When life’s challenges become difficult, or when it’s a struggle to feel good or to just not feel anxious or depressed, you can get help. As a psychologist dedicated to treating those in and around Playa Vista, Dr. Yvonne Thomas has offered effective counseling services to individuals, couples, and families for more than two decades. With three psychology degrees and a wealth of experience across various issues, Dr. Thomas provides a compassionate, tailored approach to support clients in navigating life’s complexities.
Dr. Yvonne Thomas Offers:
- Licensed (# PSY 14489
- Over 25 Years of Experience
- Three Psychology Degrees
- Expertise Across Multiple Specialties
- Free Phone Consultations
- Flexible Scheduling Options
- Acceptance of Many Insurance Plans
In her therapy, Dr. Thomas helps clients work through challenges to build healthier and happier lives. Whether addressing individual issues, relationship difficulties, life transitions, grief, or more, she offers guidance and support at every stage. Recognizing that mental health can sometimes be difficult to deal with alone, she helps her clients to better navigate their life’s journey.
Individual Therapy: Self-Awareness and Resilience
From tackling issues including depression and anxiety to addressing self-esteem problems, relationship upsets, or career stress, individual therapy with Dr. Thomas offers a valuable outlet for growth and resilience.
Personalized Support in Individual Therapy
Through her individualized approach, Dr. Thomas creates treatment plans that directly address each client’s personal struggles, goals, and emotional experiences. Unlike a generalized solution, Dr. Thomas tailors her strategies to help clients work through the specific challenges they face, whether related to anxiety, trauma, depression, relationship issues, or other mental health concerns.
That way, her clients receive the kind of therapy for what they’re dealing with right now. Dr. Thomas develops customized strategies to help clients address issues such as stress, self-worth, or personal growth. Her individualized approach means that each client learns tools and coping strategies designed specifically for their needs.
A Welcoming, Safe, and Confidential Space for Growth
Confidentiality is essential to individual therapy, providing a safe environment for clients to openly explore their thoughts, emotions, and experiences without judgment. By creating a non-judgmental, private space, Dr. Thomas allows clients to express themselves honestly, which is key to progress. She provides the environment within which clients feel the safety to really open up about what they’re feeling and what they’re going through.
Dr. Thomas’s sessions are designed to protect clients’ privacy, promoting a sense of trust that encourages vulnerability and self-discovery.
What You Can Expect from Individual Therapy
Individual therapy sessions with Dr. Thomas focus on many essential elements, including:
- Expressing and managing thoughts and emotions
- Understanding behavior patterns
- Developing effective problem-solving and conflict resolution skills
- Identifying personal strengths and areas for growth
By customizing her approach based on each client’s unique background and issues, Dr. Thomas ensures they feel supported and empowered to achieve meaningful progress.
Couples Counseling: A Way Towards Reconnection
Couples therapy with Dr. Thomas is an opportunity for partners to proactively address challenges, strengthen their connection, and develop healthier ways of relating to one another. Counseling can enhance relationship satisfaction, promote personal growth, and contribute to a happier, healthier partnership.
Whether dealing with frequent arguments, communication issues, or life transitions, couples therapy helps clients navigate these areas with guidance and support.
Strengthening Emotional Intimac
Couples counseling can be especially beneficial for partners seeking to reconnect emotionally. Dr. Thomas assists couples in deepening their understanding of each other, which strengthens emotional intimacy and builds a foundation of mutual support and care.
Addressing Physical Intimacy and Sexual Health
Dr. Thomas also provides a safe environment for couples to discuss topics related to physical intimacy and sexual health. Many couples struggle with opening up about these issues, but with Dr. Thomas’s guidance, they can address concerns and unmet needs and improve their physical connection in a respectful, supportive setting.
Couples might consider therapy if they experience issues including:
- Communication Barriers: Struggles with effective communication, whether through withdrawing or using unproductive language or not listening, is a concern counseling can help with. Dr. Thomas helps couples build positive communication skills to improve the ability to hear and understand each other.
- Financial Stress: Money can be a sensitive topic for couples, often leading to disagreements and strain. Counseling helps partners approach finances more effectively together, fostering stronger communication.
