Specialties
I love working with individuals (including adolescents), couples, and families. In a comfortable, nurturing environment we address such questions as: Are you having difficulties in your relationships? Do you experience anxiety or depression? Do you just want to feel better about yourself and reach your full potential?
In addition, I feel especially qualified to help Creative and LGBT people.
Are you a Creative person with very high standards for yourself? Do you have doubts about your own self-worth? Do you have a hard time dealing with rejection or the ups and downs of the creative process? As a long-time member of SAG-AFTRA, I help creative people to recognize that being creative is hard, to strive for excellence instead of "perfection," and to stop listening to internal, negative voices!
Are you an LGBT person who struggles with coming out, doubts your own self-worth, believes others' negative opinions, or is affected by prejudice and discrimination? I help LGBT folks to be proud of who they are and to empower themselves.
And I'm qualified to perform EMDR therapy, which can be an effective tool in dealing with disturbing memories, phobias, performance anxiety, stress reduction. Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions about whether it could be appropriate for you.
History
Established in 2012.
In 2012, I began seeing clients at Southern California Counseling Center. At the Center I was able to see a variety of clients: adults, children, couples, and families from a range of socio-economic backgrounds, racial and ethnic groups, and sexual orientations. I gained experience in various modalities such as Psychodynamic, Jungian, Gestalt, Solution-Focused and Narrative therapies. I received psycho-education in such subjects as domestic violence, Emotionally Focused Therapy, mindfulness, and working with veterans. I participated in and led therapy groups with various emphasis, including Dialectical Behavior Therapy and group therapy for actors. And I had extensive training in--and became qualified to perform--EMDR, which focuses on the treatment of trauma. After leaving the Center in 2014, I began my private practice, where I continue to see heterosexual and LGBT individuals, adolescents, families, and couples.
Meet the Business Owner: Brian C.
I grew up on the Mexican border in South Texas, where I enjoyed the benefits of diversity as I lived side-by-side with another culture. I went to Harvard in the late '60's, an era that saw the end of the VietNam War and the beginnings of Women's Lib, Black Power, and Gay Liberation. I got my first MA from University of Texas in Speech/Communication and, after that, was an actor for many years in NYC and LA. After getting therapy myself for issues arising from my parents' divorce when I was a child and the fact that I had grown up as a gay boy in a conservative environment, I was inspired to help others as I had been helped. I got my second MA from Antioch University LA and began my second career as a psychotherapist, using many of the skills I had learned as an actor: imagining myself in another person's shoes, being non-judgmental, and listening closely. I love my work!
