About Counseling
"Life is like a box of chocolates..."
"You never know what you're gonna get." A very simple and profound line from the movie "Forrest Gump"...
And it's true. Life is uncertain.
You're at the top of your game at work. Then the recession hit, and now you're experiencing an unexpected job loss that has snowballed into losing your home.
Health issues have left you incapacitated with a drained bank account.
You thought your marriage was solid, but you learn your spouse has been having an affair. You're wondering what you did wrong.
We live in a fast-paced society.
We're done with one thing and then off to do the next thing.
Kids have soccer practice, dance classes, and music lessons. You’re running from one thing to the other, and it’s all a blur. There isn’t enough time in the day for you to collect your thoughts and just breathe.
And your spouse just sprung on you he invited his boss and his wife over for dinner, and you don’t know how you’re going to get dinner on the table and be pleasant all night long when you’re dead tired.
Keeping up appearances that everything is okay is killing you on the inside. Is this the life you signed up for?
No one takes the time to stop and just be in the now.
Taking time for yourself and getting back to what brought you joy.
That unfinished novel.
Hiking the great trails across America.
Painting scenic landscapes.
Taking a ceramics class.
Every year seems to go by faster and faster with no signs of slowing down.
Do you lack adventure in your life?
Every day, it’s the same old routine… there are no surprises.
Life is predictable, unfolding on automatic pilot as you go through the motions.
Picking up the kids from school.
Getting dinner on the table.
Making sure the house is always in order.
There’s no spontaneity or adventure.
A weekend getaway with the spouse seems like an impossibility. Their job is so demanding.
There doesn’t seem to be enough money to travel to those places you and your spouse once dreamed of visiting.
You’re an entrepreneur at heart, but there’s always something that pulls you back into staying right where you are.
Counseling can give you hope for a vibrant and fulfilling life!
Counseling will provide you a safe, steady environment to learn new tools for handling the uncertain moments in your life.
Counseling is a unique opportunity to stop the speeding train, to be present and in-the-moment. There’s no one to hurry you along to get there (wherever that may be!).
It is an opportunity to learn who you are and who you have been created to be. The truth is… if you don’t know who you are, you’ll end up becoming someone else.
On this explorative journey, I’ll walk with you on your path every step of the way. While the work of counseling is personal and individual, it doesn’t have to be a solitary experience.
Together, we will explore your passions, dreams, and desires… and we’ll develop a plan to turn them into reality!
Let’s talk a little about the process…
Our first encounter will be a free 20 minute phone or video (if preferred) consultation.
During that time, I will ask you questions about you, your situation, and what brings you to counseling. You will also ask me questions. This experience will let us know if working together is the best fit for your needs.
If it is, then we will schedule our first appointment for online tele-therapy. If we determine you would benefit more from other resources during our first session, I will provide helpful referrals.
Once we have scheduled your appointment, I will send you the Services Agreement, and Client Intake Form. You must complete the forms before our first session.
You will then receive an email with the link to our online tele-therapy session. Click on that link at the time of our session, and we will meet on a secure online platform.
Our time together will be spent focusing on how you came to consider counseling, identifying the main roots or issues, walking you through a process that will challenge your false beliefs, and launching you into a life of healing and freedom!
We will explore more of your current situation during our first few sessions. Together, we will decide whether faith-based cognitive-behavioral therapy or temperament therapy suits your needs. We will also discuss if a combination of these two modalities would be a better option.
Our time together will be spent focusing on how you came to consider counseling, identifying the main roots or issues, walking you through a process that will challenge your false beliefs, and launching you into a life of healing and freedom!
About Me
For as long as I can remember people have felt
comfortable talking to me.
Even people I met for the first time didn’t mind sharing personal
details about their lives because they felt comfortable and safe
with me to disclose those details.
Maybe it’s because I am truly interested in hearing someone else’s
story, so I ask many questions.
I can sympathize with where people have been or are currently and
ask questions about where they would like to be in their lives now.
And if they’re really interested, I’ll help them dig a little deeper to
uncover why things turned out the way they did.
Then I offer them encouragement and hope in knowing they can
change things if they want to.
Whenever this happened, I listened and offered feedback. My friends
used to say I would be a great counselor. So… here I am!
My journey to counseling was a long and winding one.
After I graduated from Cal-State, Northridge, with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Theatre, I worked in the entertainment industry for 14 years. From production to casting to being an agent for film and television composers,
it was quite the experience – one that made me realize that there are a lot of hurting and wounded people in the world needing help.
I left the industry when its excitement wore off, and I worked in Human Resources for the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel in Los Angeles. It was here that I met the individual that introduced me to “The Genesis Process,”
a faith-based cognitive-behavioral therapy.
I went through this six-month process that helped me heal deep pain. During this time, I realized my true calling in life: to help hurting people heal their emotional wounds. I wanted them to experience the restoration and freedom available to them.
Other training that turned my calling into a vocation…
I completed the basic certification course work in substance abuse counseling in 2011, and I received my BA in Christian Counseling from the Colorado Theological Seminary in 2020. In April 2021 I received my Masters in Clinical Christian Counseling from Colorado Theological Seminary.
I became a Licensed Pastoral Counselor in 2019, and a certified Pastoral Sex Addiction Professional through IITAP (International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals).
When I’m not doing counseling,
I am a foodie at heart.
Growing up in my mother’s Armenian kitchen, my childhood was filled with the smells and tastes of Mediterranean food. I am an avid baker and cook, focusing on eliminating the common food allergens from one’s diet.
I also enjoy the outdoors by getting in a hike when the weather permits. I live in Southern California, so inclement weather is a rarity!
My husband and I love to travel when we get a chance. In 2019, we visited Israel for the second time, and I got to meet family in Tel Aviv I didn’t even know I had!
Now that you know something about me…
…I hope you feel comfortable enough to reach out.
All you need to do is fill out my contact form or call to schedule a free 20 minute consultation. I’ll be happy to answer any additional questions you have to determine if we’re a good fit to work together.