I work with thoughtful, emotionally aware adults and couples who keep noticing the same patterns showing up in love, work, and their own inner worlds. Many of my clients are queer, creative, analytical, emotionally intense, or “the strong one” for everyone else. You might be quietly struggling with anxiety, shame, burnout, attachment wounds, trauma, or the aftershocks of complex relationships. You want depth, honesty, and therapy that actually goes somewhere. I offer therapy for people ready to understand themselves in a more meaningful way. In sessions, we will explore the deeper aspects of your experience, collaborate on the practical problems in your life, increase awareness, get unstuck from unhelpful patterns, soothe anxieties, strengthen relationships, and learn to set boundaries and communicate. My style is direct, warm, humorous, and, at times, challenging.

Your emotions feel overwhelming, and it’s hard to enjoy life. You’re always surviving, never thriving. You care for everyone around you, but when you struggle, it’s like there’s no one to turn to. You understand your emotions, and you’re great at explaining them, but that doesn’t seem to help when you’re alone and panicking. I work with folks who are great at getting by, but want to reconnect with the joy of being alive. As a trauma therapist who specializes in working with queer, trans, neurodivergent, and non-monogamous folks, my work centers people who are deeply caring and always thinking of others, but find it hard to receive help themselves. As a somatic practitioner, I will support you in slowing down and re-establishing a relationship with your body and mind. We are in our bodies for our whole lives, so we might as well figure out how to enjoy it. My job is to help you figure that out.

Welcome to my profile. My name is Dana Fogel-Stark and I am a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist specializing in the treatment of Anxiety Disorders, Depressive Disorder and CoupleRelational Issues. I have been licensed as a psychotherapist for over 20 years and in full time private practice in the heart of Calabasas. My therapeutic approach is eclectic focused on both helping clients gain insight and awareness as to the origin and cause of their struggles as well as helping clients gain the tools and coping mechanisms needed to overcome their challenges. I believe that therapy is most effective when the therapeutic approach is tailored to the specific presenting issues that the client is facing. I create a personalized treatment approach with every new client based on their specific needs. I use Evidenced Based Therapy to treat obsessive worries and ruminations, physical manifestation of anxiety, panic attacks, obsessive compulsive disorder, social anxiety, and struggles with perfectionismperformance anxiety. My passion for using CBT is that I get to witness significant improvement with clients in a short period of time. In addition to CBT I also use Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Exposure Response Prevention as well as teaching emotional intelligence in my work with clients. I look forward to working with you. Feel free to visit my website at Growwiththerapy.com

I am a clinical psychologist located in Manhattan Beach, where I have practiced for several years.  My work with people is based on a core belief that new relationships have the ability to profoundly change and improve peoples? lives.  I view my role as an active participant and strive to create a safe and supportive place in which together we can explore and try to understand whatever is making life difficult. This insight and clarity often leads people to experience an expansion of choices and more satisfying ways of being and relating.  Please feel free to explore my Web site and don?t hesitate to call with any questions.

My goals are to empower individuals struggling to make meaning from their lives, and ultimately, helping those who have a desire to embark on the road to feeling better about themselves, and their relationships with others. I am passionate about accompanying individuals on their journey to understand and take ownership of their destructive or dysfunctional behaviors, and accept that they can reconcile their thoughts, andor feelings. You do not have to travel this road feeling all alone; you can choose to correct your course and make a first step in a new direction seeking help in an atmosphere that is safe, non-judgemental, and foremost, confidential and private. My treatment modalities consist of counseling for individuals, couples, and families. I specialize in treating maladaptive thought processes and cognitive distortions, however, my services are available to anyone wishing to gain a better understanding of their world, and their environment whether it be at home, with family, or in other social situations. I understand firsthand that the path to wellness and healing in our life is a process fraught with challenges and difficulties. My own experience with depression, cognitive distortions, and anxiety provide me with an insight into the insidious cycles that we can find ourselves feeling trapped within. I welcome the opportunity to offer you guidance and support while on your journey to wellness. Make the decision to feel better starting today. Call me for an initial consultation.

