Therapy Services

Gustavo A. Benejam Psychology

Depression & Mood

Depression, bipolar disorders, and other mood issues can isolate us and cause painful feelings of hopelessness, guilt, and shame. It can feel challenging to understand ourselves and to be understood in our relationships; resulting in conflict and disconnection from the self and others.

Depression can drain the color, meaning, and emotion from our lives. We can feel like strangers to ourselves; disconnected from our usual ways of feeling, thinking, and being. Depression and other mood issues can interfere with our clarity and create obstacles to the steps that heal and restore us.

I will work with you to gain a deep understanding of your mood challenges, providing you with support, connection, and tools to empower yourself toward rekindling hope, meaning, and peace in your life.

Mood Conditions Treated:

Major Depressive Episodes (MDE)
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
Persistent Depressive Disorder (PDD)
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)
Bipolar Depression
Adjustment Disorders
Life transitions
Bereavement & Loss
Depression related to Trauma or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Anxiety

Whether transitional and situational or persistent and unmanageable, anxiety can paralyze us and rob us of our joy and our sense of self. At its worst, anxiety stops us from fully engaging with our daily practices at work, school, in our relationships, and our leisurely activities.

We may find ourselves trapped in unpleasant physiological sensations and panicked thinking; avoiding meaningful activities and relationships out of fear of the anxiety itself. Prolonged anxiety can also have negative effects on our physical health.

Therapy can help you reclaim your peace, your life, and yourself by gaining insight into the cause of your symptoms and learning habits, attitudes, and skills aimed at reducing and gaining control over anxiety.

Anxiety Conditions Treated:

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD)
Panic Attacks / Panic Disorder
Separation Anxiety
Adjustment Disorder
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Anxiety related to Depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder,
or other conditions

Trauma

Trauma is a deeply personal, complex experience that can rob us of our sense of safety in the world within and around us. Trauma changes the physiology and function of the brain and body; resulting in symptoms like elevated anxiety, depression, anger, hypervigilance, dissociation, guilt, and shame. It can block our ability to enjoy life, experience a sense of inner peace, and connect with others.

Recovering from trauma requires us to learn about and understand common and personal trauma responses in order to reprogram our brain and body, with self-compassion and a variety of coping skills and processes. Treating trauma requires a holistic and integrative journey toward rewriting our lives. Approaches will involve combining mindfulness techniques, sensory- or body-based grounding, cognitive-restructuring, health and nutrition, and meaning making.

In this process, I will work with you (and partner with other relevant care providers) to develop a personalized and coordinated plan for reclaiming your sense of self, safety, and connection!

Trauma-related Conditions Treated:

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Complex Trauma / Complex-PTSD
Acute Stress Disorder
Adjustment Disorder
Trauma-related Anxiety & Depression
Vicarious Trauma
Childhood Trauma / Adverse Childhood Experiences

Grief & Loss

Grief is a naturalㅡalbeit painfulㅡprocess in reaction to life losses. We equate the word grief most readily with death, however, loss is found in the end of a relationship, the end of a life stage, important transitions, and identity shifts. We grieve on many different levels and with varying intensity depending on the nature of our loss. Even small losses or change can trigger grief responses which can manifest as denial, shock, anger, guilt, or numbness.

Although impermanence andㅡthereforeㅡloss are unavoidable parts of life, it can be difficult to cope with the pain of loss. We are not often shown how to process and assimilate losses in a way that makes room for the healthy expression and release of pain and grief can overwhelm us or stagnate despite the passing of time. Unresolved grief responses can interfere with our ability to live life fully.

I create a compassionate, safe, supportive space to help you navigate and move through the process of mourning your losses, while coping with feelings of sorrow, loneliness, and emptiness. This often involves reclaiming lost parts of the self and energizing meaning and purpose.

Common Loss Experiences:

Divorce or relationship
breakup
Loss of health
Losing a job
Loss of financial
stability
Miscarriage
Retirement

Death of a pet
Loss of a cherished dream
A loved one’s serious illness
Loss of a friendship
Loss of safety after a trauma
Selling a home

Relationships

Relationships are an integral part of the human experience. We are in relationship with our families, spouses, friends, coworkers, ourselves, nature, and even our habits and practices. When clients seek help for mental health conditions, relationships are in some way an integral part of the problem and the solution.

Relationships can represent some of our deepest sources of pain, trauma, fulfillment, joy, and loss. They are great teachers and are also complex and difficult to understand. Successful relationships require self-insight, empathy, vulnerability, courage, and effective communication, among other ‘ingredients.’

