STAFF VIDEOS
David Muns
Hi, I'm David Muns. I'm a trainee here at Child and Teen Counseling, working under the supervision
of Kent Toussaint. I'm also a Master's of Psychology student at Antioch University. I wanted to
become a therapist because I wanted to find a way that could help people with my skill set.
I've
had my own journey with mental health and want to be able to take what I've learned and help other
people work through whatever they're working through. As a kid, I struggled with both anxiety
and depression, and I feel like I really would have benefited from somebody reaching out and
helping me with that. And that's something that I truly want to be able to help younger people
today with. I'm from Agoura Hills, California. I grew up in the valley. I'm into music. I play
guitar, piano, a little bit of bass and drums. I play video games. I love comic books, movies,
and have all sorts of pop culture interests. I'm really looking forward to working with teens.
I think that that is such a crucial part of development
and it's definitely the point in my life where I could have used the most help and I think that
I can do the most good with that group. I'm looking forward to working with you soon. You can reach
me at david at childteencounseling .org
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Nicole Akhrem
Hi, my name is Nicole. I'm a graduate student of clinical psychology at Pepperdine University
and an MFT trainee at Child and Teen Counseling in Woodland Hills, supervised by Kent Toussaint.
I'm becoming a therapist after a decade plus of my own mental health journey. Going to therapy
changed absolutely everything about the way I live my life. And while I used to work in marketing,
which was great, I ultimately decided that I wanted to help others achieve the same. When it
comes to working with kids and teens, my goal is to provide a safe space to explore my clients'
feelings, values, identity, and ultimately help them move their story forward in a positive
way. After all, we are all the authors of our own stories in life. Some of my hobbies include painting
and drawing. I like to hike and explore new trails. I like to cook. And most recently, I bought
something called a kalimba, which is a finger piano. I'm not very good yet, but I'm still enjoying
learning nonetheless. I'm deeply passionate
about what we do here at CTC. Our young people are so special, and every single one of them deserves
a chance to live the fullest life they possibly can. That being said, I'm so excited to potentially
be a part of your child's journey towards self -discovery and overall better health. I look
forward to seeing you soon.
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Reynee Small
Hello, my name is Reynee Small. I'm a Marriage and Family Therapist Trainee here at Child and
Teen Counseling supervised by Kent Toussaint. I'm currently getting my graduate degree in
Clinical Psychology at Pepperdine University, and I graduated recently with my undergrad
Bachelors in Psychological Science from UC Irvine. I'm originally from Orange County, but
I've also lived in Arizona and Connecticut and spent part of my life in Thailand as well. I spent
some of my elementary and middle school years there. My mom is half Thai, so I come from a Southeast
Asian background. And given that, I know that that is an underserved community. I'm very passionate
about working with that community and giving outreach to them for mental health resources
and other resources as well. I have some prior experience working with youth. I worked with
at -risk youth at a crisis residential center, so ages 12 to 17. I also did research for children
with ADHD and ASD looking at canine interventions in the classroom
for them. I've also had my own experiences in therapy as a kid given that I know how valuable it
can be for kids and their families. I know how much it meant to me and how much I still value that
experience today. Some things I like to do for fun, I really love cartoons. My favorite is probably
Avatar The Last Airbender, anything in that franchise. I also really love playing video games.
My favorite is the Zelda franchise, so I really love the game Breath of the Wild. It's my favorite
ever. I could play that for hours. I look forward to possibly meeting with you and your family.
You can reach me at rainey at childandteencounseling .org. That is R -E -Y -N -E -E at childandteencounseling
.org. And hopefully I get to meet with you soon.
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Nathan Soria
Hey guys, my name is Nathan. I'm a current CSUN MFT graduate student and I'm also a MFT trainee
supervised by Kent Tucson at CTC. I wanted to become a therapist because one of my goals was to
be someone that people can rely on in their times of need, whether it be a shoulder to lean on,
a listening ear, or if all just somebody that they can turn to when they're unsure what to do.
As a side note, one of my bigger goals was to be able to shed light on mental health awareness in
the Asian community. So me being half Chinese, half Filipino, as I mentioned just being able
to spread awareness to not only my own communities but other communities that I'm going to have
the pleasure of working with in the near future.
I wanted to work with children and teens mainly
because of the energy that they bring to the table. Something about the youthfulness, the joyfulness,
the youthful and innocent energy is something that really resonates with me and I'm very much
looking forward to being able to tap into
my own inner self and my inner child and being able to for example, make art with them, play games
with them overall, just be a big brother to them. I can imagine that some of the benefits of therapy
for kids and teens can lie along the lines of just being able to guide them through such a ever
-changing time of their life, whether it be moving to a new school and navigating new relationships,
navigating their, you know, their friends they meet along the way, just being able to be a big
brother to them and guide them through the times of when they're unsure is one of my bigger goals
as well. Some of the interests and hobbies that I have for myself is I'm a big sports guy, I love
watching soccer, tennis, basketball, baseball, you name it. I also played tennis myself.