It may very well be that our deepest longing and need is for connection. To be heard. To be understood. To be known in our deepest places. To learn to be more connected to the lost neglected parts of ourselves and those we care for. It isn't always an easy road. Perhaps even considering connection sounds intimidating or scary or dangerous. Often it entails letting go of destructive habits. Sometimes we just want to get unstuck. Sometimes, you and I will need to look at old patterns and create new ones. There may be moments of laughing, or crying, or facing hard truths. You may need to take a new path or forge a new future that is unknown. On the other side is the gold, or the jewel, or new life. Through hard work, you can create a more satisfying life, with less pain, less hurt, and less fear. You can live a more authentic life, being fully who you are. More able to love and be loved. More able to move through the world with ease. More forgiving of yourself and others. All along the way, I will be with you.

Live the life you want to be living now! Whether you want to have more fulfilling relationships, work through past traumas, overcome your anxiety, grief, or depression, I will create a safe and trusting environment for us to work on creating a balanced, joy-filled life. It's never too early or too late to start living you best life! It's normal to be skeptical of change and doubt that things can get better. I have sat with hundreds of clients throughout the years and help the hope for them until they can see it themselves. I believe we're all capable and deserving of a joyful life. I specialize in working with clients who have experienced any kind of trauma in their lives. Trauma or unhealthy relationships tend to create long term pain whether it's in the form of anxiety, depression, low self-esteem or unfulfilling relationships. By examining and working through past pain and creating healthy beliefs and actions, we can work through authentic joy. My approach to therapy is using solution-focused tools to help you find relief from your immediate problems pretty quickly as we use some relational tools to break up old patterns that are not working for you and create new habits and beliefs that actually serve you.

If infidelity, betrayal, or a relationship crisis has left you unsure what is true, what to do next, or whether your relationship can recover, you may feel pulled between urgency and overwhelm. One partner may be searching for answers while the other fears that more truth will cause more damage. Or you may be the partner who was unfaithful, carrying shame, fear of judgment, or confusion about how you got here and what accountability now requires. I specialize in structured, active therapy for individuals and couples navigating infidelity, betrayal of trust, unresolved disclosure, relationship crisis, and high-stakes decisions about the future of a relationship. My approach is especially suited for people who need more than open-ended support. I provide clinical guidance, clear structure, and attention to what needs to happen first. For couples in the acute aftermath of infidelity, the first task may be stabilization—reducing escalation, establishing needed boundaries, and helping each partner become steady enough to engage more safely and effectively in truth-restoration work. When secrecy, omissions, changing accounts, trickle truth, or unresolved questions prevent a stable shared reality from forming, I may guide couples through a structured Truth Restoration and full-disclosure process when clinically appropriate. I also have a particular specialization in supporting the partner who was unfaithful. This may include individual work before, during, and after disclosure; reducing minimization or partial truth; managing shame and defensiveness; understanding the impact on the hurt partner; and developing greater accountability. I work specifically with women who broke trust and may be struggling with significant shame, identity conflict, fear of judgment, or uncertainty about what happens next. Some couples come to me after they have already tried to address the betrayal—through repeated conversations, previous couples therapy, informal disclosure, or even a more formal disclosure process—but still do not feel that shared reality or meaningful repair fully took hold. Others are uncertain whether they want to remain together at all. My Marriage Clarity work integrates principles from my training in Discernment Counseling within a broader approach to relationship distress. Infidelity may be part of the story, but it does not have to be. I work with couples facing chronic disconnection, resentment, recurring conflict, loss of intimacy, longstanding hurt, betrayal, or uncertainty about whether the marriage should continue. Infidelity or relationship crisis is often the doorway into the work rather than the end of it. Once sufficient stability, truth, and accountability have been established, therapy can deepen into the individual wounds, attachment patterns, protective strategies, roles, resentment, boundaries, and ways of relating that shape each person and the relationship. This deeper work focuses on greater self-awareness and differentiation—understanding what belongs to you, what belongs to your partner, and what happens between you. Understanding these dynamics does not excuse betrayal or redistribute responsibility for it. The goal is change that reaches beyond ending an affair, stopping a behavior, or promising that it will not happen again. My style is compassionate, direct, active, and structured. I will support you without avoiding difficult realities, challenge you when needed, and help you focus on what matters most now while making room for the deeper work underneath it.

