About
Relationships and communication start the healing process.
With me as your therapist, you will experience the inherent value of the healing power of a relationship. Modeling healthy, clear, assertive communication (with self and others), I will teach you tools to manage intrusive, distressing thoughts and focus on YOUR wants/needs to bring you increased life satisfaction.
In sessions with me, I will remind you what it’s like to feel truly alive, teach you to kindly communicate your wants and needs to others, and assist you to use boundaries throughout every aspect of your life to protect your well-being. Most importantly, I will teach you to communicate with yourself kindly!
My sessions, which occur online using a HIPAA-compliant Telehealth platform or in-person, begin with a check-in and supportive reflection. At the end of each session, I will ask you to provide input and feedback, and then we will agree on some between-session activities that can help you. These activities will target your specific problems and pressing issues that you wish to solve.
Contentment is waiting for you!
Over your time in treatment with me, we will use evidence-based tools (such as CBT and EMDR) and assessments to understand your progress and tailor your treatment. You may have felt overwhelmed, exhausted, lost, unseen, anxious, traumatized, and sad before you found me, but together, we will work to realize contentment and your true potential.
About Cornelia
Finding meaning in life is not always straightforward.
My life path has been more like a ball of yarn than a straight line (I’m guessing you find yourself in the same place). As an overly anxious, eager toplease youngster, I followed the path that my parents wanted for me (to become an academic), but I never felt like I was in the right place or following my passion.
My husband is a successful academic, so I followed him around the world but never focused on what I wanted or being my genuine self. I learned over this time (of denying who I was to please others) that my choices made me miserable – even if they were well-meaning.
I now know to put myself first and be my true self, and this is what I teach my clients to do. Finally, I live a genuine, no-bullshit existence, and I am content.
My experience and personal growth…
…allow me to bring unique training, experience, and grit to my practice. I have a Master’s in Anthropology, lived internationally (France, Germany, Madagascar, and the UK), and am the child of an immigrant. My pronouns are she/they, and I am queer-identified.
In addition, I am a Diplomate & Certified CBT Therapist through the Academy of Cognitive & Behavioral Therapies (providing you with an evidenced-based way of healing and growing), EMDR trained, and a Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor, and an Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning through PATH International.
In collaboration with Ride On Therapeutic Riding Center in Pasadena, CA, I offer psychotherapy incorporating horses focused on healing trauma through relationships, increasing bodily awareness, and focusing on assertiveness. My practice is a safe space for LGBTQIA+ individuals and those who have faced systemic oppression.
Dogs, Horses, and Entertainment
When I am not at work, I parent my two rescue dogs, Osito and Zach, and my horse, Magic, who are my children. I believe animals are the best people!
For fun, I enjoy horseback riding, hiking, reading, dancing, and lounging on the couch binge-watching shows.