I played it all my life. I played club tennis for San Diego State when I was over there doing my
undergrad. And another fun fact about me is that I am a semi -retired Rubik's Cube solver. And
so I've had the pleasure of going
throughout the US, just competing and being able to solve the cube, meeting so many new people
and also recording some fast times along the way. So that's a little bit about me. I look forward
to working with you at Child and Teen Counseling. Thank you.
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Jill Axel
Hi everyone, my name is Jillian Axel. You can call me Jill, whatever floats your boat. I am currently
getting my master's at Pepperdine and I am a MFT trainee here at Child and Teen Counseling. So
one of the reasons why I ended up in this profession is growing up with dyslexia and ADHD. I spent
a lot of hours in language therapy, speech therapy, and as a client myself, struggling with
anxiety, and just feeling the stereotypes put upon me kind of created some stigma in regards
to just feeling as if I was inadequate and that kind of continued as I went into college and even
now I have to, you know, take a second to realize my accomplishments, where I've come from, where
I am now and I can't wait to help other kids realize that their options are unlimited just like
mine was due to the amazing people and therapists in my life who guided me to be able to figure
that out for myself.
Okay so now a little fun fact I was very much so a choir and theater person
growing up. I continued on through
college during choir. I was in the last choir to perform at Notre Dame before the spire fell in
2019. So, you know, just a little fun fact. And some hobbies are I really love spending time with
friends and family. I try to make that my priority. I love self -care bubble baths, Lush products,
anything from Lush I love. I love my dog Charlotte. She's a cute little pug. Thank you so much
for listening and I can't wait to meet you all.
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Maya Irigoyen
Hi, I'm Maya from Child and Teen Counseling. I'm a Marriage and Family Therapist trainee supervised
by Kent Tucson. I'm really looking forward to working with children, teens, and adults. I know
growing up can be full of many challenges, but also a lot of fun times as well, so I'm really excited
to be a pillar of support for you and your family. I graduated from the University of Michigan
with a Bachelor's in Psychology, go blue, and I'm currently pursuing my master's at Antioch
University in clinical psychology. Growing up in Hispanic households, mental health wasn't
something that was necessarily emphasized. I didn't get my first personal therapy until I
was in college. For that reason, it's really important to me to bring this opportunity to children
and teens who are a little bit younger than I was when I first started my journey with mental health.
I know it's super important and it really could have helped me when I was a bit younger. I'm really
passionate about reducing stigma around
mental health in black and brown communities. Again, I just think it's an awesome resource
and I'm really looking forward to, again, being that support for you and your family. In my free
time I love being active. I actually used to be an amateur boxer, so I had a few fights. I don't
do that anymore, although I do sometimes go to a boxing workout. I love to be outside going on
a hike, just playing various sports. I also do like to tap into a softer side. I enjoy yoga. I like
doing art and being creative. I'm also a plant mom and I actually have a snake and a gecko at home.
So I really enjoy animals and I love nature. I'm really excited to start working with you and
your family. Feel free to contact me at Maya, M -A -Y -A, at childteencounseling .org, or give
Child and Teen Counseling a call and we can get this journey started. I'm looking forward to
seeing you.
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Katherine MacLeod
Hi there, my name is Katherine McLeod and I'm a marriage and family therapist trainee at Child
and Teen Counseling. I'm also pursuing my master's at CSUN and I got my undergraduate degree
at UCSB in psychological and brain sciences. So during my time at UCSB is really when I decided
to pursue this path to become a therapist. I was taking incredible classes in the psychology
department such as psychology and mindfulness that were really opening my mind to this world.
And at the same time, I was working as a peer mentor with children, teens, and young adults. So
my clients were ranging from age six all the way up to age 24. And these clients had autism spectrum
disorder. So what I was doing with them was really working on daily living skills. But what I
recognized was just how many conversations were circling back to mental health. And in that,
I was able to see just how important these conversations were to all ages, and especially these
ages of children, teens, and young adults specifically.
What I recognized in myself was just how comfortable I felt with some of these uncomfortable
conversations and just how moved and impacted I felt by joining someone on their journey within
their own mental health. So it was a really special time for me and I'm extremely excited to be
a marriage and family therapist trainee here. So that's a little bit about my path but as for
myself I really love to cook so I've grown up cooking with my mom since I was super little and it's
something that I find a lot of creativity in. I also love to go outside. So currently I've just
picked up playing pickleball which has been super fun.
I also love to play frisbee at the beach,
go for long walks or hikes, really anything to get me in the sunshine makes me happy. I also love
to go thrift shopping so that's another way that I'm able to be creative with my wardrobe or even
just my home decor. So that's been really fun and I'm also a very crafty person so I've found with
art I love to make things whether
it be with like air dry clay or I got really into embroidery as well. So those are just some fun
things about me. I'm really excited to hopefully get to know you soon and thanks so much for listening,
bye.
