Book 10+ of the best Buddhist therapists in California

Hi and thank you for your consideration. Relationships with professors led to my providing therapy as an undergraduate student majoring in Community Service at University of Oregon. After receiving a Masters Degree in Social Work, the majority of my career was working 23 years for the National Center for PTSD. I had the extraordinary experience of creating my own job description as a Health Scientist in the emerging field of Disaster Mental Health. Over the course of these years, I responded to more than a dozen Presidentially-declared catastrophic events. At first, I worked with survivors or next-of-kin. As a first responder, I learned what every first responder learns when working with people in need. Without intention, we receive more than we give. It is, if you will, sacred work. It has long been important to me to conceptualize what I am trying to achieve professionally. Toward that end, I published research, published guidelines to practice, etc. Eventually, I became a national, and then international consultant regarding emergency response policies, be they federal, state, county, or institutional. In 2018, I received a Fulbright grant to continue the work I began in Ukraine, following the revolution in 2014. In 2022, I began offering telemental health therapy and have been enjoying the work and the progress with my clients.

Everyone needs support;have you been dealing with life with no support from friends or family? Are you dealing with childhood trauma,estrangement and or abandonment from your family of origin?Are you having difficulty attracting and keeping a healthy intimate relationship?Do you feel you are repeating generational patterns? Maybe you have been coping all these years without really exploring and understanding your pain.We help clients understand themselves with compassion rather than shame and self judgment.I help you to change generational patterns that are not serving you .We are sensitive to your values ,needs and are culturally sensitive. My work mainly consists in solution focus with collaborative efforts from the client in order to attain goals . Todo el mundo necesito ayuda,aqui le ofreceremos la terapia totalmente en espanol para que pueda entender.

Your decision to evolve your place in the world is one of courage, vulnerability, and commitment. I sit with you in presence and curiosity so that each session is a safe space that allows you to hear and trust your inner healer and its deep wisdom. From this sacred space your healing journey begins. We work together on action steps that you take to make real changes in your life. I address: trauma/C-PTSD; intergenerational violence & trauma; grief; religious trauma; survivors of childhood neglect/emotionally immature parents; low self-esteem/self-love/self-trust; toxic masculinity/femininity; life transitions; thriving in recovery; psycho-spiritual awakening; and ketamine integration. I specialize in talk therapy integration for persons enrolled in an outside ketamine treatment program.

Greetings Friends! I am a CA Licensed Clinical Social Worker and have been happily supporting folks in need for over 30 years. My approach is offering Compassionate Communication and deep listening with mindfulness, and honoring our spiritual connection. Clients become self-empowered based on our shared common ground of equality, inclusiveness, mutual respect, and authenticity. I also combine transformational coaching with my counseling support which encourages a profound shift in being for my clients from being stuck in the old painful mental conditioning to discovering and expressing their True Self.

I am a seasoned and dedicated therapist, holding a license as a Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), and I am based in California. With 13 years of experience in this field, my practice is driven by a profound commitment to assisting individuals in their journey toward self-discovery and personal growth. My therapeutic approach centers around meeting my clients right where they are in their lives, offering them a safe and non-judgmental space to explore their thoughts, emotions, and experiences. I am deeply passionate about nurturing self-understanding, self-compassion, and self-love, guiding individuals to embrace these qualities as they navigate life's challenges. In my practice, I emphasize the importance of moving away from self-criticism and self-blame, recognizing these patterns as hindrances to personal well-being. Instead, I work collaboratively with my clients to foster self-acceptance and self-compassion, empowering them to build healthier relationships with themselves and others. My ultimate goal as a therapist is to help individuals discover their inner strengths, enhance their self-awareness, and develop the tools they need to lead more fulfilling and contented lives. It's a privilege and a passion of mine to assist others on their journey towards greater self-acceptance and emotional well-being.

Chenda Dyck, LMFT holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Pre-Physical Therapy from Fresno Pacific University and a Master of Science degree in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling from California State University, Fresno (2016). Born in Cambodia, Chenda came to the U.S. in 2003 with the love and sponsorship of an adoptive American family.

Matthew Tentler is a marriage and family therapist in Southern California. He specializes in treating in depression, post traumatic stress disorder, addiction and cultural, spiritual, and identity issues. 
After working as a teacher, a professional behavioral analyst, and later as a first responder on a mental health crisis team, Mr. Tentler worked as a lead clinician for a non-profit providing aid for survivors of human trafficking, where he developed a trauma informed martial arts, self defense and somatic therapy program.

