Maybe she’s born with it! 🧠 Maybe it’s late stage capitalism. ~ you are worth so much more than your productivity ~ you need rest + care ~ you are a human being ~ not a human doing ~ you are allowed to just be ~ As a social worker, my clinical approach is grounded in acknowledging the harm caused by systems of oppression + structural racism. My practice centers intersectional feminist values + disability justice. I am anti-racist + LGBTQIA+ celebratory. 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️🇵🇸 As a therapist + human, I recognize + reflect on the privilege I hold + how this has assisted me in navigating the world. I am a first generation immigrant settler from The Middle East + a Person of the Global Majority (PoGM). I have a Master's Education + have benefited from class privilege. I am an AuDHD, non-binary queer woman. I am able-bodied, chronically ill + a survivor. My practice supports gender-diverse individuals with atypical ways of thinking, feeling, relating + being in the world. I specialize in working with neurodivergent people (many times un-diagnosed or late diagnosed) who are hyper-sensitive, self-aware, socially anxious survivors of complex trauma. My clients may experience obsessive thinking, mental compulsions, panic attacks, existential dread, agoraphobia, addictive patterns, a sense of impending doom, executive dysfunction + trouble with sleep. I enjoy working with humans who are interested in understanding themselves + how their early childhood experiences shaped their relational patterns today. I would be honored to support you on this journey of ✨unlearning✨🌱
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
The therapeutic bond we build is where the work starts. My approach to therapy is transpersonal, humanistic + deep. I serve as a warm witness as you begin the work of unlearning + healing. As our work together evolves, I will begin to recognize your patterns of feeling, thinking and relating to others and the world and will then inquire to see if you notice what I do. I will meet you where you're at, no matter where that is <3
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
My clients describe me as calm, empowering, authentic, open-minded, solution-focused + attuned. I am skilled at recognizing patterns in the relationship behavior of individuals + family systems. I have a niche interest in intergenerational trauma and understanding the behavior of different generations--what trickles down through families when healing doesn't happen. Another one of my special interests is in de-pathologizing the human experience + shifting from the mental health Paradigm from the disease/disorder model --> neurodiversity affirming care + language. I see my clients as the experts of their lives + provide space + compassionate inquiry to encourage introspection. I love being present as my clients experience "aha" moments + un-learn narratives + habits they developed in order to feel safe but are no longer needed to protect them. I feel my lived experience makes me a bad ass therapist. I go to therapy weekly + think everyone should. You are not broken. Nothing is wrong with you. You just haven't been given the support you need to be truly✨YOU✨!
About Leyla El-Baba
Identifies as
Specializes in
Licensed in
Accepts
Appointments
VirtualMy treatment methods
Transpersonal
In today's day and age, many of us feel pretty disconnected from the world around us. A lot of our time is spent on screens, dedicated to working and surviving. We witness natural disasters, genocide, school shootings and other horrific events. The world feels like a scary and unsafe place to be. We may not experience a sense of belonging or have connections that serve us, leading to isolation, cynicism and feelings of dread. The medical model of treatment is guided by the idea that we are "diseased," "disordered," or "abnormal." A transpersonal approach to therapy is one that is more focused on the bigger picture and instilling a sense of connection with the self, others and the world at large. This approach is less focused on what is "wrong" with you and more guided by the spiritual experience of being human. While many forms of therapy focus on improving mental health alone, transpersonal therapy includes mental, physical, social, emotional, creative and intellectual needs as well. Through the process of reconnecting deeply with ourselves, we feel that we are a part of the whole, rather than separate from it. This approach can be especially helpful if you are struggling with depression, PTSD/CPTSD, addiction, relationship challenges, grief, anxiety and isolation.
Attachment-based
It is my belief that the client-therapist relationship is the foundation for healing and learning to trust again. In therapy, we work together to understand how your attachment style was shaped through your experiences with your family of origin and how your attachment ebbs, flows and influences your relationships today. I have guided many clients through re-processing and healing from attachment trauma in order to shift the ways that they show up in relationship as an adult. This involves identifying unmet needs and guiding you to the inner and outer resources to meet these needs now. This approach can be very beneficial for those with anxiety, depression, mood challenges, relationship issues and childhood trauma.
Brainspotting
Brainspotting is a powerful, focused, brain-based treatment that works by identifying, processing and releasing core neurophysiological sources of emotional/body pain, trauma, dissociation and a variety of other symptoms. This approach works with the deep brain and body through direct access to the nervous system, tapping in to and harnessing the body's natural self-healing ability. Brainspotting is effective for a wide range of emotional and somatic conditions but is particularly effective with trauma-based situations. This approach bypasses the "thinking brain," allowing access to the deeper, subcortical emotional and body-based parts of the brain.
Existential
Existential therapy is guided by the search for meaning or purpose, focusing on the anxieties and fears we experience as a fundamental part of our existence. These include fear of the unknown, death and the meaning of life. This approach is deep and allows for an ongoing exploration of one's felt sense of their place in the world. This approach is beneficial for those who are interested in self-examination who may be experiencing suicidal ideation, depression, PTSD, addiction, chronic illness and isolation.
Relational
Relationship is the foundation of it all. Relationally is a view of the world that underlines how no person or thing exists in isolation, because existence necessarily means being 'in relationship'.