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Your Name Here
Title: In The Heart of CTC
00:00:09 Speaker 2
I knew Child and Teen Counseling was my first choice from the start. I came in and I was like, oh,
this feels really good here. I chose Child and Teen Counseling as my practicum site because
I see how successful people coming from the site turn out to be. It was the feeling I had when I
came here, the people I got to meet and the excitement I felt kind of at a really visceral level
about looking forward to being around these people day in and day out. and I really appreciated
even the interviewing environment. Everyone was sitting low on the ground together in this
well -lit room, and I felt safe there as an interviewee, which made me feel like, oh, this must
probably feel good on the side of the clients. For me, I think the most helpful thing was just
the community. I think the fact that all the associates and all the trainees were really supportive
when I first came in. other trainees, people that were ahead of me and below me, the associates,
Kent, Brian, Bennett, Robin, like it's a
00:01:15 Speaker 2
whole family here. My favorite thing about this place is the tight -knit community. Everyone
is very supportive of each other, the staff, supervisors, everyone looks out for each other.
Everyone is there to, you know, help each other out and just be there for one another. And that's
something I was looking for from the beginning. It really helped me feel comfortable here and
it made me feel supported like not just by like oh I have a supervisor I can ask questions but I
have like a community of people who can help me. I really wanted somewhere where there was a strong
emphasis on supervision. So one thing that I've talked a lot with with the clinical supervisors
here about it's just about trusting my gut and my intuition. Doing that I think has really helped
me be in the room and be present in a way that's more authentic, that's easier for my clients to
connect. We just get a lot of freedom to kind of meet the client where they're at, whatever kind
of approach is that we have, and I just
00:02:17 Speaker 2
really appreciate that. You know, my cohort, the people that I interviewed with and that I trained
with, we all went through the training process and learned to kind of find our voice. It's so
freeing to just have that liberty to do whatever I feel is right for the client and not necessarily
right for like the parent or right for my supervisor or things like that. It's like the client
first and foremost and I like that we get to have that Tommy. I think it really surprised me how
much I enjoy it. I mean I knew I would enjoy it. I'm surprised at how much I love the work. It feels
so fulfilling, and I really love getting to know the whole family, and something else that surprised
me is how I do get to know the whole family through working with one kid. I kind of have an idea when
I first started here that, oh yeah, like kids and teens, that'll be cool, but I don't know if it's
something I want to do the rest of my life. but I could definitely see myself doing this the rest
of my life. I think
00:03:31 Speaker 2
I'm gonna miss the grind and the experience of like being in the office and like in CTC, in the
heart of CTC.
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Sam Kindseth
Hey, my name's Sam Kindseth. I'm a marriage and family therapist trainee here at Child Teen Counseling, and I'm currently a master student at Pepperdine. Some things about me is I love fashion, music,
being outdoors, and playing video games. So I entered the therapy field because of my own personal
struggles with mental health in the past, and I'd love to be that person for your child or teen
that I could've used during those years.
I think it's super important for a child or teen be able
to talk about what's going on in a completely confidential and non -judgmental space and as
a young adult myself I feel like I can really connect to children and teens on an emotional level
and help guide them from an understanding point of view. I'll always give my greatest effort
to support you to the best of my ability and I look forward to meeting with you soon.
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Sophia Robichaud
Hey guys, my name is Nathan. I'm a current CSUN MFT graduate student and I'm also a MFT trainee
supervised by Kent Tucson at CTC. I wanted to become a therapist because one of my goals was to
be someone that people can rely on in their times of need, whether it be a shoulder to lean on,
a listening ear, or if all just somebody that they can turn to when they're unsure what to do.
As a side note, one of my bigger goals was to be able to shed light on mental health awareness in
the Asian community. So me being half Chinese, half Filipino, as I mentioned just being able
to spread awareness to not only my own communities but other communities that I'm going to have
the pleasure of working with in the near future.
I wanted to work with children and teens mainly
because of the energy that they bring to the table. Something about the youthfulness, the joyfulness,
the youthful and innocent energy is something that really resonates with me and I'm very much
looking forward to being able to tap into
my own inner self and my inner child and being able to for example, make art with them, play games
with them overall, just be a big brother to them. I can imagine that some of the benefits of therapy
for kids and teens can lie along the lines of just being able to guide them through such a ever
-changing time of their life, whether it be moving to a new school and navigating new relationships,
navigating their, you know, their friends they meet along the way, just being able to be a big
brother to them and guide them through the times of when they're unsure is one of my bigger goals
as well. Some of the interests and hobbies that I have for myself is I'm a big sports guy, I love
watching soccer, tennis, basketball, baseball, you name it. I also played tennis myself.
I played it all my life. I played club tennis for San Diego State when I was over there doing my
undergrad. And another fun fact about me is that I am a semi -retired Rubik's Cube solver. And
so I've had the pleasure of going
throughout the US, just competing and being able to solve the cube, meeting so many new people
and also recording some fast times along the way. So that's a little bit about me. I look forward
to working with you at Child and Teen Counseling. Thank you.
Read More