Veronica Ghabour, APCC #11049

I have spent my entire career seeking experiences with the populations that are underserved. I have dedicated time working with children and families in the elementary school setting as the school counselor. I worked with children from ages 5-13 years old, and their families to achieve their goals in the academic and home setting. I also worked at the LGBTQ+ Center of Orange County with individuals, couples, and families to aid clients in becoming the healthiest version of themselves.

After that, I took an opportunity to work with those who are battling addiction. I was the Clinical and Program Director of a Detox and Residential facility for individuals struggling with all forms of addiction. I also worked with couples and families to yield better communication and overall, improved cohesion in this setting.

Trauma

More often than not, trauma indicates that an individual was exposed to a life-threatening or severely disturbing experience that may be all forms of abuse, neglect, serious illness/hospitalization, death of a loved one, or emotional torment. Although many experience trauma differently, typically symptoms may arise in adults and children as early as 3 months after the event. In other cases, it can take many months or years to arise. Symptoms also may manifest differently across age groups, cultural backgrounds, and developmental stages. Trauma can take root in your life and begin to make you experience repeated disturbing memories, thoughts, or images from a stressful experience in your past. Individuals can also experience emotional symptoms, such as, irritability, loss of interest in activities they used to enjoy, constant fear, hypervigilance, feeling numb, memory issues, and feeling as if your life will be cut short. Furthermore, individuals can also experience physical symptoms either at random or when reminded of the traumatic experience, such as heart racing, trouble breathing, sweating, feeling easily startled, and issues with sleep. I will aid you in processing the trauma through various approaches and work with you to reduce these symptoms that can hold you hostage from living your life. I will work alongside you in a safe and positive environment, to assist you in gaining self-soothing techniques to take back the life you deserve. PTSD, cumulative trauma, and complex trauma can cause you to hate the version of yourself left behind post-trauma. However, we will treat the symptoms first, building a relationship that radiates safety and comfort. We will then work to refine physical and emotional tools that will assist in symptom reduction and emotional tolerance. Trauma doesn’t have to own you, no matter the severity.

Depression

Depression can take hold of your life and cause you to feel numb, negative, exhausted, and even hopeless. In a relationship, depression can suck the life out of your once thriving relationship. Depression can cause arguments to arise, lack of communication, sexual dysfunctions, and lack of motivation. These are normal attributes of depression, but this does not have to be your life. Comprehending how one can find solutions to the issues that depression continuously highlights is what my therapeutic approach focuses on. Together, we will focus on unlearning a lot of the harmful habits that you find yourself unable to control using cognitive behavioral therapy, psychodynamic therapy, and dialectical behavioral therapy. When used in combination with one another, we can work to analyze how your past impacts your present, means to alter the effects, and physical skills to decrease symptomology. 

Anxiety

This disorder can cause you to feel out of control, on edge, and irritable. Although anxiety has many different presentations and origins, this unnecessary activation of your fight or flight response can cause a myriad of other symptoms and challenges. Anxiety is oftentimes an uphill battle with control and a lack thereof, which is something that my therapeutic approach can help relieve. I will work to support you in feeling as though you have more control or are able to let go and have peace. By utilizing a combination of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Solution-Focused Interventions, Internal Family Systems, and Mindfulness. We can work together to ease your mind and get your life back on track; you are not alone. Anxiety is often also brought about by maladaptive coping patterns instilled in you as a child and adolescent. We can unravel those patterns and work together to utilize tools to break the chain that anxiety has on your life.

Personality Disorders

Have you ever felt like you struggle to make relationships with others that are deep and meaningful? Or that you have unstable and intense relationships? Unstable or fragile self-image? Maybe you have also been experiencing paranoia, or always thinking that others are trying to harm you. Oftentimes, personality disorders can result from trauma, and many are unsure they even have these disorders. Together, we can work to understand where issues arise from, decrease unhealthy and socially undesirable behavior, and modify personality traits that cause difficulties. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Schema, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy interventions will assist you in achieving the skills you need to be the best version of yourself.

Couples Therapy

This hope for a more fulfilling life through mental health well-being is not only for individuals in therapy but for couples as well. When working with couples, I focus on reflective listening to encourage better communication, coaching couples through the “fighting” process, identifying feelings, and utilizing practical solutions to recognized problems. This can only be done when each part of the couple unit has been given a secure space to share, explore, and be vulnerable. This is the type of environment I will facilitate to better support couples in identifying their underlying issues, practice healthy communication, and set appropriate expectations within the relationship. Take back the relationship you lost in the midst of life stress. The same healthy relationship skills can be put into practice with individuals suffering from personality disorders. Oftentimes, healthy relationships may seem impossible with a personality disorder. In combination to practicing better relationship patterns and identifying issues, we will also work to alter the undesired behaviors. Together, we can modify these harmful personality traits, and assist you in achieving the healthiest form of yourself. I want to know YOU. Everyone is unique, and that means constantly working to provide you with solutions that are tailored to your needs and your challenges. I have a wide variety of experience working with all age groups, cultural backgrounds, as well as couples and families. So, let’s get to work!

Evidence Based Practices

 Dialectical Behavior Therapy: DBT is a structured therapeutic approach that highlights the need to remain present in the moment, develop healthy coping mechanisms for stress, regulate emotional distress, and improve relationships with others. This therapeutic approach grants you the opportunity to practice mindfulness approaches and tolerate distress.

 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: CBT begins in the mind; focusing on altering core beliefs that are harmful with the use of reframing. Once a thought is reframed to be more positive, you can then feel a difference in your emotional reaction, which will result in a difference in your physical actions. 

 Internal Family Systems Therapy: This therapeutic approach views the family as an emotional unit. We can evaluate your part in your family unit, and how that role has influenced your current relationships, habits, self-image, and overall perception.

 Narrative Therapy: Narrative approaches can guide you through the process of unraveling a once problematic narrative, to one that will empower you and separate you from your problems. This approach can assist couples, individuals, and families alike in altering their distress causing narratives to move forward in a healthy way.

 Solution Focused Brief Therapy: SFBT concentrates on finding solutions to present problems that hinder you from excelling in the areas you wish to see growth. We will explore what gives you hope and find practical solutions to your present circumstances.

I want to know YOU. Everyone is unique, and that means constantly working to provide you with solutions and tools that are tailored to your needs and your challenges. I have a wide variety of experience working with all age groups, and cultural backgrounds, as well as couples and families. So, let’s get to work! 

 I provide individual therapy sessions for 50 minutes/$130 per session and couples therapy sessions for 50 minutes/$150 per session.

Feel free to contact me for a free 20-minute consultation. I am happy to explain further or answer any questions you may have.

Email: veronicalpcc@gmail.com

Phone #: (657) 505-5982