Christine Leyva Buccio
My skills and experience have allowed me to deal with various diverse cultures who are reluctant to seek treatment due to stigma. Having been raised as Armenian and Greek, I have experienced the multicultural and societal pressures firsthand. In the face of a person experiencing a challenging life event , even the most competent person may need extra support or guidance. Everyone has problems and there is no shame in seeking help. It is my goal to create a safe Christ Centered environment for you to navigate through issues of acculturation, emotional scars from the past that prevents you from pursuing Gods purposes. For the past 14 years I have dedicated my life to improving the psychological health of families including adults, adolescents and children in the Greater Los Angeles Area. My expertise is with children, adolescents, adults , couples and families who present with various mental disorders (i.e., mood, anxiety; behavioral), addiction and history of trauma. My strengths are my ability to transcend into my clients world without any bias or discrimination using my own testimony as empowerment. It is in the authentic therapeutic-client relationship that change occurs as one is guided to self reflect and explore. I am certified in multiple evidenced practices such as Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
In addition, using my own testimony and self disclosure ( when necessary to treatment ) allows me to empathize and empower my clients to receive their healing and growth.
First session
In our first session together; we will start building rapport and trust by identifying strengths; learning about each other and focusing on symptoms and challenges that brought them to therapy. Expectations and psycho social history will be explored and assessed to gain greater insight into clients needs and tailored treatment plan to work through in follow up sessions.
Strengths
My greatest strength is my 18 years of experience working with families of young children. parents; adolescents and adults in overcoming challenges using my professional background in multiple evidence based practices along with my experience with diverse population and challenges as inpatient residential clinician; community therapist ; mental health consultant at school districts and having my own private practice. In addition, using my own testimony and self disclosure ( when necessary to treatment ) allows me to empathize and empower my clients to receive their healing and growth.
Ideal clients
I have years of experience working with parents and young children in improving parent-child connection; challenging behaviors and achieve a more open, empathetic communication. I love to minister to those who want to reconnect with their faith ; increase their spiritual growth and achieve healing in both body, spirit and soul, as they rediscover their true calling and identity in Christ. I have numerous years of experience and training working with dual diagnosis; trauma; children; parenting; couples; family and mood disorders.
Origin story
My journey into becoming a therapist began on a very different path. I originally pursued nursing because I knew I wanted a career centered around helping and caring for others. However, I quickly discovered that I was drawn to more than treating physical symptoms. I found myself wanting to sit with people, hear their stories, understand what they were carrying emotionally, and connect with them at a deeper level. That realization became an important turning point in my life. I began to understand that my passion was not simply helping people feel better physically, but helping them understand themselves, heal emotional wounds, strengthen relationships, and find hope during difficult seasons. My own life experiences have also deeply influenced the therapist I am today. I know what it is like to walk through seasons of struggle, uncertainty, and personal growth. Those experiences taught me that healing is rarely about simply “getting over” something. Often, it involves understanding how our experiences have shaped us, learning to respond differently to pain, and discovering that our past does not have to define our future. My faith has also been an important part of my journey. I believe God redirected my path and showed me that caring for people could look very different from what I had originally imagined. Today, after many years in the mental health field, I still consider it a privilege when someone trusts me with their story. Whether I am working with an individual, couple, or family, I strive to create a space where people feel genuinely seen, heard, and understood. What continues to inspire me is witnessing people recognize their strength, break unhealthy patterns, rebuild meaningful relationships, and begin believing that healing and change are truly possible.
Treatment methods
Attachment-based
Therapist will assist clients in gaining insight into those thoughts, feelings, communications, behaviors, and interpersonal exchanges that patients have learned either to suppress and avoid or to amplify and overemphasize because of early attachment experiences. Gain insight into your unmet emotional needs and find healthier ways to express and meet those needs.
Child-Parent Psychotherapy
Focusing on positive parenting strategies and building a more positive connection and communication by addressing underlying issues that might result in their disconnect and learn how to respond to each others needs vs emotionally react.
Christian Counseling
Using Christ Centered/ Biblical Principles to overcome trauma, pain and various challenges and discover who God has called us to be and his purposes to achieve meaningful, purposeful life.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
Using CBT techniques by identifying ones own thoughts patterns and cognitive errors and how this might give rise to current feelings and negative choices. Challenging, identifying and replacing deep rooted schemas that alter perception and replace with more rational ones.
Trauma-Focused CBT
Evidenced based practice to overcome trauma and grief using structured sessions and tools.
Location
Virtual sessions
Identifies as
Christian
Woman
Top specialties
Child or Adolescent
Mood Disorders
Spirituality
Other specialties
Addiction
Coping Skills
Couples Counseling
Family Therapy
Parenting
Phobias
Postpartum
Self Esteem
Trauma and PTSD
Women's Issues
Serves
Adults (18 to 64)
Children (6 to 12)
Teenagers (13 to 17)
Licensed in
CaliforniaLicense 52501