Santa Monica Therapy

Santa Monica, California, one of the most famous and prosperous ocean communities in the United States, attracts a wide variety of highly trained therapists. Not at all surprising given its superb Mediterranean climate, with beachfront offices and affluent clients who live or work here.

Because of its liberal politics and forward-thinking social milieu, both traditional therapists and alternative practitioners set up shop in Santa Monica. With wellness professionals who treat virtually every form of malady, Santa Monica is a therapy mecca.

My name is Ellen R. Coleman. I am a former university professor and clinical hypnotherapist who specializes in self-empowerment and positive change. I live and work in the Santa Monica area and I have assisted many clients to find the help they need, either from me or other therapists practicing a diverse range of therapies.

The purpose of this article is to help you develop your search to find the right psychological therapy and therapist for you.

Santa Monica Offers Many Therapeutic Treatments

Many Santa Monica health professionals devote themselves either primarily or exclusively to healing bodily injuries and illness; they include physicians, nurses, massage therapists, sports injury doctors, acupuncturists, energy workers, and physical therapists. Other therapists in Santa Monica treat mental, emotional, spiritual and educational problems.

For simplicity sake, I refer to the large class of non-physical issues as “psychological issues” and the therapists who deal with them, “psychological therapists”.

Therapy for Psychological Issues in Santa Monica

At some point in their lives, nearly everyone finds themselves challenged by a psychological issue they have difficulty overcoming on their own. Enlisting the help of a professional seems an obvious action to take, especially if you have health insurance coverage or can afford to bear the costs. Unfortunately, there are those who might well benefit from such help, and have the means, but fervently resist seeing a therapist for whatever reasons. And there are many.

Finding the right form of psychological therapy and therapist to handle a psychological issue can be time-consuming, confusing, and often overwhelming. For those reasons, many seek referrals for therapy from trusted family members, friends, clergy, or colleagues. Others are reluctant to acknowledge to the people in their lives that they have problems, fearing they will be perceived as weak, immature, or worse.

Living in the Google Age enables faster, easier, on-line searches for therapy from the privacy of the home or office. Even so, coming up with a strategy when there is no referral can feel daunting and require considerable thought.

Finding the Right Psychological Therapist in Santa Monica

So how do you begin to find a Santa Monica therapist for your psychological issues? First off, you need to ask yourself what areas of your life are not working: personal life, career, relationships, hobbies, finances, health, spirituality, etc.

Then you need to start identifying what your issues are in these areas. You need to ask yourself what you are doing or failing to do that prevents you from having or achieving what you want? What limited beliefs and negative habits stand in your way?

Only then are you ready to do some research to find out which psychological therapists using which forms of psychological therapy treat your issues and with what methods.

Therapists for Depression

For example, if you are suffering with depression, you might go see a psychoanalyst who will ask lots of questions about your current life and past history, back to early childhood experiences in order to help you gain insight and understanding so you can heal.

But if you are suffering as well from manic episodes and severe anxiety, and you may need or want medication as well to improve your brain chemistry. If so, you must see a psychiatrist (or a psychopharmacologist), since they are the only ones who can prescribe medication, apart from a physician.

Family and Relationship Therapy

Suppose your problems manifest in your relationships with your spouse, who is threatening divorce, and/or your children who are acting out with aggression or misbehaving. You would do well to consider a marriage and family therapist.

He or she may recommend private sessions, one-on-one with you, to help you understand your and their issues and how they may adversely affect each of the members of your family. Some group sessions involving you, your husband and/or children, might also be recommended, perhaps with a neutral counselor who meets you all together for the first time. These sessions could provide important observations and insights regarding the interplay of behavior and feelings of both the parents and children.

A psychotherapist, a clinical psychologist or social worker would also be appropriate alternatives. Keep in mind that the methods used for treatment may vary by therapist. This would be something to ask about when you make an inquiry to a specific therapist about their practice. Ask them to explain their process. How do they conduct therapy? What methodologies and theories do they subscribe to?

Learning to Relax and De-stress and Attain your Goals

To learn to relax, manage stress, and remove obstacles to your academic, professional, or personal success, you may want to see a therapist who uses clinical hypnosis.

After interviewing you to determine what is causing your stress, why you are unable to relax, and how this interferes with attaining your stated goals, this therapist then induces an hypnotic state to gain direct and immediate access to your subconscious mind, where positive change begins. Once you are in hypnosis, the therapist then nurtures your subconscious, where positive change originates, with constructive ideas, images, visualizations, suggestions, and commands that support your stated goals. This material provides a blueprint for your subconscious mind to follow, as it motivates and encourages you to take constructive action in behalf of what you want to achieve in your life.

Many therapists using hypnosis will also teach you how to do self-hypnosis, so you can take yourself into that relaxed, inwardly focused state and give yourself various affirmations, suggestions, images, and visualizations, whether silently or aloud, to reinforce what was presented in session.

Overcoming Fears

If you need help to bounce back from loss, develop more confidence, overcome limiting beliefs, remove mental blocks, stop bad habits, eliminate phobias, and allay fears, including the fear of failure and fear of success, you probably want to see a therapist who does more than listen and ask questions. Among the many therapists who use bio-feedback, NLP, CBT, EFT, inner child work, and systematic desensitization are clinical psychologists, psychotherapists, and clinical hypnotherapists.

Most clinical hypnotherapists are not licensed as psychologists, but are accredited through certification programs. Many undergo extensive training in the techniques and applications of clinical hypnosis if they graduate from a college whose program has national accreditation, such as the Hypnosis Motivation Institute, not far from Santa Monica.

Whether practiced by a certified clinical hypnotherapist, a licensed psychologist, psychotherapist, or psychiatrist, clinical hypnosis is a very relaxing, effective, safe, and natural approach to psychological problems that directly accesses and influences the subconscious mind, where positive change begins.

If you or someone you know is a Santa Monica resident or worker that needs help with finding a therapist for a psychological issue not requiring medication or psychiatric treatment, call me, Ellen R. Coleman, for a complimentary phone consultation at (310) 422-9913 or email me at [email protected]. Helping people achieve their goals makes my spirit soar and my heart sing.

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