Claire Pichel, MA, LCSW - Trauma and Maternal Mental Health Trained
Freedom from your past and more peace and ease in your present
Whether you are struggling with anxiety, feel like your past is always in your present, or you are overwhelmed with the changes brought to you by motherhood, I am here to help. Hi, I'm Claire, and I'm glad you're here. It takes a lot of courage to reach out for support and start looking for a therapist, and I respect that.
I help my clients live more joyful, balanced, and fulfilling lives by supporting them while they work through the pain in their past, and develop the skills and practices needed to uncover their strengths and cope with challenges.
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Traditional talk therapy alone often doesn't create lasting change. This is because anxiety and trauma live in our bodies, and are accessed through a different part of our brain - a part that talking alone cannot get to.
I use a number of different approaches, including EMDR, polyvagal work, and sensory awareness, that access your mind and your body together, allowing for meaningful change to take place. I also firmly believe that the number one predictor of success in therapy is your relationship to your therapist (and there is research to back this!) so I make sure you feel safe, seen and heard during our time together.
While I wholeheartedly support learning about yourself, and engaging in self help practices outside of therapy, relational healing happens through authentic, loving and safe connection with another person. Just as we are wounded in relationship, we are healed in relationship. Therefore, I work to create a warm, safe space so we can build trust.
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Many of the solutions we see today for people in emotional distress create relationships where you are dependent on your therapist, or mentor or teacher. I don't work that way. I fully believe you have everything you need - I simply help you reconnect with the wisdom of your inner self. I like to think of it as clouds in front of the sun: your inner knowing is always there. We just work to clear the clouds.
I am dedicated to helping people find healing and freedom from their past and more joy, peace and ease in their present.
My training in trauma informed therapies such as EMDR, polyvagal theory and my MA in Somatic psychology give me the expertise and experience you deserve and need to take care of yourself. But at the end of the day, you probably want to know how exactly I can relate to you and your experiences, right?
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I can relate because I have been through my own struggles with anxiety, which I have had since I was a child. I can relate because I am survivor of postpartum depression and OCD and pregnancy loss. And I can relate because I have worked through my own traumas. I too, have had to unlearn unhelpful patterns of relating - I still am! I too understand what it is like to feel like you are at the mercy of your emotions, to feel like there is something wrong with you. It's painful. So, I don't show up with my clients as just a well trained therapist with experience. I show up as someone who gets what it is like to struggle with your moods and feelings, and go to therapy to work through it.
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Training and Education
I firmly believe that continuing education and consultation are the cornerstone of my ability to best support you.
California State Licensed Clinical Social Worker LCSW91575
Masters in Social Work, Specialty in Health and Military
Masters in Somatic Psychology
EMDR Trained through EMDRIA
Perinatal Mental Health Trained through PSI
Training in Grief and Loss
Sexuality and Health Training, National Institutes of Health
Sex and the Military: Other Invisible Wounds Training, USC
Certified in Problem Solving Therapy, Motivational Interviewing and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Trained Massage Therapist
Trained Dance Instructor
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