Hello, I am Dr. Nanci Carter and I am dedicated to working with adults — across the lifespan — who are seeking to make changes in their lives and improve their relationships. If people understood the important changes that depth work can create, it would help them make a meaningful choice for themselves. But that is often the problem, isn't it? Our difficulties can seem overwhelming and repetitious. Perhaps you wonder why you can't speak your truth. Maybe you experienced abuse or neglect as a child. You may tell yourself that “it’s all in the past", yet it is somehow woven through your current dilemmas and troubled relationships — and continues to cause you pain and distress. Because our memory is shaped through emotional experience, insight alone does not go deeply enough to make the desired changes - feeling your experience with another goes hand in hand with understanding. Our ways of being with others, laid down in childhood, can be understood and re-structured within the psychotherapy relationship.

Hi, my name is Allison. I've been a therapist for thirty years, working with individuals and teens who have experienced trauma. I specialize in attachment, complex developmental trauma, and relationship challenges. I work with individuals who have been exposed to early or chronic trauma, violence, neglect, abandonment, and attachment disruptions. These experiences can create challenging or disabling behavioral patterns affecting the body, heart, and mind. Complex trauma related to grief, loss, neglect, abuse, and abandonment can make individuals or parents feel overwhelmed, easily triggered, and chronically anxious or depressed. Learning effective strategies to create a healing path for your life and journey is always possible. We cannot shame ourselves into change! Seeking help is one of the bravest things we can do for ourselves. Breaking the pattern of intergenerational trauma allows us to become who we were truly meant to be ... our most authentic self.

Have you found yourself questioning why you’re acting a certain way, but you can’t understand why? Have you felt out of control with anxious thoughts, disconnected from your intuition, or stuck trying to distinguish between anxiety and intuition? Do you have a desire to learn more about yourself, but you’re unsure where to start? What if I were to tell you that you already have everything you need within you? I am a Latina relational psychodynamic psychologist based in Los Angeles who helps people reconnect with themselves and their inner strengths. I provide compassionate, evidence-based telehealth therapy to clients across California. I am deeply committed to providing culturally attuned, non-judgmental care that honors your identity, background, and lived experience. I actively collaborate with you to create a therapeutic space where you feel safe, understood, and empowered. We go at your pace. Healing happens in connection. I am here to witness and embrace you. Whether you’re looking for support with anxiety management, depression as a young adult, processing emotional abuse from past relationships or childhood, or guidance with relational and attachment concerns, I tailor my approach to meet your unique needs. It would be an honor to walk alongside you on your journey.

I believe dynamic, lasting change happens when we look beyond surface-level symptoms and understand the deeper patterns driving our lives and relationships. Whether you are seeking therapy as an individual or with a partner, my approach is grounded in psychodynamic theory and relational depth. As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in California, I work with you to explore the underlying thoughts, emotional patterns, and past experiences that shape how you see yourself, manage stress, and connect with others. For Individuals: Life transitions, anxiety, or ongoing feelings of disconnect often stem from unconscious patterns developed over time. Rather than relying solely on quick-fix coping tools, we go deeper. I offer a collaborative, thoughtful space to help you develop authentic self-awareness, process unresolved emotional conflict, and cultivate a stronger, more resilient sense of self. For Couples: Relationships are complex, and even the strongest partnerships encounter communication breakdowns, trust erosion, or repeating cycles of conflict. My approach to couples therapy focuses on uncovering the relational dynamics and attachment needs underneath the argument. Rather than assigning blame, we work together to rebuild emotional safety, foster deep understanding, and create a renewed connection built on clarity and mutual respect.

You may be here because something in your life no longer makes sense the way it used to. Maybe a relationship has been shaken by betrayal or conflict. Maybe you feel stuck, disconnected, anxious, or unsure of who you are or what comes next. Or maybe you know something needs to change, but you haven't been able to change it on your own. I can help you slow things down, understand what's happening beneath the surface, and figure out what to do with it. My style is active, warm, and direct. I won't just sit back and nod while you do all the work. I'll ask questions, help you notice patterns, and sometimes challenge you when I think there's something important you might not be seeing. At the same time, therapy isn't about me telling you how to live your life. My job is to help you understand yourself more clearly so you can make choices that actually fit the person you want to be. We'll pay attention not only to what's happening now, but also to the experiences, relationships, and beliefs that may have shaped how you got here. That can mean exploring old wounds and attachment patterns, and it also means looking closely at what happens in your life today: how you respond when you feel hurt, what you do when conflict gets uncomfortable, what you avoid, and what keeps repeating even when you want something different. There's room in my office for emotion, humor, frustration, uncertainty, and uncomfortable conversations. You don't need to arrive knowing exactly what's wrong or what you want from therapy. We can figure that out together. What matters is that you're willing to be curious about yourself and open to doing something different.

