Licensed Clinical Psychologist
License # PSY 8161
138 N. Brand #300
Glendale, CA 91203
(818) 243-0839
I work with teens 15 +, adults, and couples in short and long term psychotherapy. I also provide group therapy. I have extensive experience working with a wide range of clients representing varied ages, professions, cultures, races, and life styles. I have multiple areas of focus that include: anxiety, depression, work stress, relationship conflicts, sleep problems, low self-esteem, alcohol and drug abuse, loss, critical illness, and trauma.
Psychotherapy is a very personal experience. It is not like a visit to a medical doctor. It calls for an active commitment on your part in collaboration with my efforts to understand you. Its effectiveness depends on how hard you work on your issues during and outside therapy as well as on how well we work together.
I am pragmatic and interactive in my approach and adapt my style to your particular needs. Individuals come to therapy for different reasons, with unique histories, strengths, weaknesses, and expectations. My goal is to create a safe place where you will feel supported to do the challenging work of self-exploration and behavioral change.
Self-awareness +support + action + time = change.
The sense of being listened to and understood by another person can be deeply grounding and motivating. Self-awareness creates the space for change. Within this space one begins to take risks and try new behaviors. These efforts lead to different outcomes and more adaptive ways of thinking about one’s life.
Successful psychotherapy depends on the quality of the relationship between client and therapist. Typically I will conduct an informal evaluation that lasts between 2 and 4 sessions. During this time, we will have a chance to get to know each other. I will develop an initial understanding of your concerns and how I can best be helpful to you. And you will have the chance to assess whether or not I am the person with whom you would like to work with. After these initial sessions, I will provide you with feedback that will give you a realistic sense of how therapy can be helpful.
Psychological change takes time and requires patience. It involves learning and integrating new coping strategies, changing longstanding patterns of behavior, and becoming more accepting and less judgmental of yourself. While one can often experience a reduction in symptomatic distress after a handful of sessions, most psychological problems don’t get resolved in a couple of sessions. Depending on one’s presenting problems, personal history and individualized goals therapy can last from a couple of months to several years.
It is difficult being in a relationship. Disagreements, disappointments, and conflicts are inevitable. Stress from work, parenting, health issues, and financial concerns can intensify conflict. Often a couple comes to see me when they have reached an impasse in their relationship. Working out differences in communication style, intimacy needs, sexual problems, negotiating routine decisions, as well as ways of handling conflict are challenging and can lead to frustrating and seemingly intractable patterns of interacting,
I work with both straight and gay couples, with couples who are wanting to deepen and enliven their relationship as well as with couples who are experiencing significant conflict.
At the outset, therapy involves a process of mutual evaluation. While all is not fair and equal in love and relationships, usually it takes two to create a problem. It is important for couples to recognize their negative patterns of interaction and how each partner contributes to this pattern. Initial progress often occurs when a couple begins to see how their conflicts are mutually determined. When conflict is reduced, individuals are better able to communicate their needs and feelings. At this point they are likely to work on their intimacy. When there is a feeling of mutual understanding through the development of effective communication, the couple is not only better equipped to handle conflict but also more adept at being intimate.
My hourly fee is $180.00 for Individual and couples psychotherapy. I also have a sliding fee scale. If you are intending to use insurance, I will accept the contracted rate of reimbursement. You will be responsible for the co-payment and the deductible. Currently I am accepting Blue Cross PPO and HMO, Aetna PPO, and Value Options insurance Plans.
It is important to understand your mental health benefits, how they are managed, and most importantly whether or not I am a provider with your plan. If you have questions, you should call your insurance customer service department. Pre-authorization of treatment is sometimes required before services will be reimbursed as well as periodic treatment plans in order for the company to determine whether or not there is a need for ongoing therapy. If you chose to use your insurance benefit, and I am a provider with this company, I will work with your plan. If your benefits are used up or ongoing therapy is denied, and you wish to continue therapy, we will discuss options for continuing your treatment. You always have the option to pay for therapy out of pocket and avoid the involvement of your insurance plan.
New Client forms For convenience, prior to your first appointment, you can fill out the appropriate forms and bring them to your appointment.
Dreams cloak the waking world with mystery, fear and excitement. They need attention for their imaginative richness and practical utility to be experienced and realized in waking consciousness.
The dream group will utilize multiple approaches to understanding dreams including Freud, Jung, Montagu Ullman’s work with groups, and Stephen Eizenstat’s “dream tending.” It will utilize both verbal and non-verbal expressive means as a way to access and represent the complex structure of dreams.
The exploration of dreams in a group setting can deepen one’s understanding of dream-life and also strengthen connections to others. The dream group provides a creative space where the dreamer can express parts of the self that are typically kept private and connect to others at emotional levels that are often not experienced in conventional social interactions. The group enriches an individual’s experience by adding their associations and reactions to the dream. This process links individual themes with group concerns, anxieties, and hopes that creates a shared dream experience.
The weekly dream group is an ongoing group limited to 8 members. It is open to adults who are interested in dreams and see the value in using dreams as a means of self-exploration.
Individuals who are interested in this group can call Dr. Brooks to set up an initial consultation.
This monthly group is open to adults who are curious about dreams and wish to experience a dream group. The group will be didactic and experiential. Participants will be presented a brief overview of ways of working with dreams in groups followed by an experience of working with a dream.
To attend this group call Dr. Brooks to reserve a place.