Jeffrey Chernin, Psychotherapist in Los Angeles, 90048

Jeffrey Chernin, Ph.D., MFT

Profession(s):
Psychotherapy, Counseling, Marriage & Family Therapy
License Status:
I'm a licensed professional.
Primary License:
MFT - 37670

My Approach to Helping

Do you believe that you're "too sensitive"? Ever think you should be able to "get over it"? Whether you're experiencing distress related to work, relationships, low self-esteem, or unwanted behavior, I strive to create a safe, productive environment for you to grow, learn, and change.

I have come up with an acronym for long-standing patterns that are unhelpful to you and your relationships. Because no behavioral pattern exists in a vacuum (they must start from somewhere), these patterns start out as Creative, Adaptive, Useful, Smart, and Effective. If you take the first letter from each word, you get "CAUSE" - because these same early coping strategies can become problematic as adults.

More Info About My Practice

Although I may be an expert in human behavior generally-speaking, you know yourself best. That is why all decisions about treatment goals, how often to attend, and when to end therapy are made mutually. My background includes 20 years as a licensed psychotherapist in both private practice and non-profit settings, supervision of other therapists, author, and workshop provider.

My Role as a Therapist

I help people to change long-standing patterns, such as unhealthy relationships, a poor self-image, and depression and anxiety. I take the approach of looking at these as "coping strategies" as necessary and even helpful at one time. The problem becomes when we outgrow the need for certain coping strategies but they persist, often leading to problems in our relationships with others - and ourselves. So I see therapy as a form of "tool replacement" - replacing maladaptive coping strategies (but remember they start out as adaptive!) with other, more healthy and life affirming ones. There are other roles a therapist plays - but this one is an important one.