My Approach to Helping
My name is Shant Bardakjian, and I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) based in Glendale, California. I currently work with children, adolescents, and adults within the greater Los Angeles area.
My approach to therapy is tailored to the client's needs. I enter into therapy with whatever the client brings into the session. If you need a creative approach to solve your problems, then I would use narrative therapy. If you need to fix your problem right away, then I would use solution-focused therapy. I also use cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness. I use an eclectic approach with a person-centered lens that can be flexible for whatever need is brought into the room.
My communication style is calm and approachable. I would like my clients to feel at ease in sharing whatever is on their hearts without fear of judgment.
I decided to become a therapist because I have wanted to help people discover their best selves. I have been drawn to helping people discover their innate ability to heal past whatever is keeping them stuck in life.
My aim is for whoever works with me to be able to define a goal that can be accomplished and for trust to be gradually built within the therapeutic relationship. In this way, the progress that is seen in therapy will, in turn, translate to improvements in multiple areas of your life.
In our first session together, you can expect the primary focus to be for me to hear your story of what brought you to therapy. The first session is to determine if there is an initial connection, and also to ask questions that would enable me to better understand what would work best for you as treatment progresses.