Testimonials

"Since working with Tracy, I have found my daughter to be more confident, outspoken and a lot more in touch with her own feelings. Tracy has been able to bring some peace into our daughter’s life. Tracy is ALWAYS there for our daughter and shows much love, empathy and encouragement toward her progress and feelings. We are very glad to have the privilege to work with Tracy."
- JM, Client 

"I highly recommend our counselor Tracy in West LA.  My husband and I drove to her in separate cars at times, because all we could do was yell at each other. That's how bad it was.  Once with Tracy, she was able to get us to find out what triggered each other's reaction and what we could agree on doing to not trigger each other.  We came to find out ways of talking/behaving that were utterly good for us.  Nobody told us what to do, we found out what we needed with Tracy's help ourselves.  We had other counselors that told us what to do and it never worked."
- KK, Client

"I enjoy being around Tracy. She is very accepting, compassionate and understanding. She is one of the most gifted therapists I know. I only wish I had a therapist like her in my youth! I highly recommend Tracy."

  Meg Kuroda, MA, LMFT
  Marriage & Family Therapist
  Colleague, known for 4 years

Crisis Intervention

National Suicide Prevention Hotline
24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week
800-273-8255
www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org

Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center CRISIS LINE
24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week
877-727-4747
www.didihirsch.org

Teen Line
Teens Helping Teens- Connect, Talk, Chat, Get Help!
6pm to 10pm Daily
310-855-HOPE
www.teenlineonline.org

Teen 2 Teen Hotline
Trained Volunteer Teen Counselors available to help
5pm to 9pm Daily
714-639-8336
www.teenline.org

Websites

Stress, Anxiety, and Depression Resource Center
Non-profit organization providing information on Stress, Anxiety, and Depression
www.stress-anxiety-depression.org

Teen Depression
Non-profit organization helping people understand teenage depression
Statistics, Prevention, Facts on Teenage Depression
www.teendepression.org

HelpGuide.org
Non-profit organization providing information on many different psychological disorders for adults, children and families
www.helpguide.org

Parenting.org
A non-profit, on-line resource for parenting
www.parenting.org

Attachment Parenting International, API
Non-profit organization dedicated to attachment parenting
www.attachmentparenting.org

AA- Alcoholics Anonymous
Support group for people struggling with alcohol addiction
12-Step meetings
www.aa.org

CODA- Co-Dependents Anonymous
Support group for people struggling with co-dependency
12-Step Meetings
www.coda.org

Al-Anon
Support Groups for family and friends of alcoholics
12-Step Meetings
www.al-anon.alateen.org

Alateen
A subset of Al-Anon specializing in support groups for Teens with family or friends that are alcoholics
12-Step Meetings
www.al-anon.alateen.org/for-alateen

Books

The Happiest Baby on the Block
By, Dr. Harvey Karp
www.happiestbaby.com

The Baby Book
By, Dr. William Sears, Martha Sears, and Dr. Robert Sears
www.goodreads.com/author/show/24805.William_Sears

The No-Cry Sleep Solution
By, Elizabeth Pantley
www.pantley.com/elizabeth/books

Parenting without Power Struggles
By, Susan Stiffelman, MFT
www.parentingwithoutpowerstruggles.com

Nurtureshock
By, Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman
www.nurtureshock.com

Full Catastrophe Living
By, Jon Kabat-Zin
www.mindfulnesscds.com

Outliers
By, Malcolm Gladwell
www.gladwell.com/outliers/

Divorce Mediators

Barry Davis - Davis Mediation
Divorce, Custody, Mediation
(310) 318-3575
www.davismediation.com

Dr. Kathy Memel, PhD, MFT
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist 
Divorce & Child Custody / Family Mediator
(310) 286-9201
www.drkathymemel.com

Sietze Vanderheide, PsyD, JD
Attorney and Psychotherapist
310-385-9196
www.sietzevanderheide.com

Low and No Cost Referrals

LA 211
Operators available to provide referrals based on your need
24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week
211 from your phone or 800-339-6993

Insurance Services

TWP Insurance
Health Insurance Brokers
323-848-7795
www.twpinsurance.com

               
From the day your child is conceived, the obligation to be a good parent starts.  It’s not an easy task.  As a parent, I understand the joys and the frustrations of parenting.  Finding a way to get balance in your life can be challenging when it is filled with children that have so many needs of their own.  I help parents across all facets; from those that need someone to talk to, to those experiencing daily breakdowns due to the stress of parenting.  Together we can find ways to get your life under control.

