In my practice, I work with individuals, couples and families dealing with a variety of issues including: anger, infidelity, marital discord, depression, anxiety, sexual abuse, early childhood trauma, self-esteem, grief and loss, acculturation (i.e.: the process of adopting the cultural traits or social patterns of another group), pre-marital counseling, post-traumatic stress and war. I am familiar with acculturation issues and the many difficulties people experience during tumultuous and unpredictable times.

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in private practices located in Chatsworth and Sherman Oaks. I am bi-lingual and bi-cultural. I am fluent in Farsi (Persian) and was born and raised in the U.S. until the age of 12 when I moved abroad. After receiving my Bachelor’s degree in Business, I worked several years within the private business sector. I discovered my true passion and decided to pursue a Masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. Having gained education, training and experience in both the arts & sciences, I can offer my clients a unique and diverse perspective in therapy.

Typically, people seek my help when they are at a crossroads in their life or they are experiencing difficulty in their personal relationships. They want change, but do not know where to start. From the moment we begin therapy, I am walking with each individual on his or her own therapeutic path. I create a safe and open space for everyone. I am an empathic listener, and I will assist in making sense out of unclear, painful, and confusing experiences. This allows the individuals to learn strength, coping skills and the empowerment necessary to make changes. .

In addition to my private practice, I have been leading a confidential court referred anger management group for the past 5 years; and I work with court mandated as well as self-referred men and women. In this group, I teach members how to recognize and manage their anger in a more constructive way. Through facilitated discussions and experiential exercises in a supportive, compassionate environment, one learns what his or her anger is telling them and how to manage it appropriately.

In addition, I co-founded and co-facilitate a support group for marriage and family interns and clinical social work interns as they journey on their path to licensure. My colleague Jen Bailey, LMFT and I launched this much needed support group “Beating the BBS Blues.” This group offers support to interns who are getting ready for licensure. This is the most critical time in their careers and many interns need guidance through the dizzying details and anxiety-ridden process that starts the moment they complete their 3000 hours, submit them to the BBS, and continues all the way through preparing for their exams and their lives after licensure.

I also founded and facilitate a support group for Iranian women. The mission of this group is to empower and inform Iranian women so that they can initiate desired changes and manifest deserving relationships in a safe, non-judgmental, and supportive environment.

Often people ask me how I “do therapy” or what is my “approach.” I work from a few different perspectives that provide me with different lenses (figuratively speaking) to look through when working therapeutically with a client. Each client is unique and therefore, so are their needs. Each perspective offers a different way of understanding what a client may need to help them towards their therapeutic goal(s).