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Counseling in Woodland Hills, California
Specializing in Anxiety, Shame and Complex Trauma
You Took the First Step!
You may be feeling lost, anxious, down, confused and maybe even hopeless. You put your heart and soul into being there for other people and trying to be a good person, and in the end, you feel used, alone and misunderstood. You’ve been hurt by people and wonder if you can trust anyone again, including yourself. You may be struggling with feelings of not belonging, feelings of worthlessness or feeling simply not good enough. You doubt yourself while trying to not give up hope. You do your best every day to find control in your life wherever possible, sometimes in the wrong places. Maybe you struggle with trying to understand why you feel the way you feel, how you got here in your life, or feeling lost in trying to find a way out of your current situation.
Let’s Figure It Out Together
It is really difficult to not “blame yourself” when often being told that “you are the common theme in your relationships”. The truth is that the difficult part is coming to terms with the outcome of our choices while understanding that we do the best that we can in our lives. Realizing that not everyone is as trustworthy, reliable or loyal as you are. Realizing that others do not always hold the same values or don’t hold them in the same way that you do.
By embarking on the therapeutic process, the goal will be to help you understand why you do what you do. Over time, my clients see a change in their relationship, a deeper understanding of themselves and their experiences.
Karine Echighian, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Woodland Hills, CA. Specializing in Anxiety, Shame and Complex Trauma.Working with Adults and Couple’s Struggling with:
Anxiety
Depression
PTSD/Trauma
Complex Trauma
Self-Esteem
Self-Worth
Shame
Guilt
Grief
Stress
Life Changes
Personal Growth
Marriage/Couple’s Counseling
Pre-Marital Therapy
Infidelity
Specialties
Certified Anxiety Treatment Professional
Couple’s Counseling and Marriage Counseling
Shame-Informed Treatment
Finding help is not about getting ANY therapist, it's about finding the RIGHT therapist.
How do I know that I found the right therapist?
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When picking a therapist, one of the first things you want to ask yourself is “how do I feel when I speak with this therapist?” This is true when calling to schedule an appointment, doing the 15 minutes consultation and throughout therapy. Having the right connection and vibe with the therapist is imperative to trusting them and being able to open up about your struggles. It is important to feel safe, heard, understood and not to feel rushed or have your questions disregarded. I believe personalities need to mesh well together for the right flow of therapy.
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Finding a therapist can be a difficult experience, especially when you are utilizing insurance. However, it is important to hold out for a therapist that has the experience needed to treat your symptoms. Each therapist, even general therapists (those who do not specialize in a specific niche), have their own experiences with level of experience treating certain disorders. Depending on where they work, how they work or how long they have been in the field, they may have more or less training treating certain disorders. For example, if they do not often run across individuals struggling with an eating disorder, they may have less knowledge of how to treat the disorder and are therefore, not a good fit for someone who has or is struggling with one. You are worth finding the right person to help you!
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Not only does each therapist have their own level of experience with certain topics, symptoms or problems, they also have their own therapeutic approach. There are countless therapeutic approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Mindfulness, etc. Each approach comes with its own training and its own set of tools used to teach and treat individuals. Not all approaches work for every individual. I believe this is based on the level of your own personal experience in therapy and your personality. Some people need more structured approaches and others need more of a Person-Centered approach. Finding someone with the right approach or an eclectic approach can alter the process and outcome of treatment.