LP, 11 years of experience
Hi there, I am a licensed clinical psychologist in California. Over the past decade, I have been helping others explore and process current and past challenging thoughts, emotions, and experiences to help them live a more fulfilling life. I believe that you have what you need inside of you to not just survive but thrive and my job is to help you reconnect with it. I believe that regardless of where you are in life or what you have been through, you can be whole, you can live, you can have safe, healthy, happy, stable relationships with others and yourself. Therapy is not easy, finding and protecting your peace takes work. If you are ready to take that next step, I will happily join you and walk along side you. You are not in this alone, and I will be rooting for you!
In the first session with me, we will spend some time understanding what you are looking for in therapy and discussing ways in which I may be able to help you get there. I will not require you to share anything you are not ready to share. We will go at your space and slowly build up to deeper, more challenging conversations in future sessions.
I am compassionate, kind, and a empathetic listener who is not afraid to challenge you when needed. Whether this is your first time exploring therapy or you have worked with other therapists before, I help crate a safe space for you to explore and work on any stressors you have in your life that are causing you to feel stuck, unmotivated, unhappy, triggered, or just plain tired. This is your time, whatever you need to focus on we will focus on. Whatever you are avoiding, we will acknowledge, and work on it together.
Many of the clients I work with are struggling in multiple aspects of life - school, work, family, love, and/or spirituality. Some are questioning their gender or sexuality. Many of them find it difficult to have hope given the suffering they endured and are looking for ways to cope and heal so that they move forward and live in the present moment instead of being stuck in the past or in their automatic survival modes. Some of the clients I work with are ready to take the next step to move past their survival modes and live their life. They are no longer in a place of crisis or intense suffering but have changes they would like to continue to make to improve life for their present and future self. If you are in a place where you would like to learn some coping skills, grow, and live your life more fully, we can work on finding ways to help you do just that.
2 ratings with written reviews
March 19, 2025
I'm getting so much value from my sessions with Dr. Gittens.
February 12, 2025
I have found Dr Gittens to demonstrate a finely balanced and rare array of attributes. The range and depth of her intelligence, warmth, professionalism, empathy, and authenticity have earned my trust and respect. Her listening skills are superlative. I consistently know that she is listening very attentively to what I say and express. An example of this is that I am astonished at how on-point her suggestions are, in exploring and identifying an array of realistic solutions to my difficulties. Also, her open-mindedness and background have been indispensable in my therapy; many of my issues correlate around my non-white ethnicity, and other cultural-spiritual aspects of my core identity, which do not conform to the status quo. As a result, she is the first psychologist/therapist I have ever had in whose presence I do not feel racially and culturally isolated. That is of tremendous relief to me. As a result, I need not excessively and repeatedly explain fundamental aspects of my personal identity, issues, and experiences. In other words, I know I am not speaking to a blank wall which cannot hear me. Moreover, she speaks with care, clarity, insight and, where appropriate, gentle humor. During and at the end of each session, I feel genuinely heard, empowered, and hopeful. I am incredibly grateful for Dr Gittens's help. And I look forward to continuing to work with her, on the path of reaching my specific therapy goals.
I tailor my approach to meet you where you are and help you achieve the goals you have for your treatment. My approach leans on various evidence-based practices including DBT, ACT, CBT, emotional focused therapy, and queer/gay affirmative therapy.