Trauma
• heal trauma
• get unstuck
• EMDR
• develop resilience & empowerment
Hello and welcome! First, I want you to know I see therapy as an empathetic, “helping relationship” as you navigate life’s ups and downs. I strive to cultivate a care-filled space, where the first priority is that you feel seen and heard. Think of me as a compassionate and curious traveling companion for this leg of your journey. Let’s take stock of where you’ve been, where you’re at now—what’s working, what’s not—and where you’re headed. From there, we shape whatever kind of relationship you need to move in the directions you seek.
There are so many possible reasons for seeking therapy. I won’t pretend to know yours. That being said, some of my specialties include: trauma, relationships, grief, sexuality, anxiety, identity, creativity, work, depression, and self-worth. Take a look here at some things you might like to focus on. Whatever you’re going through, take heart knowing that you’re stepping towards more support for yourself and your relationships. Click below to set up a free, 15-minute consultation. I look forward to hearing from you.
Demand for our attention and awareness can be relentless, which makes it easy to get overwhelmed, feel stuck, or lose touch. Think of Individual Therapy as a place where you show up for YOU—for that very being you have been gifted to live this life. We all have a natural drive to adapt, learn, and grow, and we do so in relationship to ourselves, to others, and to the world. We will listen closely—from right exactly where you are—to help reconnect you to your innate tendency to grow. While this can definitely mean tolerating some friction and tension at first (getting comfortable with being uncomfortable), over time, it can recharge your sense of well-being, and your relationships.
Our relationships are vital. Some of the most important relationships are our Intimate relationships, which commonly include stress, tension, and conflict. However, knowing that that doesn’t make it any easier to navigate.
Often, connections with spouses and partners come to feel heavy or hard to navigate. Importantly, communication can be seen as more than just words being exchanged; things easily get lost in transmission—and translation. Becoming fluent in these meta-languages takes some focus and some practice. In Couples Therapy, we’ll slow down communications to listen more closely to what is being expressed and exchanged, so you can better understand one another, and yourselves. Figuring out what we want and where we’re coming from—and what our partners want and where they’re coming from—helps build empathy. In turn, trust and intimacy will strengthen and love will flow more easily between you.
For some of you, the menu of relationship styles, types, and approaches leaves you wanting more or feeling limited in some way. You may be thinking about (or already) exploring alternative approaches to intimacy, like Ethical/Consensual Nonmonogamy or Relationship Anarchy. I have extensive experience in these areas and can help you to explore and negotiate in safe and healthy ways. Together, you and your partners can learn to co-author and co-shape your relationship in ways that do not necessarily adhere to conventional “relationshapes.”
If you’re a teen, you might be faced with questions like: Who am I becoming? Who do I want to be? Who do others want me to be? Maybe you think: Why can’t my parents or my teachers get me? Why won’t they get off my back? Maybe you’re going through some kind of tough transition, or feel the need to straighten out your thinking. With so much noise coming at you everyday, and so many people competing for your attention, it can be hard to find the time and space to figure stuff out. You probably don’t need another adult telling you what to do. So, in Individual Therapy for Teens, we’ll open up some nonjudgmental space to talk through (and walk through) what’s going on in your life so you can get a better handle on things.
I orient relationally and interpersonally with clients, evoking the healing potential of an empathic, dialogic therapeutic relationship, while simultaneously cultivating compassionate curiosity. I help to develop and practice somatic awareness and mindful acceptance about what is arising—cognitively, emotionally, somatically, and behaviorally—right now. My approach is informed by humanistic, attachment, narrative, Gestalt, CBT, and existential theories/practice. I also facilitate trauma work with EMDR.
Steve LeSieur, MA, AMFT, APCC
Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist #117767
Registered Associate Professional Clinical Counselor #7759
After growing up in NH, spending my 20’s in Florida, and much of my 30s in the Pacific Northwest, I came to Los Angeles 15 years ago to work as a sound editor in the entertainment industry. I eventually moved into the field of psychotherapy, an occupation well-suited to my evolving curiosity for relationships and growth. I have an extensive background in the arts, (music, dance, theater), and believe wholeheartedly in the transformational potency of creative expression. In addition to the arts, nature is an essential life nutrient for me. Connecting to the natural world brings me more alive and provides a sense of vitality, ground, and balance.
