You are more than what happened to you. Your thoughts, emotions, and past experiences do not define your worth or your future. Healing is possible—and you deserve a life that feels safe, grounded, and truly your own. I am a California Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) serving adults across California. I specialize in working with individuals impacted by trauma, with a focus on childhood abuse survivors, sexual assault survivors, and culturally specific trauma. My approach is compassionate, collaborative, and paced to help you reconnect with yourself, build emotional clarity, and move forward with greater confidence and stability.
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
Our first sessions are a time to slow things down and focus on what you need to feel safe and supported. We’ll talk about what brought you to therapy and what you’ve been carrying, at a pace that feels comfortable for you. Trauma can make emotions feel intense or hard to access, and you are never required to share more than you’re ready for. You can expect a warm, compassionate space where your experiences are honored and understood. Using an emotionally focused approach, we’ll gently explore your emotional responses, relationships, and places where you may feel stuck or disconnected. My role is to help you build a sense of safety, emotional clarity, and inner strength as you move toward healing. After the initial sessions, we’ll talk together about how therapy can support you and whether continuing feels like the right fit for you.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
I approach therapy with empathy, warmth, and care, offering a space where you can feel emotionally held and understood. By tuning into and reflecting your emotional experience, I help you build self-compassion and reconnect with parts of yourself that may feel hurt or unseen. Through gentle, thoughtful questions, I support self-discovery and collaborative problem-solving in ways that feel empowering. I will walk alongside you as you process trauma at a pace that feels safe. Together, we’ll nurture your inner child, soften painful emotions, and develop new ways of understanding yourself that support healing and growth.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
I work best with adults who are carrying the impact of past trauma—whether from childhood abuse, sexual assault, or culturally specific experiences—and who feel overwhelmed, stuck, or disconnected from themselves. Many of the people I support are high-functioning on the outside but internally exhausted by painful memories, shame, or self-blame that won’t seem to let go. They are seeking relief without being pushed to relive their trauma and want a therapy space that feels safe, respectful, and emotionally attuned. If you’re hoping to build a sense of safety within yourself, develop self-compassion, and move forward without trauma defining your identity, this work may be a good fit. Together, we focus on healing in a way that feels empowering, paced, and grounded—so you can reconnect with your inner strength and create a life shaped by clarity, resilience, and compassion.
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
EFT is a gentle, relationship-focused approach that helps you understand and move through emotions that feel overwhelming, confusing, or hard to access. If you often stay strong on the outside but feel disconnected, anxious, or stuck internally, EFT can help you slow down and reconnect with what you’re feeling in a safe, supportive way. This work creates emotional clarity and helps you feel more secure, grounded, and aligned in your relationships—with others and with yourself.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
CBT is especially helpful for people who feel mentally overloaded, anxious, or stuck in cycles of worry and self-doubt. If your mind feels constantly busy or you find it hard to shut things off, CBT offers clear, practical ways to create relief and mental clarity. My approach focuses on helping you feel more steady, present, and aligned with what matters most to you.
2 ratings with written reviews
October 28, 2025
Teona never lets my own perceptions drive the conversation, which is exactly what I need. I needed someone who can challenge me to understand others perspective and she does that.
June 16, 2025
The treatment plan that Teona has set up for me has been very helpful and has been used to help me control my anxiety. I appreciate the ability to have easy conversations and vent about the issues I am having while at the same time referring back to the goals we have set up.