Steve Friedlander, LMFT, SEP, CATC IV
Somatic Therapist
Santa Monica & Miracle Mile, California & Online
Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP), EMDR, IFS, Narrative, Jungian, Transpersonal & Mindfulness
Certified Addiction Treatment Counselor
Trauma, anxiety, depression, health, creativity
Couples & Families
My specialities
I specialize in somatic therapies that help individuals and couples better regulate their nervous systems, resolve conflict and strengthen emotional bonds.
I work with a range of issues including:
Anxiety
Depression & grief
Chronic pain & health anxiety
Couples, codependency & conflict
PTSD & complex trauma
Life & career transitions
Creative block
Families & teens
Therapy with me
Our work together will be collaborative and integrative. As a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, I am oriented towards involving the body and nervous system in the healing process. I view therapy as a sacred ritual space in which we are afforded the opportunity to realize wholeness and move beyond the old.
Depression, anxiety, grief, trauma and other related phenomenon can compromise our ability to live the way in which we want and thwart the quality of our relationships; however, if given the right attention, they can also be powerful catalysts for change and transformation. Symptoms present us with an invitation to discover and address the root cause or deeper emotional issue that is causing our suffering.
Our work together will bring together my training in Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, narrative therapy, mindfulness, dream work, Internal Family Systems (IFS), attachment theory and Jungian psychology.
My background
My work is based on my own studies and explorations into Eastern and Western approaches to healing. On my travels to over 25 countries, I have learned from numerous guides and teachers and studied a number of therapeutic protocols.
I am a licensed psychotherapist trained in Somatic Experiencing, EMDR and Narrative Therapy. I am also a Licensed Addiction Counselor/Educator and have worked in the treatment of addiction for over 15 years. I received intensive training in responsible and ethical psychedelic-assisted therapy from the Integrative Psychiatry Institute and MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Sciences). I am an adjunct faculty member at Antioch University, where I teach classes in Jungian dream interpretation.
As a musician, I believe that creativity plays a central role in healing and work to bring out the creativity in my clients..
“My greatest passion is to serve as a guide in the process of transformation and the realization of our greatest potential”
Training
MA, Clinical Psychology, Antioch University, Los Angeles
Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP)—Completed 3 Year Specialization
EMDR—Completed Basic Training (Parts 1, 2 and 3), Institute for Creative Mindfulness
Mastering Internal Family Systems (IFS)—3 month intensive
CATC IV: Certified addiction counselor and educator
Integrative Psychiatry Institute (IPI) and MAPS Intensive Training
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist #119582
Treatment approach
Psychotherapy is a great tool to help you understand yourself at a deeper level, find purpose in your life, and address obstacles that are hindering you from reaching your goals. The result is a more integrated self, enabling you to achieve more satisfying ways to live and foster healthy and fulfilling relationships with people in your life.
In addition to my relational approach, I teach practices that support your nervous system to move toward regulation, or homeostatic balance. These practices teach you how to be with challenging sensations without bracing to allow energy to shift and release, rather than accumulating in your body. Over time, your window of tolerance expands so that your nervous system naturally spends more time in parasympathetic, or “rest and digest,” even as you move through the world .
In the process, I help you to unburden the original traumas that live on as hypersensitivity to threat. To do this, we need to meet and befriend the protective parts that over or under react to present situations. With more understanding and acceptance, these parts calm down and start to work together as a team, helping you to become more responsive and vital.
I help you build a personalized tool-kit to manage your symptoms going forward. When you stop fearing your symptoms they lose power over you and they begin to fade. Clients often report forgetting about symptoms as their life comes back into the foreground.
Services and fees
I offer in-person and online sessions for:
Individuals $300 (50-minute session)
Couples $300 (50-minute session)
Adolescents & Teens $300 (50-minute session)
Feel free to ask if sliding scale is available.