Addiction, Codependency and Recovery

Addiction is a serious medical condition that often requires the trained attention of a therapist, doctor, and various treatment modalities and approaches. Often, chemical dependency is found in conjunction with underlying psychological issues (dual-diagnosis) or a history of trauma. Many times, addiction not only wreaks havoc on the addicted individual, but also on relationships and family members. Using both evidence-based approaches and other modalities, I can help an addicted individual recover his or her lost sense of self through family systems work, self-identity work, mindfulness, and other approaches; as well as accountability to the commitment to health and recovery. I can also help partners of alcoholics or addicts learn healthy boundaries and coping skills when dealing with addiction. I provide individual, couple, family, or group therapy for addiction, as well as community and medical referrals for addiction and dual-diagnosis treatment in the South Bay of Los Angeles. I also offer professional intervention/sober coach and/or sober companion referrals. Addiction can make one feel lost and powerless. It is a complex disease of the brain and body, and I am here to help you navigate through to the other side.

Individual Adult Psychotherapy

I offer 50-minute psychodynamic psychotherapy sessions for individual adults. You might come in for your first meeting knowing exactly what you’d like to work on, or you might not be so sure. Either way, weekly individual therapy can help you gain more awareness of your needs, desires, and goals in life. Utilizing your own inner strength and resources, we can discover ways in which you can find more meaning and fulfillment each day. Building a healing relationship in the safe space of the therapy room can help you become more authentic in your interaction with yourself and others. 

Relationship Therapy & Couples Work

I am trained in Sue Johnson’s Emotionally-Focused (EFT) Couples Therapy. This is a solution-focused, collaborative, and structured approach to Couples work. EFT sees relationships as an attachment bond, and is based on over fifty years of research into human bonding. Couples tend to attach at points of unresolved trauma, and therapy can help with self-reflection and increased empathy on the part of both partners. Couples and relationship therapy can include: pre-marital, marital, separation, divorce, breakups; same-sex couples; partner communication skills, and parenting skills. I offer standard 50-minute or 80-minute extended couples sessions for a discounted price.

Teen Psychotherapy

Increasingly, adolescents are faced with more and more anxiety, expectations, and the demand for perfectionism. The conflicts and issues that teens address are often very connected with deeply held beliefs, including those that are crucial to their identities, personalities, and development. When I work with your teen, I provide them with a confidential, safe, space where they can build trust to discuss various situations such as, drugs and alcohol, body image and eating disorders, low self-esteem, sexual identity, bullying in school, relational issues, academic struggles, struggles to fit in, reducing stress, increasing coping skills, and managing peer pressure. I also can recommend group therapy for your teen.

Family Therapy

Family therapy is a type of psychological counseling that can help family members improve communication and resolve conflicts. It can help each member of a family feel seen and heard. It seeks to reduce distress and conflict by improving the systems of interactions between family members. Family therapy can help sort out family medical issues, family addiction, family mental health issues, parenting, blended families, life transitions, dealing with addiction of a loved one, births and deaths, crisis, aging and caregiving, roles and responsibilities in a household, and grief or loss.

Psychodynamic Therapy

Psychodynamic therapy is an insight-oriented, collaborative therapy, where you will gain self-awareness, and become more flexible and adaptable through the work. We will focus on unconscious processes and how they affect your current behavior.  Psychodynamic therapy is characterized by self-reflection and self-examination of emotional blind spots and relationship patterns. In therapy you may explore unconscious motives, needs, and defenses. Psychodynamic therapy can be helpful for people who don’t understand why they keep repeating the same patterns in relationships. It’s also an effective treatment for many mental health concerns including depression, anxiety, panic and stress-related physical ailments.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT is a structured and goal-oriented approach that is based on the premise that our thoughts affect our feelings and behaviors. CBT involves identifying and changing biases and distortions in our thinking styles that reinforce negative feelings and behaviors. If you can change the way you think, then changes in your emotions and behaviors will follow. 

Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)

EFT focuses on adult relationships and attachment styles. The therapist and clients look at patterns in the relationship; take steps to create a more secure bond and develop trust to move the relationship in a healthier, more positive direction. In addition to helping the distressed relationship, EFT can also help reduce individual symptoms of depression, anxiety, or trauma.

Group therapy

Group therapy can be process groups, or support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Al-Anon. The power of process groups is that attendees receive multiple perspectives, encouragement and feedback from others in the group.  The power of support groups lies in mutual support from group members who all share a common health characteristic or concern. Please contact Courtney for information on groups.

Family Systems Therapy

Family systems therapy is a form of psychotherapy that helps individuals resolve their problems in the context of their family units, where many issues are likely to begin. Each family member works together with the others to better understand their group dynamic and how their individual actions affect each other and the family unit as a whole.

Mindfulness-Based techniques

Mindfulness involves awareness and non-judgmental acceptance of our thoughts and feelings in the present moment.  Mindfulness can be an important tool for stress-management and relaxation, as well as aiding in emotion regulation and distress tolerance.

“My partner does not meet my needs anymore.”

“I feel alone and isolated.”

“I do not know who I am.”

“ I am not sure of my purpose in life.”

“My drinking has become unmanageable.”

“Why me? How did this come about?”

“How do I support a family member with his or her addiction?”

“What is codependency? Am I codependent?”

“I would like to gain more insight about my actions and behaviors”

“I am not free to be who I want to be.”

“I would like to understand my unconscious motives and desires.”

“I am having difficulty communicating with my partner.”

“I do not know how to move forward after losing my husband.”

“I would like to gain greater self-awareness.”

“My wife cheated on me and we have three kids. Now what?”

“How do I co-parent with my ex-husband?”

“I want to gain better coping skills, stress management & life balance.”

“I keep re-running a traumatic event through my head.”

“I am having trouble sleeping and have daily anxiety.”

“I cannot get over my fear of public speaking.”

“I do not have any sex drive.”

“I do not want to get up in the morning.”

“I need help through this scary life transition.”

“I need parenting tools.”