Why me? I provide a safe space to unload your struggles, desires, failures, losses and be supported in your future goals. Don't know yet, we can take the journey and discover these together. I use my years of experience to educate about the functioning of the brain, body and spirit to lead toward a more fulfilling life. We will work to integrate all aspects of the self, achieve balance and harmony by learning to manage life's stress. I often give tools to practice outside of our meetings to accelerate progress.

Areas of Expertise: PTSD, Depression, Anxiety, Psychosomatic Disorders, Addiction, Relational Issues, Stress Management, Family Issues, Couple's Issues, Personal Growth, East/West Psychotherapy, Eating Disorders, Bipolar Disorders and Obsessive Compulsive Disorders. 7 years ago I created Psychosomatic Psychotherapy, a novel and highly effective treatment that integrates mind, body and emotion. This method targets blocked emotion and inflammation. Most Western therapies are essentially mind-oriented, but we are so much more than our thoughts. My approach includes elements of Emotion Focused Therapy, Short Term Psychodynamic Therapy, Somatic Therapy and Zen Buddhism. Psychosomatic Psychotherapy treats all mental health conditions, many chronic medical conditions and is quickly effective at helping people and their problems. We begin by telling our story. We go at a slower pace than usual and we pay special attention to the emotionally important parts of the story, e.g., talking to our mother, worrying about work, conflict in a relationship, etc. Here we pause and direct our attention to our abdomen and ask, “How do/did I feel about this or that or him or her?” Then we wait. We don’t rush to answer the question with our heads, we wait for an answer to slowly arise from our bodies. We are bypassing our intellectual defenses and asking our bodies what’s really going on. When discover our feelings we express them in a full-throated and wholehearted way! Then we just feel (not analyze!) that feeling in our bodies until the feeling dissolves or almost completely dissolves, usually within a few minutes. Last, we scan our bodies for any lingering areas of tightness or tension in places like the stomach, chest, throat, head, jaw, neck, or face. When we discover where we’re holding stress and somaticized emotions, we feel these areas until the tension/tightness/emotion dissolves, usually within a few minutes. Developing a greater capacity to feel also provides critical and deeper insight into our issues. The overall goal is to unblock emotions and reduce dangerous inflammation by metabolizing and processing emotions and somatic constrictions in the body. Along the way, we are also challenging old, disempowering stories and replacing them with more accurate, empowering narratives. When treatment integrates the cognitive, emotional, and somatic dimensions of our conditions, mental and physical symptoms are significantly reduced.

I am an older woman, who simply grew up confused within most of my own life. Things in my family were hard, and there seemed to be nobody who had any answers, so I grew up trying to figure things out, and I did not always do a great job. I now do a much better job in my own life, and here to help others with figuring out their own life paths, choices, anxieties/depressions/etc. My struggles eventually lead me to this role, as a therapist, a counselor, teacher, guide, support for the many others who are having a hard time figuring "it" out. I use a direct, honest, root-digging approach that seeks to heal at the core, allowing for release of attachments and agreements made long ago - many of these lead to feelings/thoughts/behaviors within shame, guilt, feelings of being a burden or just not good enough, codependency, anger, anxieties, depressions, people-pleasing - simply to just survive the day.

Sometimes ordinary psychotherapy just isn’t “it”. Most people who come into my practice come due to persistent sexual and emotional problems that regular psychotherapy analyzed, but did not effectively facilitate. Sometimes, “How does it make you feel?” Is simply too little and not sufficient for change. You are left feeling an inventory of your issues, but not much change. You will likely find me quite different to the above. I don’t fit the mold and this is intentional because traditional psychotherapy frustrates me and I need to bring about relief and real change. I am extroverted and high-energy. I am an active and verbose facilitator, and you come because you desire to do the hard work on yourself. It is my honor to serve. I help emotional/sexual/abuse traumas heal using bilateral stimulation known as tapping, and positive psychotherapy. We laugh together! I work with fathers as well. I teach men how to listen effectively, for conflict resolution and to learn how to validate your mate and yourself for deeper relaxation and communion as a pair. What people are saying: "She blew my mind! I feel so much better." "I should have done this years ago." "Now I have the mental tools to be effective. I have "proof of concept". This is all worth it." "This is rewarding to share; I can provide my kids with tools they can use growing up." "This has had such an impact on my life." "I feel Great!" "You are the best psychotherapist I have ever had, and I have seen plenty of them!"