Victoria Sciarra, Marriage Counselor in Long Beach, 90808

Victoria Sciarra, M.A., L.M.F.T.

Profession(s):
Marriage & Family Therapy
License Status:
I'm a licensed professional.
Primary License:
MFC - MFC28717

My Approach to Helping

Over the years my clients have taught me what they want most in life is satisfying relationships, feeling successful in work/career, good health and happiness. However, there are times when they knowingly sabotage themselves by making poor choices and they don't know why.
When life/relationships/career isn't working out as planned or goals aren't being met is when people come to see me. I like helping people stop self-sabotage and get to the bottom of what is going on.
While I am traditionally trained in "talk therapy" I have found just talking about something does not treat the residue of the upsets stored in the mind, brain and body. So, I integrate talk therapy with a variety of mind-body therapies that are both holistic and energy psychology based. This approach helps me to help you individually get to the root cause of self-sabotage with a gentle laser like focus. You can expect to:
* Learn how to develop healthy behaviors that will improve the quality of your life.
* Release old emotional pain so it doesn't color current experiences.
* Experience increased satisfaction in your life.

More Info About My Practice

In addition to my private practice I teach a beginning meditation class full of practical meditation tips and techniques. This class provides an introduction to various meditation practices so you can decide which one appeals to you. You can meditate in 3 minutes or less as well as for longer periods of time. Key components of meditation such as focusing on the breath, intention, presence and mindfulness are taught.

What I Say to People Concerned about the Therapy Process

Realistically, in therapy, I think clients do get overwhelmed by their feelings when they are telling their story and are sometimes taken by surprise. They might feel embarrassed, overexposed or relieved. This can happen at the very first session. I think the issue isn’t that a client gets overwhelmed but what happens next. From a mind-body approach I would immediately teach a client techniques that de-stress the body so they could eliminate the feeling of overwhelm. The body gives immediate feedback to us by calming down. Over time we could begin to explore the cause of the painful feelings and resolve them. Clients also learn to trust a therapist through a process of creating rapport and connection. Helping a client contain their feelings and witnessing their pain with presence and compassion is another way trust is built. It is equally important for a client to learn to trust her/himself to handle the feelings that are inside.

Why Going to Therapy Does Not Mean You are Weak or Flawed

If I am hearing in the client’s language some stigma that people who go to therapy are weak or flawed, I will comment on what I have heard and initiate a discussion on why people come to therapy. We can discuss where their beliefs come from and who they know that goes to therapy. I have often found this belief of being weak or flawed is pervasive in the client’s life and not just about coming to therapy. That information is useful for me to know. I’ve also found that people feel insecure or embarrassed about coming to therapy and worry what other people will think about them. I re-frame the client’s decision to come to therapy as one of having the wisdom and courage to ask for help when they need it. No matter how successful, intelligent or self- reliant we are sometimes we are faced with something that just feels bigger than we are. Coming to terms with needing to ask for help becomes part of the therapeutic process.