Leesa Varela

LMFT, 15 years of experience
Authentic
Warm
Empowering
VirtualAvailable

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.

SpecialtiesTop specialties
Other specialties
I identify as
Serves ages
Licensed in
Accepts
Location
Virtual
My 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.

, 137 ratings

19 ratings with written reviews

October 7, 2025

Leesa is a fabulous therapist. She asks the right questions and gets to the heart of the matter. I feel very fortunate to have her to support me. And I would not hesitate to recommend her to my friends and family.

Verified client, age 65+
Review shared after session 1 with Leesa

September 1, 2025

Leesa is confident and caring. She truly listens and understands me.

Verified client, age 65+
Review shared after session 14 with Leesa

August 1, 2025

Leesa was warm, incredibly knowledgeable, and an excellent listener. I truly appreciated her patience and the genuine sympathy she brought to our session—it made me feel heard, supported, and at ease.

Verified client, age 35-44
Review shared after session 1 with Leesa