbeing.

  • Somatic Experiencing (SE™) is a therapeutic approach designed to help release and resolve stress, shock, and trauma that are physically held within the body. Developed by Dr. Peter A. Levine over the course of more than forty years, this body-oriented method is rooted in various disciplines including physiology, psychology, ethology, biology, neuroscience, indigenous healing practices, and medical biophysics.

    SE™ focuses on completing unresolved motor responses and releasing trapped survival energy, which are often the underlying causes of trauma symptoms. It specifically aids in moving past the physiological states of fight, flight, or freeze by providing clinical tools to address and heal these responses. This approach is particularly effective for treating PTSD and emotional as well as early developmental attachment traumas, offering a robust framework for recognizing and resolving fixated physiological states.

The benefits of incorporating the intelligence of the body in treatment using Somatic Experiencing 

Traditional psychotherapy often focuses solely on the mind, but the body plays a crucial role in healing. Many clients I work with in Pasadena have deep insights into their struggles but still feel stuck because past trauma is held in the body. Until the nervous system processes these experiences, it remains trapped in a fight, flight, or freeze response, making it hard to achieve lasting change.

Somatic Experiencing is a body-based therapy that helps shift the nervous system from survival mode to balance, enabling deeper healing. It’s especially effective for addressing unresolved trauma, anxiety, chronic stress, and emotional overwhelm. Simple techniques like body scans, intentional breathing, and tension-release exercises can produce noticeable improvements in mood and stress levels.

You may benefit from Somatic Experiencing if you’ve experienced trauma, loss, anxiety, or feel disconnected from yourself or others. I offer Somatic Experiencing Therapy alongside traditional psychotherapy, tailoring the approach to your unique needs. Whether you're new to body-based therapy or looking for gentle, gradual techniques, I’m here to support you at your own pace.

You may benefit from Somatic Experiencing Therapy if you…

  • Experienced a traumatic event 

  • Grew up in an unstable environment where you didn’t feel safe 

  • Feel deep grief from the loss of a loved one 

  • Struggle with anxiety and overwhelm 

  • Feel disconnected from yourself and others

  • Deal with chronic stress in your day-to-day life.

Many clients come to me specifically seeking Somatic Experiencing Therapy because they know the body is the missing piece in their efforts to find a sense of wholeness and be fully present in their lives. 

However, some clients aren’t interested in somatic therapy and others are open but need to go at a slow pace in learning how to be with the sometimes difficult feelings that arise as they learn to be in their body. 

Again, wherever you’re at, is the exact right place to be. Your goals, capacity, and comfort levels are largely how I develop your individualized treatment plan which is not set in stone.

As you work through the process, your interest in therapeutic modalities may shift and as they do, so will the course of our work together.