STAFF VIDEOS

Olivia Sung

Hi, I'm Olivia. I'm from San Diego, California. I just graduated from UC Berkeley, where I double majored in psychology and gender women's studies. And right now I'm at Pepperdine Graduate School of Education and Psychology. I wanted to become a therapist, I think from when I was in high school. I was dealing with my own mental health issues and I felt like I didn't have the resource or the support that I wanted and needed. and I realized that a lot of my friends and my classmates were suffering from mental illness as well, but didn't want to talk about it. And there was such a stigma around mental health. So I created a club in high school where we would have open conversations about mental health. And I think that's kind of where my passion sparked.

I really like helping people and then being open with my experiences. I can empower other people to be open with theirs. I'm most drawn to working with children and teens because I feel that I can relate and empathize with them the most and I just want parents to know that yes I am young but I feel that that gives me an advantage with helping their child because I remember what it's like to be their age and I think that I can connect with them on a different level. Thank you for listening

Jimmy Barker

My name is Jimmy Barker and I'm a trainee therapist at Child and Teen Counseling, supervised by Kent Tucson. Before realizing I could be useful as a therapist, I've worked across different roles in the creative industries. But I think more importantly, is that I've known suffering and I've known pain. And I've also been part of, and I continue to be part of, healing and incredible relationship with my therapist and I've seen firsthand how I've been able to take more responsibility and self -direction in my life and ultimately I've changed. My practice is really centered around the idea that every person has the ability to direct their behaviors, their attitudes, their relationships and my job as a therapist is really to work to imagine what it might be like to be going through the things you're going through and to build a partnership where we can remove the blocks that are stopping you getting to where you want to be. I use talk therapy, play therapy and creative arts expression therapy.

I also help to teach techniques like non -violent communication and mindfulness. I chose to train here at Child and Teen Counseling specifically because I could really feel the care not only that they give their clients but to the trainees and I loved their kind of mantra of change happens at the speed of trust, which felt very true to me. And kids and teens, you know, I think partly I'm specializing with them because I love the energy they give and this kind of fresh experiencing and insight. But I also know how much it would have meant to me to have a therapist at that age and I have seen at how as an adult you know those experiences as a child and as a teen really continue to play out. So I hope this has been helpful and take care of yourself.

Ian Lock

Hi, my name is Ian and I'm a current Marriage and Family Therapist trainee at Child and Teen Counseling. I got my Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from Chapman University and I'm currently in the process of getting my Master's Degree from Pepperdine University. A little bit about me, I'm originally from Seattle, Washington where I really grew up with a strong interest in sports and video games and then along with that I also have a strong interest in cooking and anything to do with music. I think I really got into this field specifically because of my own interest in giving back to the community around me.

Coming from a Chinese family background, there's always a strong emphasis on paying it forward to the next generation and taking care of the people around you, two things that I think are extremely important and have given me a lot of passion for this kind of work. I'm really passionate about working with kids and teens and it's something that I think it's a privilege to be able to participate in. So I really look forward to seeing you guys soon, and thank you so much.

Rosie Fiore

Hello, my name is Rosie Fiore and I am a marriage and family therapist trainee here at Child and Teen Counseling. I am a native Angeleno and a Total Valley girl. I've actually lived here in Woodland Hills my entire life. So yeah, when I was thinking about what population I wanted to work with as a therapist, I reflected on what the very famous Mark Twain once said, which was write what you know. I think it is Mark Twain that said that. I don't know. Anyway, whomever said it, it really resonated with me. I can still so vividly remember what it felt like being a kid and flooded with conflicting feelings and like a rollercoaster of emotions and all these mixed messages coming at me all at once so quickly and was so hard to decipher the thoughts that were mine or someone else's and influence and knowing what voice to listen to and which one to disregard. Our childhood experiences play a huge role in shaping our self -esteem and how we see ourselves as adults. And as a parent the love we have for our kids is so profound and all we want is the best for them. But then somehow the wires get crossed and there's this communication breakdown and that's why I really enjoy working collaboratively with the whole family so we can figure out ways to communicate better and create more effective behaviors and patterns and ultimately everyone can become the best version of themselves. Sometimes a kid just needs someone to talk to and open up and just hold space for them and it's

really difficult because sometimes it can't be a family member or somebody in their social circle and therapy can help the child identify and understand their moods and their emotions, their motivations, and help them make sense of what's going on inside of them. Because if memory serves, there is a lot going on inside of them. Look, it's not easy being a child or a teen or an adult or a parent. And this goes by so incredibly fast. So we want to enjoy our communication and create these wonderful habits so we can look back and remember the good things. For instance, techniques such as cognitive behavioral therapy, structural family therapy, and narrative therapy can improve the way we communicate with one another. I would love the to come and meet with you and your kids independently or together and just hear what you guys all have to say. So I appreciate you guys listening and I hope to see you soon.

