Inner Guide Therapy Los Angeles (she/her)

Partners often go through periods of stress and conflict during times of transition and major life events. Therapy with your partner(s) is a great option to help negotiate change and create patterns that feel more satisfying for each of you moving forward. Relationships at any stage can benefit, whether you're moving in together, getting engaged, healing from grief, opening up your relationship, or becoming first-time parents.

Most of our clients have experienced some form of depression, 'going through the motions,' or disinterest in things they used to care about. They often feel a sense of 'worthlessness' or low self-esteem and feel that they don't belong. We believe depression is often anger turned against the self when we are really unconsciously experiencing anger about the world, significant others, or systems of oppression. We work with you to uncover the source and feel what you need to feel to move on.

Anxiety disorders happen when we underestimate our own strengths and overestimate the threats in our environment. Sometimes we need to build up your skills and uncover your strength and sometimes we need to deconstruct the stories of what you are afraid of, but together we can find ways to help you change your relationship to fear and stress.

The simplest definition of 'trauma' is any event that psychologically overwhelms you, which as a result leads to a few often misunderstood responses in the body. Usually these are hypervigilance or feeling like you must always be on guard or prepared for danger, and avoidance of things (often feelings) that are difficult or overwhelming. Our clinicians draw from a variety of experiences and treatments for trauma that help you to navigate the physical, social, and psychological symptoms you face.

Our treatment team knows that the relationships they form with you are unique, bidirectional, and transformative. We understand that in order to approach yourself with curiosity rather than judgment, we need to create a safe container where you can let go of toxic shame and self-attack and embrace all parts of you, even the ones that you don't like. Relational therapy is the theoretical framework that we use to make sense of the unconscious patterns we will replicate and explore together.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy is a strongly supported evidence-based treatment divided into four basic domains: Mindfulness, Emotion Regulation, Interpersonal Effectiveness, and Distress Tolerance. Our clinicians offer groups for beginners just learning these skills for the first time as well as advanced process-oriented groups for those who are curious about deepening their relationships with others. We happily integrate skills learning into your individual therapy sessions as needed.