Find a Therapist in Lake Forest, California.

Psychotherapy is a general term for treating mental health problems by talking with a psychiatrist, psychologist or other mental health provider. During psychotherapy, you learn about your condition and your moods, feelings, thoughts and behaviors. Psychotherapy helps you learn how to take control of your life and respond to challenging situations with healthy coping skills.

I work with an entire person--the mind, emotions, body, spirit, relationships. I offer an alternative approach to traditional psychotherapy because sometimes we are stuck beyond our thoughts. I believe we are often stuck beyond how we think about something, but by how our body holds and remembers the experiences. After all, we feel the anxiety in our chest, shoulders or stomach. When we are depressed, we struggle to move, sleep, concentrate etc. I work to remove the block from wherever it is stuck. My clients come to me after years of ineffective therapy. They are looking for more than talking about their struggles or identifying how they think about them in favor of a change in living.

I always tell my clients that I am an "Old School Psychotherapist." This means that I believe that the way we are raised, our parents, and our families create who we are as adults. This means that I do a deep dive with every single client. I learn about you. I learn about your past, your history, and your family relationships. We form a bond and this connection allows us to be a true team for your mental health. If you are looking for a long-term therapist, you are in the right place! Long-term therapy allows for long-term results. You come to therapy to learn about yourself and see your mood improve, and you will get there much faster with a therapist who is truly on your side. I am here.

My approach to psychotherapy is mostly relational. I take a family systems approach that addresses relationships in my clients' lives and improves their functioning for better health and happiness. Clients under my care learn how to unilaterally improve the functioning of a relationship through boundaries and self-confrontation. The result is individuals and relationships that thrive.

I have 20 years of diverse professional experiences and extensive training. I am a published writer, lecturer and passionate about my field. I specialize working with Individual Adults and Teens. My style is conversational, and I strive for a collaborative and compassionate practice with my clients. Though, I am trained in a variety of therapies, I primarily work in narrative and psychodynamic theory. Additionally, I may draw upon other similar or complimentary theoretical approaches to create a highly personalized treatment plan based on your needs and goals.

Free 30 minute zoom call - Psychotherapy can be an incredibly powerful tool for improving many different areas of ones life. My style is warm, compassionate and my approach is holistic, pulling from man different and highly effective modalities. Clients can overcome depression, anxiety, difficult relationships, work issues, lack of self-esteem, grief, anger & so much more in psychotherapy. Understanding how to get from these challenges to a better place is no easy task. Utilizing the education & experience of a therapist can help you understand what happened in your childhood that's affecting you now, how your brain got wired, how you can develop skills & tools to support growth and healing

Having received my doctorate degree is psychoanalysis, my psychotherapy skills are now enhanced and expanded to work at deeper levels and in a more thorough manner. We all have themes of struggle and allowing a well trained professional to brainstorm with you about the obstacles that prevent you from living life more fully, can make all the difference in the world. Experiencing richness in our relationships and feeling we are thriving and productive individuals makes life feel worth living.

Are you grappling with life, relationship, or work issues? When these issues begin to cause you a great deal of worry or pain, it’s good to find someone to talk to. My focus is on guiding you in learning more constructive ways to deal with the problems in your life. When helping you through this difficult period my approach is supportive, caring, and infused with humor. I assist you in building insights and a skill set that can be applied to a multitude of life stressors.When you become aware of how you move through your world, you can begin to gently guide yourself in a new direction. I look forward to facilitating this process. Please ring 949.370.4726 or e-mail info@southoccounseling.com.