Hi, I’m Natalie (she/her)
I’m a Registered Associate Marriage & Family Therapist practicing in Southern California. I study, write, and speak on trauma resulting from intimate partner and family violence, chronic pain in women, and the overlap of depth psychology with socio-political ideologies. My work is grounded in feminist, psychoanalytic, and Jungian perspectives.
I am fascinated by the complexities of the human experience, the stories we construct to make meaning of our lives, and the interplay between cultural events and psychological thought.
Before training as a psychotherapist, I worked for nearly a decade as a brand strategy director in Los Angeles and Sydney, Australia. My time in the advertising industry made me especially interested in working with writers, directors, musicians, actors, filmmakers, content creators, and other artists & entrepreneurs interested in enhancing their creative lives.
I am a graduate of Pacifica Graduate Institute, earning a Master’s in Counseling Psychology and Depth Psychology. In addition to my coursework, I bring experience working with survivors of domestic violence and my own experience living with chronic pain.
Today, my goal is to provide an empathetic, supportive space to help clients embrace and build lives that align with their souls.
I’m so glad you’re here.
My Approach
Education
I hold a master’s degree in Marriage & Family Counseling Psychology & Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute.
In addition to my master’s coursework, I gained experience working in a variety of mental health settings, including domestic violence shelters, community mental health centers, and equine-assisted therapy programs.
My areas of focus include: domestic/family violence, trauma, the LGBTQ+ community, anxiety, self-esteem issues, infertility, codependency, and relationship challenges of all kinds.
Certifications & Ongoing Training
Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy
Dream Analysis
Equine-Assisted Therapy
Somatic Experiencing Supervision
Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence Certification
How I work
My approach to therapy is rooted in depth psychology, which includes Psychoanalytic and Jungian psychology. In short, this means I pay close attention to your unconscious thoughts and feelings that run your behaviors and moods.
Together we explore the impact of both early and current relationships on your sense of sense. We also utilize the relationship and interaction between you and I, client and therapist, to help you understand patterns that show up in all of your relationships outside the therapy room.
Psychotherapy is recommended when you’re experiencing anxiety, depression, relationship issues, confusion in identity, the experience of loss, and challenges in your family of origin. Often long-standing, ongoing, repetitive issues that interfere with your life are best addressed, specifically, in psychoanalytic therapy.
My clients often find themselves:
Stuck in the same unsatisfying relationship over and over
Repeating negative conflicts in your relationships
Struggling to achieve goals or reach the potential you know is inside you
Living with a persistent, vague sense of anxiety or depression
Never feeling like you can fully be your true self or you aren’t sure who that is
Feeling like you are "performing" your life rather than living it.
There are many types of therapy out there that address specific behavioral problems, Psychoanalytic and Jungian therapy is often a better fit for people who are curious about their inner world and want a more expansive psychic life.
What is Jungian Psychology?
Jungian therapy invites us to look at life as a living myth. It assumes that your struggles are not problems to be solved, but signals from your soul to get your attention.
We look below the surface of your daily life, paying attention to synchronicities, symbols in your life, recurring themes in your dreams, and shadow parts of yourself that have been tucked away.
The goal of Jungian work is Individuation: the process of becoming the person you were always meant to be. It is a soulful, creative journey toward wholeness, helping you move from a life of "performing" to a life that feels vital, embodied, and true.
What is Psychoanalytic Psychology?
Psychoanalytic therapy is built on the belief that our past is never truly behind us. Our past reveals itself through our current relationships and our moods. If you find yourself repeating the same unsatisfying patterns in love or work, it is often because an old, invisible map is still guiding your behavior.
We don't just look at what is wrong, we look at why. Central to this work is the relational aspect—the unique connection that develops between us, client and therapist.
By observing the feelings and dynamics that surface in our sessions in real-time, we gain a clear, visceral understanding of how you relate to the world outside. Our therapeutic relationship acts as a safe laboratory where you can experiment with new ways of being, eventually allowing you to let go of old defenses and move through your life with more alignment and ease.
Credentials
I am a Registered Associate Marriage & Family Therapist #155308 in California.
I am employed & supervised by Fabrice Paracuellos, Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist #114054.