Clinicians

Abby Goldstein, M.A. (Associate Marriage and Family Therapist #112691)

Abby Goldstein smiling

Abby earned her Masters degree in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University in Los Angeles, CA. She has worked with a wide variety of clients including adults and children from diverse backgrounds. Abby has previously worked primarily in community mental health and is now establishing her private practice focused on long-term individual and couples treatment.

Abby works from an integrative, trauma and attachment-informed perspective. Her areas of specialty include grief and trauma, as well as parenting. She also has training in emotion-focused couples therapy (EFT) and is currently training in DBT and somatic approaches (SE) in her supervision with Dr. Rodriguez. Abby formerly worked in the film industry as a producer and brings her strong interpersonal skills and creative-problem solving abilities to her clinical work.

Abby’s statement on her clinical work: “I can’t imagine a more fulfilling way to use my curiosity, life experiences, and interpersonal skills than supporting them in changing, growing and finding in purpose in their lives. I recognize the importance of creating an open, trusting, loving relationship in the room in order to help people bring that to the relationships in their life. If we have learned anything from the Covid-19 pandemic it is that we all need and thrive in relationships. Therapy is an important tool for developing and nurturing positive relationships within the yourself and with others in your life. I provide a safe, warm, non-judgmental environment, where together we discover and heal the obstacles to you having a deeper, more meaningful life. I believe that it is not the challenges or traumas that form us but how we respond to them. Collaboratively we can build resiliency to navigate life’s challenges.”

You can contact Abby directly at (323) 828-2589 or agoldsteintherapy15@gmail.com to speak with her further about whether she’d be a good fit for your needs.

Sadie Mohler, Ph.D., Registered Psychological Associate (PSB #94027560)

Dr. Sadie Mohler received her B.A. from Occidental College in Critical Theory and Social Justice and earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Duquesne University, which specializes in a human science, philosophical, and depth-oriented approach to understanding suffering and healing. Dr. Mohler completed her predoctoral internship at the West Los Angeles VA where she is currently a postdoctoral resident in the Integrative Health and Healing Clinic. Additionally, she has trained within community-based clinics, hospital settings, and university counseling centers.

Dr. Mohler’s statement on her clinical work: “Everyone has the innate capacity to adapt, heal, and grow. As a psychologist, my aim is not to ‘fix,’ but rather to help cultivate the conditions for you to connect to this intrinsic capacity. Often, we are disconnected from this reality because of our experiences in our environment — from childhood, past relationships, socio-political systems, cultural expectations, etc. In my experience, the therapeutic relationship can be a powerful tool to increase insight about how our previous experiences shape the way we move through the world. In addition to seeing therapy as a space to increase insight, it is also a space to strengthen our capacity to turn toward our struggles with curiosity and compassion. I believe that as we recognize, understand, and tend to our difficulties and wounds, healing and transformation can occur. In addition to working with what is challenging, I also believe therapy is a space to explore what brings you joy, delight, and meaning. Both are equally important ingredients for living a full life.”

As a clinician, Dr. Mohler draws from her undergraduate and graduate training in the humanities and her clinical training in various evidence-based treatments. The foundation of Dr. Mohler’s approach is relationally psychodynamic and integrative — in addition to using the therapeutic relationship as a tool, she also weaves in other perspectives, such as mindfulness and self-compassion interventions, somatic interventions, ACT, and CBT to create a therapy that fits each person best. Additionally, Dr. Mohler has trained in exposure-based trauma treatment (Prolonged Exposure and Written Exposure Therapy). Dr. Mohler has worked with people of various racial, ethnic, gender, sexual, socio-economic, and religious identities and has a strong commitment to bringing cultural humility to her work. Within therapy, she believes it is critical to acknowledge the impact that systems of power and oppression have on the well-being of people and communities. Dr. Mohler works with adults with a wide range of concerns including complex trauma, PTSD, chronic anxiety and/or depression, grief, life transitions, chronic health challenges, relationship stress, family of origin trauma or estrangement, and issues related to sexual and gender identity.

Dr. Mohler is currently a Psychological Associate under the licensed supervision of Allyn T. Rodriguez, Psy.D. (PSY 27459). You may contact her directly at drsadiemohler@gmail.com or (424) 341-4946.

Talia Banayan, Psy.D., Registered Psychological Associate (PSB #94027918)

Dr. Banayan earned her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Loma Linda University. She has been trained in a variety of different clinical settings including school systems, community mental health clinics, medical centers, and now private practice. She has worked with a diverse group of clients with regard to ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, and age. Dr. Banayan works with individuals across the lifespan and has focused training regarding infant mental health, health psychology, parenting services, and trauma recovery.

Dr. Banayan’s statement on her clinical work: “As a psychologist, I see therapy as an extremely personalized journey with therapy being a client-centered experience. Given that I work with individuals as early as infancy all the way through adulthood, I have a wide breadth of therapeutic skills that adjust based on the client’s developmental stage and individual needs. The first phase of my work with a client of any age is to listen to their needs and work together to establish the approach that is most beneficial to the goals they have and the reasons they come into therapy.

I recognize that therapy is often the first time many people have a safe and supportive place to sit with their most private thoughts and prior life experiences. As a psychologist with adults and young adults, I follow my client’s lead while infusing therapeutic techniques including but not limited to emotion-focused approaches, mindful grounding, somatic/body-based learning, and cognitive-behavioral skills. So many of us live our lives on autopilot, without recognizing the factors of our own behaviors that serve us and those that are hurting us. This can cause individuals to live life in a state of reactivity rather than engaging from a values-driven and centered state. Therapy is a place to make the unconscious experience conscious. So much of the unconscious experience can be stored in the body and presents as physical pain. I value the incorporation of cognitive, behavioral, emotional, and somatic skills to release this pain. I do so by using warmth and strength-based communication to cultivate a space that feels safe, supportive, and empowering.

When working with children in their early years, I actively involve parents in order to support their child to the greatest potential. I see my role as a child psychologist as a facilitator of therapeutic skills to be used at home and daily living by the family. While I teach children to use their coping skills to regulate themselves, I believe in involving parents making it a process of supported regulation rather than isolation. Beyond the use of behavioral interventions, I believe that cultivating a deep understanding of the family culture and specifically regarding the parents’ own life experience and their views on parenting allows me to tailor my work most appropriately to best meet the family’s needs.”

Dr. Banayan is currently a Psychological Associate under the licensed supervision of Allyn T. Rodriguez, Psy.D. (PSY 27459). You may contact Dr. Banayan directly at (504) 383-3626 or dr.taliapsyd@gmail.com to discuss your goals for therapy and how we can best support you.