Do you feel powerless, hopeless and lost with your pre-teen/adolescent? Are your emotional, physical and mental state becoming impacted by the stressors of your parenting, home and work demands? I provide client-centered individual parent therapy, individual adolescent therapy (ages 11-17), and parent & child counseling. I treat clients who may suffer from conditions including, but not limited to: Depression, Anxiety, trauma, adjustment, and interpersonal issues. My name is Guisela Gutierrez and I am a bilingual Licensed Clinical Social Worker. I am a proud Angeleno with Central American/Mexican roots and a mother of two beautiful children 11 and 16 years old. I have served as a school social worker and consultant in the Los Angeles region for the last 9 years, where I provided counseling services, crisis intervention, case management and consultation for children ages 5-17, adult students and other school stakeholders such as staff and parents. Seeking therapy can feel scary but you're making the right choice. You deserve a safe space to heal and grow. I look forward to getting the opportunity to be a part of your lifeboat and help you reach the goals you want for you and your family.
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
In our first session together, we will start with brief introductions, then dive into the specific challenges you’re facing and what you hope to gain from having this safe therapeutic space and experience. Additionally, we will discuss expectations of engaging in a therapeutic relationship to help me create a tailored plan for us to work through in follow-up sessions.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
I bring experience working within educational systems, crisis response, trauma, and parenting support, and I use an integrative therapeutic approach tailored to each client’s needs. I believe deeply in the power of building self-efficacy and resilience by equipping you with both internal insights and practical, tangible tools. After each session, we identify meaningful takeaways that strengthen your self-awareness and reflective abilities. Together, we set goals you may choose to practice outside our therapeutic space. I also create a personalized toolbox with resources, information, and exercises to help you integrate these skills into your daily life. When working with adults, I offer a supportive and grounding space to process life transitions, stress, relationships, work demands, and emotional patterns that may feel overwhelming. My approach includes helping you identify underlying needs, build healthier coping strategies, and strengthen the boundaries and communication skills that promote a more balanced and empowered way of living. I aim to help you reconnect with your strengths, clarify your values, and cultivate a sense of stability and direction. When working with teenagers, it is important to me to include 2–3 parent-only sessions (at the beginning, midpoint, and end of treatment, and always with mutual agreement). These sessions help me better understand parenting patterns, family dynamics, and the support systems surrounding your teen. I believe in ongoing communication so we can review progress, reinforce learned tools, and strengthen the partnership between therapy and home. Empowering you as parents is central to supporting your child’s growth, your own well-being, and your family’s overall healing. I also offer flexibility, knowing that time, schedules, and daily demands can be challenging. Parent–child sessions: These sessions support healthier communication and address family dynamics, including boundaries, patterns, and relational needs, in a compassionate and structured way (only offered when mutually agreement is reached)
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
I provide individual therapy for adults—including young adults, middle-aged adults, and parents—and I am currently accepting referrals exclusively for adults who speak English and/or Spanish. As an integrative therapist with a psychodynamic foundation, I support clients in ways that fit their comfort, goals, and readiness. Some clients want to explore how past experiences or relationship patterns influence their present; others prefer to focus on current stressors, coping skills, boundaries, communication, and day-to-day challenges. Both approaches are welcome, and treatment is always collaborative and tailored to your needs. My ideal clients are adults navigating stress, overwhelm, life transitions, relationship concerns, work demands, or emotional patterns that feel difficult to manage alone. They may be seeking greater clarity, steadiness, or practical tools they can apply in their daily lives. Although I have extensive experience working with teenagers, I am not currently accepting teen referrals. My background supporting adolescents and parents continues to inform my work with adult parents—especially those wanting to strengthen family dynamics or understand their own emotional responses more deeply. I am also well suited for adults impacted by trauma or crisis who want a grounded, stable therapeutic space. Across all my work, I blend insight-oriented exploration with tangible strategies to help clients strengthen resilience, reconnect with their values, and create meaningful, lasting change at a pace that feels right for them.
Integrative
As an integrative therapist with a psychodynamic foundation, I tailor therapy to your needs, comfort level, and goals. Some clients want practical tools for current stressors, while others are interested in deeper insight into emotional or relational patterns. We move at a pace that feels supportive and aligned with what you’re looking for. I draw from a blend of evidence-informed approaches, including psychodynamic therapy, CBT tools, mindfulness, somatic awareness, and strengths-based work. This allows us to combine reflection with concrete strategies to help you manage stress, build healthier boundaries, improve communication, and strengthen emotional regulation. For adults who are parents, I offer guidance informed by my background working with teens and families—supporting you in understanding your patterns, responding to challenges, and creating healthier family dynamics. My approach is also trauma-informed, ensuring safety, grounding, and sensitivity for clients impacted by stress or crisis. Throughout our work, I provide personalized tools such as journaling prompts, communication strategies, and regulation skills to support growth between sessions. I offer therapy in both English and Spanish, with a culturally responsive approach that honors identity, values, and lived experience.