LMFT, 25 years of experience
Frequently rebooked
Currently accepting new clients, my name is Esperanza Applestein, I am a bilingual spanish speaking license marriage and family therapist with 20 + years of experience in the mental health field in California. Working with adults, couples and families. My mission is to provide therapy to assist individuals in achieving emotional balance. My practice is focused on working on relationship issues, improving communication, parenting, depression and anxiety, trauma and complex trauma.
In our first session, I will make sure a safe space is created, I would begin by explaining the therapeutic process, educate you on confidentiality and breaches of confidentiality, I will talk about practice policies and provide a healthy therapeutic alliance. I will listen to your reasons requesting therapy and will try to set short term and long term goals to help you feel secure in exploring your thoughts and feelings.
My approach is collaborative, relational. educational, insight oriented and dynamic. I have a calm, compassionate, and friendly nature which helps my clients feel supported, accepted, and understood. I will guide you to learning to develop effective coping skills in order to self regulate, stop negative thoughts, understand your mind, and manage depression and anxiety. I am passionate about learning from different cultures. I look forward to meeting and building a therapeutic relationship with you.
I am passionate about helping people who are ready to take their first step in learning how to deal with their emotional pain. I love working with adults who are willing and ready for change. I offer a therapeutic environment were clients feels safe, accepted and empowered to embark on their journey towards healing and personal growth. I use evidence- base practices including mindfulness, cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectic behavioral therapy attachment therapy, behavioral modification and trauma informed therapy.
3 ratings with written reviews
July 14, 2025
While we've liked her as a person, I don't feel she is helping with our actual issues (couples therapy). She tends to focus on stuff that is not relevant to the specific issue and has not helped us work through our communication. I've often felt that she focuses more on pleasing my husband rather than the reason I am not and how to solve it. Without getting into specifics, our communication has not improved and it's been more than 6 months.
March 13, 2025
very warm and understanding.
February 20, 2025
Gracias me siento mejor le agradesco de corazón
I would focus first on establishing a healthy and positive therapeutic alliance with my clients, fostering a secure connection with them. I will help my client explore past relationships, address attachment patterns and developing strategies so my clients could build healthy emotional bonds within their relationships.
Focus on helping my clients learn to recognize their maladaptive thinking patterns and offer techniques so they can implement what is learned in our sessions to modify unhealthy behaviors. I like to work on teaching my clients how to change their negative self talk and their thoughts and patterns as a result of this. My work is collaborative, proactive approach, we use goals, we read books and use workbooks to discuss and process in session.
I always integrate mindfulness based practices into my sessions to teach about being in the present moment and to become self aware. I like to teach mindfulness techniques so the client learns to observe their thoughts and emotions. I like to teach about the importance of using relaxation techniques for self regulation.
I like to prioritize creating a safe environment for clients, understanding their impact of trauma on the client's thoughts, feelings and behaviors, validating experiences, being respectful of client's pace. I will use evidence based interventions and techniques such as feeling identification, grounding, relaxation, Psychoeducation on trauma responses, developing coping skills, recognizing triggers, empowerment, narrative writing, client center approach, teaching boundary setting.
I normally focus on unresolved conflicts and any early childhood experiences that might be impacting client's current challenges and presenting problems. Explore into how the client manage relationships and underlying emotions. Facilitate personal growth.