Dr. Claudia Nunez
I am a licensed clinical psychologist with over a decade of experience in private practice and across hospital, academic, and community-based settings. I earned my doctorate from the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University and completed predoctoral and postdoctoral research training at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, where my work with the Integrated Substance Use and Addiction Programs (ISAP) focused on researching addiction treatment models and their implementation in clinical settings. I also earned a Master of Social Work from the University of Southern California (USC), where my clinical training included adult and children psychiatric care in community-based centers and program development in nonprofit organizations throughout Los Angeles County. Many of the people I work with feel caught in anxiety, overthinking, people-pleasing, guilt, burnout, or a sense that something needs to change but they cannot quite name what. Others are navigating grief, life transitions, shifts in identity or relationships, or questions about meaning and purpose.
Clients often notice less overthinking, improved emotional regulation, clearer boundaries, and more self-trust, especially around guilt, grief, transitions, and burnout.
First session
In our first session, we will slow things down and get oriented. I’ll invite you to share what is bringing you in, what you have been carrying, and what you hope might feel different with support. I may ask about your history, current stressors, relationships, sleep, mood, and coping so I can understand the fuller picture, but we will not force details you are not ready to share.
Strengths
My approach is integrative, trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and grounded in Internal Family Systems and liberation psychology. Rather than viewing symptoms or recurring patterns as flaws, we explore how they may have developed through your history, relationships, culture, and environment. Together, we identify what is no longer working, clarify what you need, and develop responses that feel more intentional and aligned with your values. Depending on your needs, I may incorporate mindfulness, somatic awareness, and narrative exploration. I listen for both what is being said and what may be happening underneath, balancing compassion with honesty and insight with practical tools that support meaningful change.
Ideal clients
My ideal client is someone willing to arrive as they are, with curiosity toward the parts of themselves that have learned to navigate life in the best ways they could. They are open to exploring how personal, cultural, and systemic experiences have shaped their inner world, while creating space for greater clarity, self-trust, and wholeness. The work begins by showing up and reconnecting with the wisdom, and inner resources that can support the freedom to live more fully as oneself.
Treatment methods
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
ACT helps us notice unhelpful thoughts without getting stuck in them, learn how to make space for difficult emotions instead of fighting them, and stay more present with what matters most.
Mindfulness-Based Therapy
Mindfulness is a core part of how I support clients in therapy. My experience with mindfulness-based approaches includes guiding individuals to develop awareness of their thoughts, emotions, and body sensations in the present moment without judgment. This practice helps clients create space between themselves and their distress, so they can respond with greater clarity and choice instead of reacting automatically. In sessions, I often weave in breathing techniques, grounding practices, body awareness, and mindful reflection to help regulate the nervous system and bring a sense of calm. Mindfulness also supports trauma recovery, stress management, and emotional resilience by helping clients stay anchored in the present, even when facing painful experiences. For many clients, mindfulness becomes a practical tool they can use outside of therapy in daily life, relationships, and moments of difficulty. By learning to pause, notice, and gently redirect attention.
Adlerian
Adlerian Therapy is a holistic, insight-oriented approach that helps clients understand the “story” they've been living ; the beliefs and early experiences that shape how we move through the world. It’s about reclaiming agency, fostering self-compassion, and cultivating the courage to live in alignment with our values. Adlerian work emphasizes connection, purpose, and true belonging.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Through an IFS-informed lens, we explore the different parts of you with curiosity and compassion, including the parts that protect, criticize, avoid, or carry pain. Rather than trying to eliminate these parts, we work to understand their purpose, strengthen self-trust, and create balance.
Location
Virtual sessions
Identifies as
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Serves
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Licensed in
- CaliforniaLicense 35966