- Growing Apart: If partners feel they’re drifting apart or spending less time together, counseling can help reignite their bond and encourage closeness.
- Frequent Arguments: Escalating and/or frequent conflicts can affect a relationship’s health. Therapy can offer strategies for improved communication and emotional management, helping partners navigate disagreements in constructive, positive ways.
- Trust Issues: When trust has been compromised, it can lead to resentment, jealousy, and suspicion. Couples therapy can assist partners in trying to rebuild trust and address these emotions in a supportive environment.
- Life Transitions: Significant life changes, such as parenthood, a career shift, or a move, can strain relationships. Therapy offers tools for managing these shifts collaboratively and effectively.
- Unresolved Past Issues: If a past issue continues to impact the relationship, therapy offers a path to move forward while healing old wounds, leaving the relationship stronger as a whole.
- Desire for a Stronger Connection: Many couples seek counseling to strengthen their bond, improve intimacy, and deepen their emotional connection.
Life Transition Counseling
Life transitions, whether a job change, relocation, relationship shift, or welcoming a new family member, can often bring stress and uncertainty. The best, most welcome life transition can still leave you feeling not as happy as you would want. Dr. Thomas helps clients approach these moments with resilience and a healthy mindset.
Remember, major life events can impact individuals both positively and negatively. On the one hand, they can foster growth, teach new skills, and strengthen family bonds.
On the other hand, transitions can bring about feelings of loneliness, stress, anxiety, and sadness. Dr. Thomas works with clients to manage these varied effects, helping them maintain a sense of balance and clarity.
Everyone’s life transitions are different. How they cope with them will be different as well. That said, for those facing life transitions, Dr. Thomas often emphasizes several coping skills including:
Making Self-Care a Priority
Maintaining healthy habits—balanced nutrition, sufficient rest, exercise, and so forth—can improve mental health during stressful periods. Dr. Thomas encourages clients to integrate self-care routines into their lives for a better quality of life in general, and especially when going through stressful or difficult times.
Your Goals for Your Life
By keeping personal goals in mind, clients can approach transitions with a positive outlook and a sense of purpose. Dr. Thomas helps clients align their life changes with their broader aspirations, empowering them to view challenges as growth opportunities.
Constructing a Support System You Can Rely On
Whether from family, friends, or support groups, having a network is invaluable. Dr. Thomas encourages clients to seek support from loved ones or others who’ve experienced similar changes. By offering practical strategies for coping, Dr. Thomas helps clients to better move through life’s transitions in a way that’s best for them.
Loss and Grief Counseling
Loss, whether through death, divorce, or separation, are among the biggest challenges a person will ever face in life. That said, you do not need to face them alone. Dr. Thomas’s grief counseling provides clients with tools and guidance to cope with complex emotions and continue forward in life.
During the initial sessions, Dr. Thomas may very well encourage clients to share their loss stories, providing a compassionate space for them to express their experiences. Dr. Thomas emphasizes the importance of being heard and validated, aiming to help clients move through their grief rather than feeling trapped by it.
Loss can affect many if not all aspects of a person’s life, such as at home, work, in their relationships, and everywhere else. Dr. Thomas offers clients methods on managing grief at work and in their personal life, such as communicating needs to supervisors, taking advantage of workplace mental health benefits, and setting personal boundaries to balance life’s responsibilities with self-care.
By providing a supportive framework, Dr. Thomas helps clients manage the complexities of grief, whether they are navigating a recent loss or dealing with longstanding bereavement.
Psychologist for Those in Playa Vista
Choosing the right psychologist is a personal decision that can lead to life-changing growth. Dr. Thomas is committed to helping clients reach their goals and develop healthier relationships with themselves and others. With a focus on offering personalized support across a broad range of mental health areas, Dr. Thomas provides a welcoming, empathetic environment to facilitate healing and growth.
Dr. Thomas believes that working with a psychologist should be an empowering experience. She offers a convenient, comfortable setting where clients can begin their journey to a healthier and more fulfilling life. If you’re ready to take the first step, she invites you to schedule a free phone consultation at (310) 359-9450 or request an appointment through her website.