Gian Michael Sarabia
I am a licensed MFT clinician in California with 7 years of eclectic psychotherapy work experience. I thrive on collaborating/working with clients to help them process and manage stress, interpersonal issues, symptoms of anxiety and depression, a distorted sense of self, trauma from individual/familial abuse as well as the systemic factors therein, schizophrenia spectrum challenges/symptoms, and personality disorders (e.g., antisocial personality disorder and borderline personality disorder). I believe in treating everyone with respect, sensitivity, and compassion while maintaining strong/healthy boundaries. I will tailor our dialogue and treatment plan to meet your unique and specific needs as we work through what you desire to focus on. I have worked with a variety of clients in different mental health organizations and schools throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles County. I am comfortable and have experience working with trauma-related stress disorders, isolation/loneliness and suicidal thoughts. I treat both adults and older teens (18 and over) through individual psychotherapy. I ask (Socratic) questions based on therapeutic timing and will provide evidence-based psychoeducation when needed, always moving the session with clinical intuition as the process unfolds.
This allows me to articulate to clients the plausibility of what is happening as a way for clients to reflect on and build awareness around.
First session
During the consultation (or initial intake) session, individuals and couples can expect me to listen mindfully as I conceptualize some of the mental health challenges, asking a variety of questions to assess thoroughly, what's going on, clinically. I will reflect back my thoughts about what is happening in relation to emotional-psychological concerns and suggest a psychotherapy approach. You can then expect every session thereafter to be focused on psychotherapy strategies/methods (e.g., CBT, Jungian, IPT, psychoeducation, via clinical self-awareness).
Strengths
I constantly use a mindfulness-based approach to psychotherapy. Moreover, I do have a good gauge of what symptoms are coming up, which may be rooted in various life circumstances. This allows me to articulate to clients the plausibility of what is happening as a way for clients to reflect on and build awareness around. As a result, I can offer a psychotherapy space-modality (e.g., CBT, IPT, Jungian) for clients to process and progress towards their goals.
Ideal clients
I work with individual clients, 1-1, who have been exposed to mild-to-moderate anxiety/depression, considerable trauma, which have produced a complex psychological reaction (e.g., C-PTSD, OCD, General Anxiety Disorder, personality disorders, behavioral/substance addictions, and/or suicidal thoughts from major depressive symptoms). I also treat couples to better communicate and help with various aspects of relational challenges, which may mean helping clients to perceive their own triggers from past experiences in current functionality.
Treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
For the past 7 years, I have utilized Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as an evidence-based treatment modality and integrate it with mindfulness-based interventions to support greater awareness, emotional regulation, and meaningful behavioral change. I have received training through the Beck Institute, a leading institution in the development, teaching, and advancement of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. This training has strengthened my ability to apply structured, evidence-based CBT interventions while tailoring treatment to each client’s individual needs, goals, and lived experience.
Jungian
I have specialized training in Jungian-oriented psychotherapy and incorporate principles of depth psychology into my clinical work. My approach may include the use of active imagination, archetypal exploration, and concepts associated with the collective unconscious and synchronicity, when clinically appropriate and aligned with a client’s needs and goals. I am certified and formally trained in this methodology through training approved by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS). This background allows me to integrate Jungian and depth-oriented perspectives within the broader framework of my work as a Marriage and Family Therapist.
Mindfulness-Based Therapy
Mindfulness is a key aspect of both my CBT and Jungian work. Within CBT, I use mindfulness to help clients recognize thoughts, emotions, and behavioral patterns with greater awareness and flexibility. Within a Jungian framework, mindfulness supports deeper engagement with the inner world, including imagery, symbols, archetypes, and unconscious material. I have also conducted graduate-level research involving human participants under Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, which strengthened my understanding of research methodology, ethics, and evidence-informed practice.
Location
Virtual sessions
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Licensed in
- CaliforniaLicense 150458