I offer clients a safe, non-judgmental and interactive space to work through personal issues, problems and dilemmas of life. I believe that at times, we need to look outside our usual supports to find a consistent and supportive place to find balance in our lives. Therapy is an opportunity for growth; to feel less stuck and less overwhelmed. I will collaborate with you to identify obtainable goals and explore the barriers and challenges to feeling relief and contentment both within yourself and in your relationships with others. Together, we will recognize your strengths, discover your resilience, and develop your authentic self. As a licensed therapist with over 10 years of clinical experience, my skills and training include the ability to help with problems of anxiety and stress, depression, relationship problems, work concerns, parenting issues and life transitions, among other troubles. I work with individuals, couples and families to help them discover the deeper roots of the issue so they can begin to find resolutions, expand awareness, communicate more effectively with those around them, and understand links between the roots of their issues and their daily lives. I look forward to your call. We will discuss together the best way to begin.

Life is inherently challenging, and resisting that reality can deepen suffering. You may have long imagined becoming a parent, only to find yourself grappling with unexpected and complicated feelings towards yourself or your child. Or perhaps in an effort to avoid the pain of your past, you may have turned to food or alcohol or relied on patterns like people-pleasing or conflict avoidance—only to realize that, strategies that once helped you cope are now causing your harm. Whatever brings you here, I applaud your willingness to confront your relationship to trauma, depression, and anxiety and to initiating a first step. With 18 years of experience supporting individuals and couples through these challenges, among others, I would be privileged to walk alongside you in this work. Therapy with me is relational, collaborative, active, empathic, and experiential—at times direct and gently challenging. I tailor approaches to meet the individual needs of my clients and draw from depth-oriented and somatic approaches, including intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy (ISTDP), psychodynamic therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), Brainspotting, internal family systems (IFS), emotionally focused therapy (EFT), and Relational Life Therapy (RLF). I am trauma-informed and LGBTQ affirmative, and deeply value working with BIPOC and SWANA clients and couples navigating identity and cultural dynamics in a patriarchical and colonial culture. I am deeply enjoy working with parents and couples navigating ADHD in their dynamic.

I help dual-career, type-A couples experiencing anxiety and sadness from constant conflict cut arguments by 50% in 12 weeks, so you avoid separation, divorce, or estrangement, even if only one partner will attend. My approach is focused and authentic, using Relational Life Therapy, among other models. We will examine the patterns, emotional reactions, assumptions, and communication habits shaping what happens between you and the people closest to you. You'll learn the skills and get tools to enjoy a better marriage, partnership, or family membership. No need to sacrifice or compromise, as these approaches quietly build resentment over time. Learn how to make requests that land without triggering resistance. Learn how to listen beneath the words your partner is using. When both people feel understood rather than managed, the entire tone of the relationship begins to change. For those who want concentrated progress without a weekly commitment, I offer 3-hour power sessions designed to create real traction in a focused format. If traditional therapy is not the right fit, Relationship Communication Coaching is available wherever you are, offering the same high-level relational support in a flexible, non-clinical structure. Coaching Website: whatyuneedcoaching.com If you are looking for support that respects your intelligence, your time, and your need for real forward movement, I invite you to reach out for a complimentary consultation. Evening and weekend sessions are available!

Do you find that worries about the past or the future are taking you away from living your life? Emotional pain and negative thoughts take over and become overwhelming? Are your relationships unsatisfying? Do you often worry most about pleasing others? I truly believe that within every individual is the potential to live a happy, full life and be present in each moment. Every person can move through obstacles to make meaningful changes. But moving through can be a difficult and uncomfortable process. Psychotherapy is a tool that can help along your journey. My therapeutic approach with adults is unique to each individual. My role is to help redirect your energy toward managing the things you can control. I emphasize developing an ability to be present "in the moment." I utilize both Western and Eastern philosophies, interweaving mindfulness and meditation techniques with somatic, psychodynamic and relational modalities. I hope to cultivate a warm, honest and authentic relationship with all my valued clients. I truly believe in the dignity of every human being, and I am humbled that through this work I may be of service.