About Me:

Your Ally for Personal Growth Therapy in West Hollywood

 

GavinBefore I began my therapy training, I started at a suicide hotline in college to earn some extra cash.

Fast forward to five years and thousands of calls from stressed individuals in need of peace later. I saw the wonders that trauma relief and healing from anxiety could give. I observed the impact of the relief and peace these callers gained on their ability to chase after their goals. Before my eyes, this trained support helped heal digestive issues, heart palpitations, headaches, body aches, and overall sense of self-worth.

As I continued psychological schooling, training, and work experience, I was struck by the pressures men often kept to themselves. Too often, this included numerous topics: their sex lives, relationship concerns, and work demands. That was my inspiration to pursue training in anxiety relief and trauma recovery. Therefore, my goal was, and continues to be, to help these men experience freedom in their relationships and confidence in the workplace.

Img 0440Some of my professional therapy background…

Now, I’m licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in California.

During my training, I was among a lucky few selected for an internship that provided therapy as supervisors watched and coached from beyond a one-way mirror, sharpening my skills to help others relieve deep struggles with anxiety.

I left that year with a Restoration Therapy Level II certification for navigating complicated emotions, training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy for trauma recovery, and experience using attachment therapy to heal from historical wounds.

Img 0437

When I’m not in the therapy office…

I’m a Los Angeles guy who spends my days with a fluffy white Goldendoodle named Emma Frost (after the X-Men character).

I frequent comedy shows in and around Hollywood and enjoy a good game night at home with friends and continuing the search for L.A.’s best cocktails.

About Therapy

That journey will start with our first session together.

In therapy, you’ll gain practical tools to decrease your body’s natural stress response.

The amygdala in your brain learns to turn on your fight or flight response when in danger but often works overtime when you aren’t in any present harm, causing stress, worry, and anxious body symptoms. Therefore, we will work to retrain your amygdala. You’ll learn to communicate with your subconscious, which is currently sending messages to your brain when you don’t need your stress hormones. This process helps you learn how to replace this stress with peace and confidence when you need it most.

Through deep exploration of your story, you’ll also learn to identify and expose negative anxiety messages playing on repeat.

Firstly, you’ll learn why the volume has increased on “I’m not good enough,” “I’m a failure,” “I’m not loved,” or others. Secondly, we’ll practice how to overcome those harmful messages by replacing them with more empowering self-belief messages based on what’s realistic and true about who you are.

Experience a release of anxiety’s grip as you grow out of the hold of stress, worry, and trauma, and learn to increase and capitalize on the strengths of your inner voice, loved ones, your innate skills, and the hope of your future chapters.

628436579Let’s talk about benefits…

Confidence…

You have powerful goals. Imagine what you could achieve in your love life and work if you knew your strengths and believed in their power.

Self-esteem…

Would it help to be softer to yourself, more self-forgiving, so that your mind is freed-up to understand the wonder you are, the endless things you could accomplish?

Peace…

What if you could experience the benefits of rest and leisure, laughter and fun with loved ones, without thinking about work or that expansive to-do list?

A comforting inner voice…

Wouldn’t it be nice to hear words of affirmation and celebration instead of constant chatter putting you down and installing doubt into your mind?

It’s time to step into your strength!

Like with many things that are good for us, the hardest step is the first step. That’s why reaching out for the first phone call is the most challenging and most important part of the process.

I’m here to offer guidance and support as you decide on the right mental health path for you.

I offer a free consultation to help you feel out if we can do great work together. If we’re not a match, I know a lot of awesome therapists with whom I can connect you. Give yourself a chance for something better. You’ll be glad you did.