Tijen Sumbul
I'm Tijen, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker offering telehealth therapy to adults and couples across California. My practice centers on healing complex and childhood trauma — and on the way those early experiences quietly shape how we cope, love, and show up in our closest relationships. I work in a warm, direct, and collaborative style and consider myself a disruptive therapist: I'm a partner in the work, not a distant expert and I will provide opportunities for you to step into your growth edge. Whether you come on your own or with someone you love, my goal is to help you feel steadier, understand the patterns you've been carrying, and build relationships where you can be fully yourself and still feel secure. I believe growth itself is a form of healing.
First session
Our first session is about getting to know you — there's no pressure to have it all figured out. We'll talk about what brought you in, a little of your history, and what you're hoping to feel or change. Mostly, this session is about fit: whether you feel safe, heard, and comfortable with me. I'll answer your questions, share how I work, and together we'll map out where to begin. You never have to share more than you're ready to.
Strengths
My work blends deep trauma training with real relational healing. I'm trained in trauma-informed CBT, DBT, CPT, and IFS "parts work," and am training in Relational Life Therapy and Emotionally Focused Therapy for couples — so we can look not just at your symptoms, but at the coping patterns underneath them and how they play out with the people you love. My background in public health and resilience research shapes how I see clients: not as broken, but as people who adapted to survive and can grow beyond it. My own history with childhood trauma lets me hold that work with real compassion. I'm warm but direct — I'll gently challenge you, partner with you, and keep the space safe enough for real change.
Ideal clients
My ideal client is an adult who senses that old patterns from childhood are quietly running their present, and is ready to do something about it. They may carry anxiety, self-doubt, relationship struggles, or the ache of doing everything "right" and still not feeling okay. They're insightful, motivated, and tired of surface-level fixes; they want real change, not just better coping. They're open to being gently challenged and willing to step toward their growth edge, even when it's uncomfortable. Above all, they believe — or want to believe — that healing and growth are truly possible. Clients who are late diagnosed neurodivergent, moving through major life transitions, or women navigating perimenopause and menopause are especially welcome here. These seasons often stir up old patterns, shifting identities, and big questions about who you're becoming — and you deserve a space that honors both what you're going through and who you are. Wherever you're starting from, my work is a warm, judgment-free partnership where you can be fully yourself while we build the change you're looking for.
Treatment methods
Trauma-Informed Care
Trauma-informed care has been the foundation of my work for more than five years, through countless sessions with adults healing from complex and childhood trauma. It means I understand how past experiences live in your nervous system and quietly shape how you cope today. Together, we'll move at a pace that keeps you feeling safe and in control, make sense of the patterns your history created, and build new ways of responding — so the past stops running your present.
Couples Counseling
I'm currently training in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and Relational Life Therapy (RLT), two powerful, research-backed approaches to couples work. EFT helps us uncover the emotions and attachment needs underneath your conflicts, while RLT brings honesty and directness to the patterns keeping you stuck. As a disruptive therapist, I won't just referee — I'll gently challenge you both toward your growth edge. Together, we'll interrupt the cycles that leave you disconnected, help each of you feel truly heard, and rebuild a relationship where closeness and security are possible again, even after real hurt.
Attachment-based
Attachment-based therapy has shaped how I work with clients for years, both in individual and couples sessions. It's helped people understand why they connect, trust, and protect themselves the way they do — patterns that almost always trace back to their earliest relationships. We'll use this approach to explore how your early bonds taught you to seek or guard against closeness, and how those patterns show up in your relationships today. From there, we'll work on healing the old wounds underneath them and build the secure, steady connection you deserve — with others and with yourself.
Location
Virtual sessions
Identifies as
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Licensed in
- CaliforniaLicense 138108