Clinician: Gregory

Gregory Gooden, LMFT, CATC-IV

I once heard someone doing a lecture say, “we know what we believe when we hear what we say.” This would definitely inform the kind of therapy you would experience with me.  I view the client as the one who has the answers, and we’re working together to solve a mystery.  One of my roles is to help my client tell the story, point out clues being overlooked, gently challenge entrenched beliefs, provide unconditional positive regard, and help the client make sense of their difficulties and their world.  Our work together would be collaborative. I’m not a “sit, nod, and take notes” therapist. I’m interactive, and socratic, and relational.

I view thoughts, feelings, and behaviors from a lens of curiosity; wondering what beliefs are behind them; helping to root out dynamics that help those things persist.  Often we are stuck in a distorted comfort in familiar pain and we simply cannot see it without someone reflecting that in the room.  I am an integrative (drawing from multiple therapeutic orientations) humanist-existential therapist; an enthusiastic cheerleader.  I will bring humor and validation into the session.  I’m passionate about brain chemistry. I am social-justice oriented.  I am also trauma-informed.  

While I work in many different focuses of psychotherapy, I find that the most pervasive themes in my work with clients include: adjustment to life changes, problems with alcohol and substance use (and the way that co-occurring mental health issues interact with it), LGBTQIA+ topics, issues of neurodiversity, anxiety and depression, personality disorders, identity & esteem development, and healthy relationships of all shapes and sizes. 

I am experienced, both professionally and personally, working with a variety of relationship configurations and am highly comfortable talking about issues of sex positivity and non-standard definitions of families and relationships such as polyamory and non-monogamy. 

I am a licensed therapist, an addiction professional, a bit of a technology geek, and a fellow traveler in recovery.  In addition to those things, I am Compliance Officer at an all women’s addiction treatment center where I’ve worked in various capacities ranging from counselor to director since 2010. 

I have also been an adjunct professor in the Master’s program at Pacific Oaks College, an adjunct professor for Glendale College’s Drug Studies program, and I served on the board of the California Association for Drug/Alcohol Educators (CAADE). I am a member of CAMFT at both the state level and in the San Gabriel Valley chapter. 

 

I am happy to answer any questions you might have, and I encourage you to reach out.  I provide free 15-minute video consultations to see if we’re a match. 

I work with adults (18+) and I offer both individual and couples+ psychotherapy work to those who are physically located in the state of California where I am licensed.  

I can also work with family systems who are trying to get a loved one into treatment and are looking to navigate that process. 

I am also available for trainings or consultation surrounding issues of addiction, queer diversity, or consensual non-monogamy. 

I am currently a 100% TeleHealth practice and I work with clients Monday through Friday 1pm to 7pm.  I also see clients on some Saturdays between 11am and 1pm. 

I utilize a client portal through SimplePractice which provides reliable and secure Telehealth abilities using browsers and apps for phones and tablets. 

My customary fee is $150 for individual sessions and $165 for  couples+ sessions.   Sessions are typically 50 minutes in length.

Session frequency is often weekly at first, and then may expand to every two weeks and/or monthly for maintenance if needed. 

I am not in-network with any insurance, but I can provide superbills  to submit for potential reimbursement (usually PPO policies). This is a larger conversation to have given the need for “medical necessity” to be established.  I am able to provide you with the information you might need to verify if your insurance will provide full or partial reimbursement to you. 

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