“Mental pain is less dramatic than physical pain, but it is more common and also more hard to bear. The frequent attempt to conceal mental pain increases the burden: it is easier to say, ‘My tooth is aching’ than to say, ‘My heart is broken.’ ― C.S. Lewis

HOW DOES THERAPY HELP?

None of us escape this life without experiencing some kind of pain or struggle. Even though we live in a society that glorifies self-sufficiency and individualism, we are hard-wired for connection with others; we are not meant to go it alone. We have a fundamental need to be seen and understood.

A good therapist provides you with a space for connection—with the therapist and with yourself—a unique hour, amidst your often chaotic and busy life, dedicated to you, to your growth, your healing, and your self-discovery. As your self-awareness grows during individual therapy, your relationship to life’s inevitable struggles is transformed. Your natural resilience deepens, and you learn to respond thoughtfully to your challenges, rather than impulsively reacting.

WHY THERAPY?

Many people begin individual counseling when their current situation feels unbearable, they feel “stuck”, or they have reached a breaking point and are “just tired of feeling this way”. Some common experiences of people beginning individual therapy are:

• Depression: feelings of sadness, irritability, low motivation, problems appetite, sleep or concentration, difficulty enjoying things you used to enjoy

• Anxiety: frequent and hard to control worrying, restlessness, difficulty concentrating, muscle tension, feeling easily fatigued, panic attacks

• Grief and Loss: someone near and dear has died, the loss of a relationship, divorce, or job loss

• Relationship difficulties: dating, choosing a partner, marriage conflict, family conflict, recurrent self-defeating patterns

• Trauma: whether a single event, prolonged exposure, or recurrent experiences in younger years, our mind/body response and adaptations to traumatic stress can leave us with physical and emotional challenges that make daily functioning difficult

• Family conflict: family relationships have grown contentious, or distant; seeking renewed connection with parents, children, and siblings

• Life transitions/Career Change: feeling “stuck” in your current and unsure of how to make the change; getting married, becoming a parent, getting divorced, managing a new diagnosis or chronic health condition.

So many people come to my office in Pasadena saying they have felt bad for a long time. They are unsure why they waited so long to reach out. When we begin to explore it, negative messages they received about therapy from their culture or family origin are often the biggest factor.

 THERAPY IS NOT A BAD WORD

A few sentences on a website will not be enough to undo years of negative messaging from your family or from society about therapy. However, it has been my experience in my therapy practice here in Los Angeles, that after a few months, clients often share a wish they had not waited so long to reach out. Even folks returning to therapy after some time away, people with positive views of the experience, often say they wish they had reached out sooner.

HOW DO I GET STARTED?

I offer a free, 20-minute phone consultation for us to get to know each other a bit, and for you to ask any questions you might have.