People considering therapy sometimes worry if the therapist will be supportive, open to what they're saying, or right for their needs. I offer an initial 30-minute consultation so we can explore whether I'm the right fit for you. We'll get to know one another and see if we're a good match. Even better, it won't cost you anything! At times I am active and questioning to help you explore the behaviors that stop you from achieving your goals. In other cases I am quiet, working to assimilate information to devise a better picture of our goals for our work together. Either way, our relationship is collaborative in nature, and I always have your best interests at heart.

Most people experience difficulty, transition, or change at some point, whether in their personal lives, jobs, or relationships. Families face many pressures in today's world, and seeking therapy can be a challenging decision. But understanding your need for support is a sign of profound courage. It can be difficult, though, to find a therapist who listens to you, understands your challenges, and really connects with you. I aim to provide a supportive and warm environment in which clients feel safe developing new skills and nurturing their confidence. I'm a licensed marriage and family therapist, and I specialize in helping children, teens, couples, individuals, and families, using a nonjudgmental and compassionate approach. I work with my clients to help them tackle interpersonal challenges, relationship struggles, family difficulties, conflicts between parent and child, anxiety, depression, panic disorders, substance abuse, trauma, mood disorders, life transitions, and grief. I aim to help my clients reduce their symptoms while understanding the underlying issues that help problematic thoughts and behaviors to continue. Therapy helps you understand why you choose ineffective behaviors and enables you to make lasting, positive changes in your life.

Are you looking to deepen your emotional connection and thrive in your relationship? I specialize in couples therapy. I am certified in the Gottman Method for Couples Therapy. I am passionate about working with couples getting them back on track to sharing a happy and fulfilling life together. I provide skills and strategies for couples to grow in their intimacy, learn effective ways of communicating, break negative patterns and find ways of rediscovering the love they once had. I use the most effective approaches focusing on what emotionally intelligent couples are doing right. I help couples strengthen their marriage and give them hope.

Are you busy caring for others but running on empty? Do you manage a lot, but underneath struggle with your own anxiety, depression, grief, relationship issues, food or body image issues or unresolved trauma? Does a part of you long for more connection in your close relationships (partner or friendships)? Are your struggles needing your attention? Let's give you the attention you need and deserve. I look forward to creating a safe, attuned therapy relationship with you in which you can feel seen, understood and cared for. We will listen closely to your feelings, actions, thoughts, bodily sensations and even your dreams to foster greater self-awareness and self-compassion. We will work with 'difficult' emotions, helping you to process them. We will also track your patterns in intimate relationships and your attachment styles to help you become more secure and free to give and receive love from a place of greater health. We can use the therapy relationship as a context to experience how you relate and what you need. We can discover not only what keeps you stuck in your struggle but also what will help you find relief and connection. As needed, I can help you process trauma (single incident or repeated, complex) with a gentle, steady approach. Together we can listen to the mind and body to understand the negative beliefs you hold as a result of the trauma. We can also use different methods for working through the unprocessed pain. EMDR (eye movement, desensitization and reprocessing) is one specific form of trauma treatment I incorporate, as appropriate. For those who desire spiritual integration, I can help people understand themselves as it pertains to their faith journey. I can be a safe place to deconstruct harmful beliefs andor reconstruct helpful beliefs and practices. In all of these processes I trust that the rest, intimacy, acceptance, change, relief and creativity you desire will emerge.

I am a licensed psychologist who is dedicated to empowering individuals, enriching lives, promoting personal growth and development by providing professionally competent and personally compassionate services for children, adults, couples and families through life-coaching, psychotherapy and education with the intent of achieving a productive life, a meaningful existence and reaching one's highest potential. My practice includes treatment of children, adolescents, adults, couples, families and groups. I provide consultation and life-coaching services for individuals, couples and executives. I conduct psychological testing for fitness for duty, personality andor career assessment, diagnostic impressions and treatment planning purposes. My specialties include working with children and adolescents, pre-marital counseling, couples to increase relational satisfaction, hypnotherapy, career coaching, women's health, depression, anxiety and body-focused repetitive disorders. I maintain an exuberant approach in guiding clients toward emotional, social, spiritual and professional success. My practice utilizes research-validated therapy and coaching to direct growth in individuals, relationships, family life and career.I am genuinely interested in the health and happiness of my clients. I am committed to providing the highest quality of care and have a deep desire to facilitate transformation that produces a purpose-driven life in the individuals who are obtaining my psychological services.As a practitioner, I am a highly effective and efficient professional that paves the way for client's to reach their desired goals. My therapeutic style emanates warmth, compassion and professionalism. My therapeutic approach is collaborative, authentic and client-centered. I empower clients and teach them to become proactive by building upon their strengths. I provide a safe, caring and nonjudgmental environment that centers on client needs. Each therapy session promotes personal growth and success!