LP, 5 years of experience
Welcome! I am a licensed clinical psychologist with five years of experience working with clients. Starting with a new therapist can feel overwhelming. Whether you’ve been to therapy many times before, or this is your first time, I will meet you exactly where you’re at. You may have questions like “why do I keep feeling this way?” or “I know what I want, why can’t I do it?”. There are reasons we do what we do. My goal is to help you understand those reasons, and identify ways to make the changes you want for your life.
I am a process based clinician which means sessions are focused on what makes most sense for you. Our first session will be a little bit different from later sessions. I'll review policies and my own approach to make sure you are sure it will be a good fit (this is SO important for therapy to be effective). Then we'll take most of the time to hear what is bringing you into therapy, what your hopes are, and any other history that might be important right away. In later sessions we focus on the patterns that may keep you from doing what is important to you, and living authentically. My goal is to help you understand yourself better, so you are able to make meaningful change in your life. I focus on the strengths you innately have and explore how to use those strengths to create change.
I have a genuine desire to fully understand the clients I meet with. Because of this, I ask good questions to help my clients understand themselves better. I do not come in with the answers (as I believe most of those answers are within my clients). As a therapist, I strive to be genuine, compassionate, and honest in every session.
I love working with clients who are feeling stuck in their patterns, and desiring to change. I work well with clients who have struggled to connect with their feelings or who have pushed things down/avoided difficult emotions. I also enjoy working with clients who are in the midst of a life change (becoming parents, retiring, starting college), and working on how to make meaning during those changes.
Dr. Emily Lara offers therapy covered by CalViva Health (Medi-Cal), Community Health Plan of Imperial Valley (Medi-Cal), Gold Coast Health Plan (Medi-Cal), Health Net (Medi-Cal), Health Plan of San Joaquin - Medi-Cal, L.A. Care Health Plan (Medi-Cal), Partnership HealthPlan of California (Medi-Cal), San Francisco Health Plan (Medi-Cal) and Santa Clara Family Health Plan - Medi-Cal in California.
I find ACT incredibly useful for clients with anxiety, perfectionism, or OCD. With ACT, I help client's identify the underlying patterns of avoidance that keep them from living a life that is authentic. Clients are able to tolerate difficult or uncomfortable emotions and live a life according to their personal values.
I find this approach particularly helpful for clients who had dysfunctional family patterns growing up, deep rooted beliefs about themselves, and patterns of interpersonal distress. With dynamic therapy, I explore patterns of beliefs, expectations, and behaviors client's have towards themselves and others. Within this, we frequently explore how attachment impacts these patterns. We then use experiential methods to allow for new experiences and understandings of those patterns to create change.
My sessions frequently include mind-body approaches to increase awareness of the present moment and help clients connect with their body. By slowing down and paying attention to the present experiences, client's are able to increase insight and meaning-making.
Although the way I conceptualize a client may be through a different lens, I am always taking a person centered approach to the sessions. I seek to understand the client's experience fully by asking open-ended questions, providing unconditional positive regard, and showing up authentically myself in sessions.
I have used ERP to support several client's in reducing their symptoms of OCD. I collaborate with the client to create a hierarchy or exposures, and work with them to increase insight and a sense of empowerment through the process of exposures.