Licensed to practice in California and accepts 31 insurances. Specializes in Grief, LGBTQ, Spirituality and 8 more.
(she/they)
Often rebooked
Clients say this provider is
Hi! I'm a Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and Registered Art Therapist (AT-R) based in California. I received my Masters from Loyola Marymount University, and have been working with clients for 3 years. I have extensive background in visual art, performance, and music. I help my clients deepen their sense of identity and release stored trauma through creative practice, narrative development, and radical acceptance.
In our first session, I will ask you to begin telling the story of your journey to this moment, with emphasis on moments in which you found clarity and strength. I will encourage you to begin identifying moments in your past where you are still "tangled up" - storing energy and holding pain that keeps you from moving freely in the present.
I am an artist at heart, and I see each human life as a book! You are a good story, even if to you the journey so far seems only dull and painful, or heavy with loss. I have a unique skill in identifying held pain, and creating a sanctuary for clients to unwind deeply held tension and move forward with lighter steps.
I love working with people who are on spiritual journeys, awareness journeys or creative journeys through life. I enjoy working with clients on deeply claiming their life stories, and developing agency to move forward with renewed purpose, curiosity, and joy.
Cash - $175 per session
Aetna
Aetna - Allied Benefits
Aetna - ASR Health Benefits
Aetna - Lucent Health
Aetna - Luminare
Aetna - Moda
Aetna - WebTPA
Aetna – HealthEZ
All Savers
AvMed
CalViva Health (Medi-Cal)
Carelon Behavioral Health (Commercial)
Community Health Plan of Imperial Valley (Medi-Cal)
Golden Rule
Harvard Pilgrim/UnitedHealthcare
Health Net (Medi-Cal)
IHSS Healthy Workers
L.A. Care Covered
L.A. Care Covered Direct
L.A. Care PASC-SEIU
Optum
OptumHealth Complex Medical Conditions
Oscar
Oxford
Surest (formerly Bind)
Sutter Health Plan
United Medical Resources
UnitedHealthcare Life Insurance
UnitedHealthcare Shared Services
UnitedHealthcare StudentResources
UnitedHealthcare/Optum
Cultural humility is woven throughout my educational background and experience. I have spent 3 years serving in community mental health with a richly diverse client base. I hold a Master's Degree in Leadership for Social Change, and carry a deep commitment to community, spiritual and religious diversity, and intersectional identity formation.
I offer existentially informed, mindfullness based interventions with the aim of deepening a clients acceptance of their unique reality and experiences. I adhere to constructivist and existential theories that encourage our willingness to witness and acknowledge how we construct a "self", and I believe that awareness allows us the freedom to change.
As a non-binary clincian with a lifetime of lived experience in LGBTQII+ community, I offer affirmation, exploration, flexibility and acceptance to clients on their gender journey.
Narratives inform how we are oriented to our lives, and I have rooted my therapy practice in exploring the stories my clients tell about themselves. I typically begin treatment with storytelling, and we will revisit and re-tell your personal stories many times throughout our work together.
My baseline approach to therapy is humanistic, in that I operate on the belief that a client is the authority on themselves, and I serve as a space to reveal a clients self-knowledge.
7 ratings with written reviews
July 28, 2026
Essy is the BEST Human and I’m so grateful I had her light guiding me on my journey ⚓️
May 19, 2025
Essy is helping me to look at long term trauma and issues I haven’t wanted to look at out of fear. I am feeling more confident about myself and I’m grateful to have found her.
April 25, 2025
Essy's warmth makes it easy to share even the most difficult things. She does a fantastic job of helping me put complex emotions into sensible words and concepts, which makes progress feel actionable and attainable. Essy has keen sense of feelings (even those unexpressed), creates a safe space and makes me feel seen. I end our sessions feeling lighter and more confident about achieving my therapy goals.