Hello! My name is Anna and I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I received my Bachelor's degrees in Psychology and Religious studies from the University of Southern California, Santa Barbara, and my Master's degree in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University, here is Los Angeles. I have been licensed for the past 8 years, but have been practicing for the past 16 years. I specialize in the treatment of eating disorders, but also have extensive experience working with trauma, depression, anxiety, and life transitions. I feel honored to be a part of other's healing journey and working collaboratively on the path to wholeness and healing.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
In our first session, I will do a through assessment to get to know you better, including your background and presenting concerns. In subsequent sessions we will identify what your goals are and work on them collaboratively. I enjoy teaching my clients relevant skills to help them feel better able to navigate life, as well as problem solve together where they are encountering barriers. I am person centered, collaborative, compassionate, but also direct.
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
Having worked with eating disorders for the past twenty years, in multiple capacities, I feel I am well versed in supporting others in finding healing. I have worked with a variety of individuals with a variety of presentations, and have a clear understanding of what is needed to help support you along your journey to healing, including a) identifying driving/underlying forces that perpetuate the use of eating disorder behaviors to cope, and b) an individualized plan to support you in reaching your goals.
Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.
I am passionate about working with those dealing with eating disorders, and find great joy being a part of the healing process. In the private practice setting many of my clients are going through the process of reintegrating back into their lives and finding new identities and meaning beyond the eating disorder.
About Anna Governale
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VirtualMy treatment methods
Attachment-based
A secure attachment is the foundation for a healthy relationship, both in our childhoods, as well our adult lives. Unfortunately, many of us never got that secure base we so desperately needed, and it is causing suffering and complications in our adult relationships and interfering with our quality of life. I believe the therapeutic relationship is the foundation of a corrective attachment experience and can provide profound healing and transformation when the right fit between client and clinician is found. In my practice I like to address and discuss these past and present dynamics head on, with compassion, providing ongoing education throughout session as to how this work is meaningful and relevant to their current life experiences and goals.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
I have been trained in DBT (not certified) and use it daily in my sessions and groups, both when working in treatment and private practice. I think it is a great skill set to have for daily life challenges, as well to manage more complex emotions and interpersonal dynamics, when they come up.
Trauma Informed Care
I am trained in the TRM (trauma resiliency model), and use this, in combination with other modalities, when working with my clients who have a background of trauma. Trauma takes many forms, and as a clinician it is important for me to be informed on each client's experiences with trauma, whatever form it takes, Some of my experience in working with trauma include: attachment, physical, psychological, emotion, institutional, sexual, and complex trauma. I take a trauma informed care approach with my clients, exploring how past traumas are impacting their current quality of life, and how to navigate this.
Exposure Response Prevention (ERP)
I have had extensive experience utilizing ERP primarily in the treatment of eating disorders, with co-occurring anxiety/OCD. When utilizing ERP with a client, I do a thorough assessment for symptomatology and create an ERP protocol from there, that includes creating a hierarchy, identifying exposures, identifying and challenging safety behaviors, and teaching new, adaptive ways to cope.