Individual Therapy in Los Angeles and throughout California
- Are you feeling stuck in a fear cycle and don’t know why or how to get out of it?
- Are you longing for lasting, intimate relationships but feel unsure how to get there?
- Do you need help with anxiety, feel overwhelmed, or chronically stressed?
- Are past traumas holding you back from reaching your full potential?
- Are you feeling sad all the time or have a lack of motivation?
- Do low self-esteem, or self-doubt keep showing up no matter how hard you try?
- Are you navigating a major life transition such as divorce, separation, the birth of a child, or career challenges?
If any of this resonates, you’re not alone, and you don’t have to navigate it by yourself.
My Approach
I create a space of understanding, safety, and care where we can gently explore and challenge the patterns that may be keeping you stuck, both in your relationships with others and in your relationship with yourself. Judgmental self-talk, unresolved wounds, and fear-based responses can quietly shape how you move through the world, leaving you feeling alone, unable to express your needs, or find satisfying relationships.
I help individuals address relationship challenges like boundaries, people-pleasing, and communication issues, while also supporting self-esteem, self-worth, identity development, and personal growth when feeling uncertain about next steps.
Together, we bring curiosity and compassion to the work. As awareness grows, new possibilities emerge, allowing you to engage in life with more clarity, confidence, and self-trust.
Integrative, Trauma-Informed Therapy
A trauma-informed approach doesn’t ask “why are you like this?” It asks, “what did your system learn it had to do to survive?”
In individual therapy, one of the most important shifts is moving from “What’s wrong with me?” to “What happened to me, and how did it shape my nervous system, beliefs, and patterns?” So many of the strategies people use to cope such as hypervigilance, emotional numbing, perfectionism, people-pleasing, shutting down, difficulty holding boundaries, are not flaws. They are adaptations to past experiences that once helped keep them safe.
Healing is not about fixing what’s “broken.” It’s about helping the nervous system learn that safety, choice, and connection are possible again.
My work integrates a range of evidence-based and relational approaches, including:
- Insight-oriented therapy
- Attachment Theory
- Internal Family Systems (IFS)
- Trauma Resiliency Model (TRM)
- EMDR
- Mindfulness and nervous system regulation
- Somatic Experiencing
- Affect Regulation
These approaches support individuals in finding relief from anxiety, panic, stress, depression, grief, relationship challenges, betrayal, and past and recent traumas, including relational, sexual, emotional, medical, or injury-related trauma.
When trauma remains unresolved, it can continue to influence beliefs about safety, self-worth, and connection. When appropriate, I incorporate EMDR Therapy, IFS and TRM as powerful tools to help reprocess traumatic memories so they no longer hold you in the clutches of fear and shame. This allows space for healthier beliefs to take root and supports a more grounded, empowered way of living.
What You Can Expect from Individual Therapy
Therapy can help you reconnect with your strengths, needs, and inner wisdom. Our work together may help you:
- Understand and heal from past experiences Learn effective strategies for nervous system regulation
- Reduce anxiety, panic, and emotional overwhelm
- Strengthen self-esteem and self-trust
- Heal attachment wounds that impact relationships
- Develop healthier boundaries and communication
- Feel more confident navigating life transitions
- Move toward meaningful goals with clarity and intention
Expect therapy to be innovative, creative, dynamic, and deeply attuned, meeting you where you are while supporting you in reaching your goals and dreams.
Therapy That Supports the Whole You
Individual therapy often serves as a foundation for healing across multiple areas of life. Some clients choose to complement their individual work with Couples Therapy when relational patterns are at the center of their concerns, or Co-Parenting Coaching when navigating separation, divorce, or shared parenting challenges.
Together, we create a therapeutic experience that supports your emotional well-being, relationships, and long-term growth.
FAQ
Yes, we provide online and in-person therapy in Los Angeles and online therapy in California.
If you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, emotionally disconnected, or unsure how to move forward, therapy can help. You don’t need to be in crisis to benefit. Many clients begin therapy simply because they want to understand themselves better or create healthier patterns.
Sessions are collaborative and paced to your comfort level. We may explore current challenges, past experiences, emotional patterns, and nervous system responses. Therapy is guided by curiosity, not judgment, and always centered on your needs and goals.
Yes. I specialize in trauma-informed therapy and work with clients navigating a wide range of traumatic experiences. When appropriate, EMDR Therapy, TRM and IFS are incorporated to support deeper healing and relief from trauma.
Therapy is not one-size-fits-all. Some clients come for short-term support around a specific issue, while others engage in longer-term work. We’ll regularly check in to ensure therapy continues to align with your needs and goals.
Absolutely. As you develop greater self-awareness, emotional regulation, and secure attachment patterns, changes often ripple outward into relationships. Some clients choose to explore Couples Therapy or Co-Parenting Coaching as part of their growth.
Together, we’ll explore what’s been holding you back — and what’s ready to grow.
Please fill out the contact form or contact me directly by phone or e-mail for more information or to set up a free consultation. Please include in your message if you are looking for couples, individual, or co-parenting therapy. Be sure to leave a message and include the best times to reach you and I will return your call or e-mail within 48hrs.
- Aurisha Smolarski, LMFT
- 323-203-1526
- aurisha.smolarski@gmail.com
-
Office:
3371 Glendale Blvd. Suite 214,
Los Angeles, CA 90039