Lia Amakawa, PhD

I am dedicated to facilitating deep and impactful change. I not only treat symptoms but encourage my clients to aim for more connected and fulfilled lives. I believe that a safe, supportive and truly affirming environment is the beginning. From this place, clients are able to take necessary risks, enhance connections to self and others, lift or establish boundaries, desensitize and reprocess distress, among other meaningful shifts. This is achieved through methods such as imaginal and in-vivo exposure, visualization, mindful breathing and noticing and modifying experiences in real-time.

My approach to therapy is holistic and experiential. Holistic means that I help my clients explore and align multiple dimensions of their experience, including the cognitive, the affective, the somatic and the behavioral.  Experiential means that we go beyond talking about experiences and actively work together to create new ways of coping and relating.

Please know that if we work together, I will actively and collaboratively move you toward a more expansive version of yourself.  This will include giving you a user’s guide to your nervous system. I will bring my full self to the work, conveying humor, authenticity, expressiveness, and care.