Hannah Bacos

Hello, my name is Hannah Bacos. I'm a trainee at Child and Teen Counseling. I'm currently pursuing my master's at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology in Marriage, Family, and Couples Therapy. Before that, I got my undergrad at Seattle University in Psychology and Women and Gender Studies. For the past four years, I've been working with people on the autism spectrum, mostly children. And before that, I had a couple really cool jobs, one of which was at the Hollywood Bowl.

And when I'm not doing all my reading for school, I'm spending a lot of time cooking and eating and going to the movies and reading sci -fi and fantasy and nonfiction. Depends on my mood, depends on the day. And I was really interested in being a therapist because I needed therapy at a young age and I don't know who I would have been if not for the intervention of therapy and the many therapists that helped me through my things. So hopefully I get a chance to work with you, but if not, I'm sure I'll see you around.

Hari Simran Khalsa

Hi, my name is Hari Khalsa, and I am a trainee here at Child and Teen Counseling. A little bit about me and my background. I've been working in the healthcare field for over 10 years, mostly in alternative medicine. And I've had the privilege of working with many individuals from all kinds of backgrounds through all different age ranges.

It's led me to pursue a master's degree in marriage and family therapy at CSUN. Personally, therapy has been a profound and very supportive thing in my life. It's helped me move through some really important transitions and changes thus far. And I'm really looking forward to providing that same support to individuals, especially to children and teenagers and their families. Other things that I enjoy, I love music. I really like playing the guitar and singing and writing. I love being outside. I'm an avid hiker, and I also really love baking. Baking has been something that I've done since I was a teenager, and it has kind of been passed down through my family. I've gotten to learn from my grandmother and my father, and it's also been a really great way for me to express my creativity and to also bring people together. Thank you so much for listening to my video and getting to know me a little bit. I'm really looking forward to meeting you and your family.

Sonja Bartlett

Hey, I'm Sonja, and I'm a therapist in training at Child and Teen Counseling, and I'm also pursuing a master's right now at CSUN. I'm so excited to be working with kids and teens because I think that these are incredibly formative years where there tend to be a ton of changes happening and transitions that are occurring.

And I think it's super important to be able to find a space where you can process all of that and explore different parts of yourself and your relationships to other people. And I really believe that the therapy process can help make that happen, especially if I, as a therapist, show up without judgment and help you feel really heard and like we're collaborating together and connected to each other. A little bit about me, I love taking my dog Dizzy for walks or for hikes, especially out in nature. She really loves to spin around and chase her tail, especially when she gets excited, hence the name Dizzy. And I also love cooking for friends and family, specially if it's something like a wintry stew or like some sort of fruit cobbler. Thanks so much for listening to my video, and I really hope that we get to work together soon.

John Garrison

My name is john. I'm one of the new marriage and family therapist trainees here at child and teen counseling in woodland hills. I am very interested and love working with families, but especially kids and teens, because they have so much more insight than they realize that they do. I love listening to all kinds of music.

I think music is really big, especially for teens, and helping them figure out what they like in the world. Seeing as though you're caught kind of between adulthood and childhood, music can kind of help you expand that growing mind of yours. Speaking of expanding minds, I'm also a big fan of space science fiction aliens. I'd love to be able to help bring families and their kids and teens together through better and clearer connections and boundaries. I think that a lot of people can really understand and gain a lot from explicitly defining their boundary s and what they need to feel kind of safe in their own spaces. Connections lie everywhere in families,and I think it's great being able to find those connections and help bring people together.

Seif Jarrah

Hi, everyone. My name is Seif Jarra. I'm currently at CTC as a trainee. I am also in school at Pepperdine University, pursuing my Master's in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in marriage and family therapy. What got me interested in working at CTC and with children specifically is my experience working in ABA therapy, where I had a lot of time spent working with kids with autism and I was able to connect with them and create a special bond that I feel really guided me moving into this career.

Some things about me I love to watch movies, television, as well as spend time outside running and surfing. Thank you very much and I look forward to meeting you.

Lea Estien Garcia

Hi, everyone. My name is Leia Estien. I'm currently an MST trainee at challenging counseling. I'm getting my master's right now in clinical psychology from Pepperdine University. I went to Trinity College for Undergraduate and got my bachelor's in Psychology. I'm originally from Puerto Rico, and I've been working with children and families my entire life.

Being from a collective background that really focuses on community, something that's become really important to me, and something that I want to provide for other individuals as well. And in my spare time, I really love to play music, play the piano, sing and also swim and play tennis.

Peter Merrell

Hi, everyone. My name is Peter. I am a student at Pepperdine University where I'm pursuing my Master's in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in marriage and family therapy. I'm a trainee at Child and Team Counseling, where I'm working to become a marriage and family therapist.

I used to work at the Boys and Girls Club where I worked primarily with teenagers, and I just loved my time there. I developed a passion of working with kids and teens during my time, from activities to sports to helping with homework. I just loved spending time with that age. More about Me I love sports. I love video games and movies and just spending time with my family and spending time outside. I look forward to working with you. Thank you.