LMFT, 8 years of experience
Hi, I’m Courtney. I am here to help you through whatever it is you are struggling with. After receiving a Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University, Los Angeles, I trained at the Maple Counseling Center in Beverly Hills, using a psychodynamic approach. I also utilize other behavioral methods such as cognitive behavioral therapy, family systems therapy and emotionally-focused and attachment therapy for couples. Before becoming a psychotherapist, I lived in New York City and worked in national and international fundraising, and received a Master of Arts degree from Columbia University. I am compassionate, authentic, interactive, and direct. My therapy room will be a safe space for you where our relationship will create healing, discovery and insight. Having the comfort of a grounded therapist sitting across from you can make the difference between feeling validated and feeling alone! I understand that starting therapy for the first time or finding a new therapist can be an intimidating process. In our first session, I will assess your particular needs and together we will determine if I am the right fit for you. I believe in creating a unique and tailored approach designed to meet the individual needs of each of my clients, and each of my couples. I provide therapy, counseling and coaching to teens, young adults, adults, and couples in Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Palos Verdes, and throughout the South Bay Los Angeles area. I recently expanded my offices to include other areas including, but not limited to: Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades, Brentwood and Malibu. Additionally, I can provide telehealth video or phone sessions from anywhere across the state of California.
Our first session is a get to know one another. We will go over some history, and you can decide if I feel like a good fit for you. We will go over logistics, practicalities, cost, and expectations. It will be a safe, non-judgmental space for you to begin your therapeutic journey.
I believe I stand out because I have depth-oriented psychoanalytic training combined with real-world addiction expertise. I can help you get to the root cause of addcition, trauma, unmet needs, relational patterns and unconscious conflicts. I trained with high clinical standards and am both grounded and pragmatic. I don't just focus on surface symptoms, I help clients uncover deeper emotional and relational patterns that actually fuel their strengths.
I am best positioned to serve those who want to understand themselves at a deeper level, not just fix a symptom. I work well long term, helping you through long-standing and complex issues. You can tolerate slower progress, reflection, and have capacity for insight; as well as handle ambiguity and abstract thinking. I can also provide shorter term tools when needed; and can intervene and handle crisis situations. Additionally, I am here to support those who have struggled with addiction, who are either ready to look honestly at their relationship with substances, as well as understanding the relational and emotional roots of substance use. You may also be impacted by a family member, friend or loved one's substance use. Often, substance use is tied to nervous system dysregulation, attachment wounds, past trauma, self-worth issues, and difficulty managing stress.
EFT, or Emotionally-Focused therapy, focuses on relationships and attachment styles. It is most often used with Couples, but can also be adapted for individuals and families. The therapist and clients look at patterns in the relationship; take steps to create a more secure bond and develop trust to move the relationship in a healthier, more positive direction. In addition to helping the distressed relationship, EFT can also help reduce individual symptoms of depression, anxiety, or trauma. EFT's foundation is Attachment Theory. EFT is evidence-based and backed by strong research.
Psychodynamic therapy is an insight-oriented, collaborative therapy, where you will gain self-awareness, and become more flexible and adaptable through the work. We will focus on unconscious processes and how they affect your current behavior. Psychodynamic therapy is characterized by self-reflection and self-examination of emotional blind spots and relationship patterns. In therapy you may explore unconscious motives, needs, and defenses. Psychodynamic therapy can be helpful for people who don’t understand why they keep repeating the same patterns in relationships or life. It’s also an effective treatment for many mental health concerns including depression, anxiety, panic and stress-related physical ailments.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy helps us to integrate and accept various parts of ourselves. We’ve been taught to believe we have a single identity, and to feel fear or shame when we can’t control thoughts or actions that don’t match the ideal of who we think we should be. Yet we have many aspects to ourselves and part of psychotherapy and talk therapy’s job is to help us learn to integrate, understand and accept these different parts of ourselves.
CBT is a structured and goal-oriented approach that is based on the premise that our thoughts affect our feelings and behaviors. CBT involves identifying and changing biases and distortions in our thinking styles that reinforce negative feelings and behaviors. If you can change the way you think, then changes in your emotions and behaviors will follow.