Individual Therapy

I believe that greater self-awareness leads to greater fulfillment, both in your life and in your relationships. If you’re wondering why you keep dating the same type of person over-and-over again, why you keep having the same frustrations at different workplaces, or why you keep having the same fight with your partner, I can help you examine this. I help my clients uncover what’s behind their unconscious patterns to help them grow and empower people to authentically choose how they show up in their own lives.

You might be a professional with a goal of “having it all” or are in a time of significant personal transformation. If you’re anything like me, you were raised in a high achievement family where things were expected to go well — you may have even been expected to be “the best”. You might be feeling frustrated that, despite trying really hard or having all the tools, something just doesn’t feel quite right. It could be in your career, your relationships, your finances, or maybe you’re on the brink of a big life change that feels overwhelming, like entering marriage or parenthood or changing your career. These life events often push the boundaries of our current identities and challenge our sense of who we are.

There may be an internal dialogue that is nagging at you to be “perfect”, which somehow leads to feeling undeserving and unworthy — and maybe even sensations of depression or anxiety. I’m here to tell you that these are normal, human experiences and emotions that, until processed, can affect us in ways we might not even be able to fully understand. I’m here to help you dig deep to find the root of where you might be feeling stuck, frustrated, or unseen.

Together, we can work through:

  • Self-dissatisfaction

  • Relationship issues

  • Processing a break up

  • How to attract the partner you want

  • Codependency

  • Exploring your attachment style

  • Healing attachment trauma

  • Recovering from sexual trauma

  • The motherhood transition

  • Ambivalence around a big life change, such as parenthood

  • Career challenges

  • Changing careers

  • Anxiety

  • Depression

  • Self-esteem

“Until you make the unconscious, conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”

— C.J. Jung

My approach

My therapeutic style is non-judgmental, supportive, and practical. I’m a psychodynamic therapist, which means that I like to work with the unconscious thoughts and motivations that are influencing our feelings and behaviors. I often describe this as working with the root of the tree of the mind, rather than pruning the branches.

My approach is informed by Carl Jung, Sue Johnson, John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth’s work on Attachment Styles, and Melanie Klein’s theory of Object Relations. I am LGBT-affirmative, sex positive, and support all relationship structures. I identify as an ally of the LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities.

Getting started

  1. Get in touch to schedule a free 15-minute consultation call to hear a bit more about why you’re seeking therapy, answer any questions you might have, and schedule our first appointment. If you’re just ready to get going, we can schedule our first appointment on first contact.

  2. My fee is $175/session, which is payable via Ivy Pay, a secure digital payment portal. Payment will be due 24 hours in advance of your session to keep your first appointment. I do not take insurance at this time.

  3. I offer both virtual and in-person sessions. Let me know if you prefer to meet virtually via secure video conference or in-person at my office in Culver City. My availability varies depending on how you’d like to meet.

FAQs

  • My fee is $175/session

  • The initial consultation is a short conversation to see if we are a good fit to work together. This is your opportunity to ask me questions and get a sense of my style of working. If you have any hesitations about working together, let me know and we can talk about it. We’ll also discuss logistics such as the fee and frequency and location of sessions. If we decide that we would like to move forward, we will schedule a consistent time for us to begin our work together. If not, I am happy to offer referrals to others who may be a better fit.

  • In our first session, I’ll hear about what’s bringing you to therapy and we’ll identify goals for working together. Overall, my style is to let you lead us on the journey of self-discovery. I’ll ask questions or make interpretations to facilitate this.

  • I do not participate in any health insurance networks or submit insurance claims. However, I am happy to offer you a super bill. A super bill is a summary of services, including a clinical diagnosis, which you can submit to your insurance provider for reimbursement. If your plan provides out-of-network provider coverage, you can get reimbursed for a portion of your service costs – the reimbursement rate depends on your specific plan and provider.

  • My sessions are 50 minutes long

  • I am an Associate Marriage & Family Therapist (Alexandra “Lexi” Berard, AMFT #137342) which means I have a provisional license to practice under supervision. I meet with my clinical supervisor weekly with to discuss my cases. As an AMFT, I have a master’s degree and advanced clinical training, however I am still in the process of completing the 3,000 clinical hours the California Board of Behavioral Sciences requires for full MFT licensure. The benefits to you are that you are able to get a therapist at a lower cost than market rate and you also get the benefit of my supervisor’s experience and insight.