                                    NEW PARENTS

Having a baby or adopting one is an incredibly joyful event and can also be the most terrifying.  There are so many opinions out there about the proper way to parent that your head spins.  How do you decide what you will do?  What is the right thing to do?  Do I have to do things like my friends or family?  What if my partner doesn’t agree with my ideas of parenting?  I can help you clear your mind and make decisions based on your level of comfort and what is best for you, your partner, and the baby.  Every family is unique.  Every child is unique.  What works for some may not work for others.  The biggest part of being a parent is coming up with a plan and sticking to it.  Children enjoy stability.  They thrive when they know what to expect.  Setting limits and boundaries and making things consistent is the cornerstone of being a good parent.  I can help you get there.

             PARENTS THAT ARE DIVORCED/CO-PARENTING

I help parents get on the same page and become a team.  The decision to divorce affects everyone in a family, especially the children.  Even the most amicable partings have lasting effects.  Parenting is tough, Co-parenting is even tougher.  The rules can change drastically from house to house and minute to minute depending on whom is in charge.  It can become a game of “Good Cop/Bad Cop” very quickly, where one parent tries to set rules and create boundaries while the other does nothing but have “fun” with the kids.  When parents are frustrated, it is easy to lose sight of what’s most important, the kids.  Coming to family therapy, couples therapy or individual therapy can help.  Together we can create a team of adults with the same goals and a plan to achieve them.

           PARENTS OF STEP CHILDREN/BLENDED FAMILIES

I have experience and can help families through the transition of a growing family due to marriage or divorce.  No one can ever be prepared for the day to day reality of having children enter their lives along with an Ex.  The papers may say it’s over, but with children involved, you never really leave the Ex behind.  It can be a consistent battle between several forces; new spouse and ex-spouse, children and multiple sets of parents, his children and her children, husband and wife.  What happens when the happy life you thought you were going to have, just isn’t?  Coming to family therapy, couples therapy or individual therapy can help.  Together we can discover that parenting in a blended family is possible and that joy can be found instead of the chaos.

                                  PARENTS OF TEENS

I have experience working with Teens with a history of being Bullied, Self-Injury/Cutting, Gender Identity, Grief & Loss, Gangs, Alcohol, Drugs, and Smoking Marijuana.  In addition, I have worked with blended families, families going through divorce and Teens diagnosed with Bipolar, ADHD, Depression, Anxiety, and Autism Spectrum.

Parenting a Teen is no easy job.  We often do not have a “Village” to go to for help like there was in days past.  Communicating with a Teen can be extremely difficult, often leading to huge fights and ending with your Teen isolating from the family.  With the raging hormones and changes in their bodies, Teens can easily come off as disrespectful.  It can be difficult to determine if your Teen is in need of help or if it is just the normal course of adolescence.

It may be time to get help when you notice your Teen has irritability, feelings of worthlessness, dropping grades,  loss of interest in things your Teen typically enjoys, significant weight loss or gain, insomnia, truancy, signs of alcohol or drug use, or thoughts of death.  Your Teen may be depressed.

The best way to help a Teen is to get involved.  I can help parents bridge the gap between their Teen and themselves by guiding communication in a healthy and respectful manner via conjoint sessions with your Teen or individual work.  Re-connecting with your Teen, setting healthy boundaries and building a relationship based on authentic care and support can make a huge difference in everyone’s lives.

                       TECHNIQUES FOR PARENTING TEENS

Many days you may feel like you’re talking to brick wall, if you talk to your teen at all.  Arming yourself with tools to communicate effectively can make a huge difference in your family life.  Teens go through much of their day hearing all about what they did wrong; wrong answers, wrong use of time, wrong clothes, wrong friends, wrong  words, wrong attitude, wrong,  wrong, wrong….. 

Consider for a moment what it was like for you as a Teen.  What did you want most of all from your parents?  To be understood, listened to, accepted, supported?  That’s exactly what your Teen wants from you.  The trick is how to get there.  Coming to Family Therapy is a great way to learn how to communicate openly with your Teen.  Create peace in your home.

The way to improved communication is to catch them in the act of doing something good.  Maybe it’s getting dressed and down stairs after only two calls.  Maybe it’s getting a D+ on their last test instead of a D. Maybe it’s answering you in a slightly more respectful way.  Catching people in the midst of doing something a little better than before can feel great for the giver and the receiver!  Share positively and see positive results.

Another technique is to just listen.  It sounds simple and easy, but don’t let this one fool you.  Withholding comments when you sense there is something to be fixed is tough.  It takes practice.  So, try it and see how it goes.  It is a proven fact that people can’t hear if they are talking, so let’s take that golden piece of information for ourselves and implement it with our children.  Sit and do not speak to Teen unless you are going to ask questions to figure out what they said.  Repeat back what you heard and ask questions to clarify if they tell you it’s not quite right.  Then, ask your Teen if he/she wants advice.   You will be amazed by how good you and your Teen will feel after a successful exercise like this.