Kirstin Carl, M.S., LMFT

I’m Kirstin Carl, LMFT, an Encino therapist with nearly 20 years of experience working with adults and couples around trauma, attachment, dating and relationship patterns, and parenting. Many of the people I work with have spent years trying to understand why certain patterns keep repeating. You may find yourself overthinking relationships, struggling to trust your own perceptions, becoming overwhelmed by conflict or distance, or taking responsibility for other people’s feelings. Earlier relationships and experiences can shape how we respond to closeness, uncertainty, rejection, and vulnerability long after we begin understanding those patterns intellectually. My approach is attachment-based, relational, and trauma-informed, with attention to how emotions and experiences show up in the body. Together, we pay attention not only to what happened in the past, but to what is happening in the present: your emotions, body responses, relationship patterns, and the ways you respond when you feel hurt, confused, overwhelmed, or disconnected. Therapy with me is collaborative, warm, and direct. I want you to feel genuinely seen and understood, while also having room to look closely at patterns that may no longer be working for you. My goal is to help you trust what you feel and need, respond differently when old patterns get activated, and build relationships where you can be close to others without losing sight of yourself. I offer in-person therapy in Encino and online therapy throughout California.

I work with adults and couples who want to understand and change patterns that keep repeating in relationships, dating, and parenting. I also work with people whose current struggles are connected to trauma or earlier relationship experiences. Some come to therapy because they are overthinking a relationship, struggling with boundaries, repeating painful dynamics, or losing sight of what they feel and need. Others are trying to build a more connected partnership, date with greater intention, or parent differently from how they were parented. Our work may include attention to attachment patterns, emotions and body responses, communication, and the ways earlier experiences continue to shape present relationships. I offer a free 30-minute phone consultation so we can talk about what brings you to therapy and whether working together may be a good fit.