My Approach to Helping
Quality of life is often compromised by personal, career, and or relationship challenges and transitions. Emotional symptoms that cause depression, anger, and anxiety can accompany these problems, often outweighing an individual's ability to cope and effectively attend to daily roles and responsibilities. In psychotherapy, I provide a safe, caring, and non-judgmental environment where challenges can be addressed to create positive and lasting change. I work with clients to identify future goals, develop effective coping skills, and pursue a meaningful life informed by personal values. For many, psychotherapy is an investment in self-development that will last a lifetime.
Individuals are complex, and the underlying cause of problems is not always clear. I utilize psychological tests to understand the nature of a problem and the best way to address it. Assessments address emotional difficulties, cognitive problems related to brain functioning, achievement deficits in academic settings, and or career interests.
I also have extensive experience working in hospital settings and collaborating with hospital staff in providing comprehensive care. Services provided can include psychodiagnostic assessment, neurocognitive assessment (cognitive difficulties secondary to medical concerns), psychotherapy, and or treatment recommendations upon discharge.
More Info About My Practice
Conditions Treated:
ADHD
Anxiety Disorders
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Brain Injury
Bipolar Disorders
Depression
Dual Diagnosis
Impulse-Control Disorders
Developmental Disorders
Medical Conditions with Psychological Complications
Neurocognitive Problems
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Personality Disorders
Psychosis
Schizophrenia
Schizoaffective Disorder
Sexual Disorders
Substance Abuse and Addiction
Somatoform Disorders
Trauma, Abuse and Dissociative Disorders
Trauma
My Role as a Therapist
Dr. Ermshar specializes in forensic psychology, neuropsychology, and clinicaldiagnostic psychological assessment and evaluation. She has given numerous invited addresses, seminars, and workshops to psychologists and attorneys and is published in the area of forensic psychology. Dr. Ermshar has served as an expert witness in numerous court cases within Federal Court, California Superior Courts, and California Juvenile Courts. Her consultation and expert testimony experience includes addressing legal questions pertinent to mental disability, competence to stand trial, mental state at the time of offense, risk assessment, developmental disorders, neuropsychological functioning, cognitive ability, psychologicalemotional damages, sex offenses, syndrome evidence, memory and suggestibility, and various other criminal and civil forensic evaluations. Dr. Ermshar is an expert in alternative sentencing and provides court-mandated treatment (i.e., treatment for restoration of competency to stand trial, managing behaviors for risk reduction, sex-offender-specific treatment) in an alternative sentence treatment-based environment.
Dr. Ermshar also provides psychotherapy and specializes in the treatment of individuals in the corporate and entertainment industries, bipolar and psychotic spectrum disorders, anxiety disorders, substance abuse disorders, gambling, sexual addictions, and other behavioral addictions, personality disorders (including antisocial and borderline personality disorders), autism spectrum disorders, and adolescent development.
As a neuropsychologist, Dr. Ermshar conducts both adult and childadolescent neuropsychological, educational, and cognitive evaluations to assist in Individual Education Program (IEP) needs, neuropsychological treatment, and diagnostic clarification of neurodevelopmental issues. She also conducts two specialized neurocognitive therapies: cognitive rehabilitation (cognitive retraining) and neurofeedback.
Clinicians who offer sliding scale payment structures may offer lower or reduced fees based on an individual's ability to pay. Please contact this clinician for more details regarding their fees or sliding scale policy.
