Leesa Varela
Leesa Varela
(she/her)
Compassionate, open-minded, strength-based care is Leesa’s goal for every client, as she helps you to navigate difficult life stressors and address trauma wounds that can cause symptoms of anxiety, depression, acute or post-traumatic stress, addiction, relational conflict, employment/academic impairment, etc. She uses EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing), Brainspotting, Cognitive Behavioral (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral (DBT) and Family Systems interventions to create an individualized treatment plan that's ideal for you!
Get to know me
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
Leesa believes that successful therapy is a partnership that relies on your personal wisdom and her ability to truly understand you to create an effective treatment plan for positive change and increased emotional fulfillment. She looks forward to meeting you!
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
Leesa is passionate about helping clients feels safe, not judged and listened to with empathy and concern to address emotional pain and/or trauma. It’s her privilege to be able to support you as quickly as possible, with evening and weekend availability.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
With 15 years of clinical experience, Leesa has been affiliated with Westlake Village Counseling and Trauma Center since 2018. She enjoys working with young adults struggling to establish independence, families in crisis, couples considering separation/divorce, law enforcement officers/first responders, and those seeking effective parenting strategies.
About Leesa Varela
I identify as
Specialties
Serves ages
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Appointments
VirtualMy treatment methods
EMDR
I am a Levels 1 & 2 Trained EMDR practitioner who relies on this intervention to provide comprehensive trauma-informed care.
Brainspotting
I am a Level 1 Trained Brainspotting practitioner who uses this intervention to provide comprehensive trauma-informed care.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I have extensive training in and reliance on CBT interventions for addressing cognitive distortions and building coping skills.
Structural Family Therapy
Structural Family Therapy interventions are used to develop a better understanding of one's family system, which can be invaluable when treating trauma wounds.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
DBT interventions are used to help clients increase emotional regulation levels.