I cherish relationships—with all beings, including the being that is my “self.” I engage with intentional dialogue and practices that revolve around building and sustaining these connections, and I am irresistibly drawn to the ways we navigate and negotiate them. While I do believe that I affect and influence my relationships, these days I am fascinated with how my relationships shape me. I believe we shape each other. This “co-creative,” bi-directional flow enlivens me.
For more specifics on experience, education, and training, click below.
During this Covid-19 pandemic, all services are conducted via telehealth, which means either video chat or over the telephone. I offer psychotherapeutic services for families, couples, and individuals of all ages and identities. If you have experienced trauma, I also offer EMDR. My fee is $150 for a 50-minute session, and I offer a sliding scale for those in financial need. Longer sessions are available and pro-rated accordingly.
In session, you might be interested in exploring one or more of the experiences and issues listed below. You also might not know exactly where to start. That’s ok. Sometimes growth happens in the most unusual ways, and in the most unpredictable places.
• heal trauma
• get unstuck
• EMDR
• develop resilience & empowerment
•trust your feelings
• regulate nervous system
• mindful awareness
• learn coping skills
• reconnect emotionally & socially
• awaken agency
• break patterns
• allow difficult emotions
• improve communication
• build trust
•develop intimacy
• rekindle sparks
• honor your process
• adjusting to loss
• moving through
• being with pain
• it’s natural!
• sex-positivity
• reclaim your inner spark
• creative unblocking
• express yourself
• harness right brain
• art is for everyone!
• career shaping
• work/life balance
• occupational transitions
• workplace challenges
• gender
• LGBTQIA+
• consensual nonmonogamy
• neuroatypical
• online identity
• understand family dynamics
• practice boundary-setting
• accepting difficult family members
• refine/define parenting
• legal & illegal drugs
• internet & devices
• sex
• food
• set SMART goals
• identify core values
• accept what we can’t control
• practice self-compassion
Identity
• gender
• LGBTQIA+
• consensual nonmonogamy
• neuroatypical
• online identity
Grief/Loss
• honoring your process
• adjusting to loss
• moving through mindfully
• sitting with pain
Anxiety
• regulate your nervous system
• practice coping skills
• mindful awareness
• trust your feelings
Trauma
• develop resilience & empowerment
• heal trauma
• get unstuck
• EMDR
Depression
• reconnect emotionally & socially
• awaken agency
• break patterns
• allow difficult emotions
Relationships
• improve communication
• build trust
•develop intimacy
• rekindle sparks
Sexuality
• it’s natural!
• sex-positivity
• reclaim your inner spark
• claim erotic desires
Work
• career shaping
• work/life balance
• occupational transitions
• workplace challenges
Creativity
• creative unblocking
• express yourself
• harness right brain
• art is for everyone!
Addictive Behaviors
• legal & illegal drugs
• internet & devices
• sex
• food
Family
• understand family dynamics
• practice boundary-setting
• accepting difficult family members
• refine/define parenting
Self-Worth
• set SMART goals
• identify core values
• accept what we can’t control
• practice self-compassion
MEN’S PROCESS GROUP STARTING SOON
Perhaps you are a man who is curious about your own development with respect to matters of race, gender, and sexuality. This upcoming men’s group will be a traditional process group with an emphasis on unearthing, unraveling, and understanding men’s issues and experiences relating to maleness, whiteness, straightness, privilege, and fragility,. The aim of the group is to deepen awareness, cultivate empathy, and evolve identity in service of engaging intentionally when such matters arise. The fee will be $50 with a sliding scale. Send me a message below.
I know that choosing the right therapist is not easy. Often we don’t know what we’re getting into until we actually get into it. To help you choose, I offer a free 15-minute consultation to see if we might be a good fit for therapy together.
There is a path forward.
I practice sensitivity to identities and experiences relating to race, gender, spirituality, sexuality, ethnicity, immigration status, ability, neurodiversity, and/or relationship style.
4620 Hollywood Blvd., LA, CA 90027
(657) 845-1140
Aurisha Smolarski, MA, LMFT #90391