Whether it is improving the relationship with the self, expanding social connections and support, improving conflict resolution or communication skills, or addressing specific issues within your relationships, I am passionate about helping my clients with their relationship goals.

Couples Therapy

Couples seek therapy for a variety of unique reasons. Sometimes the focus feels upliftingㅡsuch as preparing for marriage or parenthood. Other times, couples seek help with new or long-standing concerns.

Couples may find themselves stuck at an impasse or seeking renewal and growth. The fact is that relationship struggles are a part of even the healthiest, loving relationships. Issues surrounding communication, conflict, trust, intimacy, sex, commitment, and values may come up at any stage of a relationship and are important to address. It is truly the things which couples do NOT talk about, which threaten the intimacy and connection in the relationship.

Regardless of your circumstances, couples therapy can be a powerful step toward deepening the connection, authenticity, and intimacy in your relationship. Couples therapy creates a powerful and safe space to move through obstacles and into growth and healing with honesty and courage.

Couples issues I work with:

Loss of connection and closeness
Trust, infidelity, or honesty issues
Conflict resolution
Opposing needs and values
Recurring and unresolved
arguments

Premarital therapy
Preparing for parenthood
Intimacy or sex issues
Finding a respectful ending
LGBTQ+ Relationships

Family Therapy

Our family of origin and caretakers have a profound impact on our identity, our relationships, and the trajectory of our lives. These first relationships offer us the reflections that shape our values, what we believe about ourselves, and what we expect of others and the world. Family issues relate to the very core centers of our most fundamental beliefs and attitudes and our most triggering dynamics. Naturally, family therapy can be tremendously powerful.

In family therapy, I work with the family systemㅡviewing issues and treatment in terms of the dynamics and interactions patterns that are unique to a specific family. Although this process helps address conflict and relationship issues, it can also be helpful for mental health conditions including depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, personality disorders, addiction, disordered eating, and other chronic conditions. Guiding family members to let go of blame and shift focus to interacting in new, different ways as a system, can yield powerful changes and improvements for every family member.

Individual Relationship Work

Therapy is an excellent space to work on our own relationship challenges. We may experience repetitive frustrations and patterns in our relationships or we may feel anxious or lacking in important interpersonal skills, such as conflict resolution or communication skills.

My approach here is always two-foldㅡpendulating back and forth between working on the relationship with the self and the dynamics involving others. Surprisingly, as we work on one aspect, the changes and improvements we make are mirrored in the other.

The therapeutic relationship and the safe, authentic, and warm space of therapy create a powerful container for learning about the self and others, internalizing new, more adaptive beliefs, and learning and practicing interpersonal effectiveness and communication skills.

Personal Growth & Exploration

Therapy is an excellent and powerful space for journeys of self-exploration and growth. Perhaps you want to gain a sense of deepend purpose and meaning; are questioning a career change or new direction; have a sense of stagnation in your relationships; are seeking renewed spirituality; or there are other important goals you want to move toward.

I create a safe, knowledgeable, collaborative, and non-judgmental space to explore your goals and identify new opportunities or existing obstacles to achieving the life experience you seek. My personal and professional experiences outside of psychology, in combination with my psychological education and training, allow me to offer unique perspectives and guidance when it comes to personal growth journeys.

Personal Growth Journeys:

Life transitions/life stages
Career exploration or changes
Deepening relationships
Interpersonal relationships and social connections
Identity explorations

Achieving personal goals
Motivation, inspiration, and creativity
Creating new habits
Self-knowledge and insight

LGBTQ+ Affirming Therapies

As a result of discrimination, family rejection, minority-experience stressors, and experiences of being “other,” LGBTQ+ individuals are at heightened risk for experiencing adverse mental health issues including depression, anxiety, trauma, and substance use issues. Generational factors further influence and differentiate the shared experiences of sexual and gender minorities.

I have experience, education, and competence in working with LGBTQ+ individuals, their relationships, and their loved ones. I have a connected understanding of the unique issues faced by the community and provide therapy informed by the specific crosshairs of identity and LGBTQ+ needs.

I create a safe, supportive, and knowledgeable environment to work through various issues with an LGBTQ+ focus:

Identity Issues / Coming Out
Family rejection
Family support, psychoeducation, and family therapy
LGBTQ+ Couples therapy, relationships, intimacy, and sexuality
Gender/sexual minority-related depression, anxiety, trauma
Friendships, connections, and isolation
Internalized heteronormative attitudes, homophobia, transphobia, shame