Dr. Palak Kothari, Licensed Clinical Psychologist CA PSY 29842
P: (858) 922-8018
IG: @KothariWellness
KOTHARI WELLNESS
Your Well-Being Is in Good Hands
You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.
Maya Angelou
MY APPROACH
Serving Patients Since 2010
Welcome.
My name is Dr. Palak Kothari and I am a licensed clinical psychologist servicing the state of California.
Many of us are enduring different struggles, often with a similar underlying process. One that involves: fear, resistance, escaping, trying so hard, and eventually feeling stuck. Though our struggles may differ on the exterior, the underlying process is what often reflects our perspectives and emotional health. Addressing instead of resisting our challenges can deepen our confidence in our ability to work through them. Ultimately, this has the potential to bring us to a more vital, compassionate, and grounded existence.
Whether it's trouble with falling or staying asleep, loss of relationships or heartache, childhood or recent trauma, trouble getting out of bed, nightmares, or anxiety about the future; ultimately, the lens through which we view and understand our struggles can profoundly change how we work through them.
My goal is to help you to process and befriend difficult emotions, foster awareness, and create more lasting joy in your everyday life. With this, we can learn to understand, appreciate, and trust ourselves in a way that offers clarity and healing.
A BIT ABOUT THERAPY
According to the American Psychological Association, "Clinical Psychologists apply the discipline's scientific knowledge to help people, organizations and communities function better." Through the use of evidenced based therapies, holistic awareness, and collaborative treatment efforts, my clients have the opportunity to understand their needs, foster patience and self-compassion, and develop healthier habits and relationships that align with their values. My therapy approach involves creating an open, non-judgmental space for patients to allow themselves to feel authentically themselves.
SERVICES OFFERED
In-Person and Virtual Therapy
AREAS OF SPECIALTY
Services Catered To Your Needs
At this time, I offer virtual psychotherapy via safe and secure technological platforms.
Virtual therapy can feel very much like in-office counseling. Once we begin our work, the screen seems to melt away. As a therapist, I provide to you exactly what you would get from me if we were in a room together, and I make every effort on my end to convey that to you during our time together.
GASTROINTESTINAL HEALTH
Improved Immune System Health
Research indicates that digestive health is often intricately linked to emotional well-being. Have you ever observed that anxiety can lead to physical reactions in your body? Upon closer examination, you may find that you are inadvertently tensing various muscle groups (such as the abdominal muscles, hands, jaw, or experiencing tightness in the neck, shoulders, and lower back). This habitual tension in response to negative emotions can restrict oxygen flow, ultimately diminishing the efficiency of your immune system and adversely affecting gut health.
Subtly, this can result in an increased susceptibility to illness, manifesting as flu-like symptoms, coughing, sneezing, fatigue, and a general loss of energy. More pronounced reactions may include bloating, diarrhea, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, and stomach discomfort, all of which are closely linked to our enteric nervous system. Creating awareness around immune system health can enhance overall bodily function. Often, this can be achieved through just 1 to 4 psychotherapy sessions focused on deepening your understanding of bodily needs.
In my practice, I prioritize establishing an environment where open discussions about gut health are encouraged. It is not uncommon for individuals to feel hesitant to address these topics with healthcare providers. I invite and welcome these conversations so that you can feel more complete and comfortable in your body.
SLEEP
A Happier, Healthier You
Whether it's trouble falling asleep, interrupted sleep, waking up too early or too late, or trying to "catch up on sleep" on the weekends, it's likely leaving you depleted, fatigued, and sometimes even emotionally exhausted. Fortunately, there are evidenced based approaches that are available to address your unique sleep concerns. Together, we will discuss your bedtime routine, sleep hygiene behaviors, sleep/wake times, and sources of sleep interruption to help create a sleep formula to optimize your sleep health. Treatments that I offer, include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), Nightmare Management, and sleep restriction therapy (SRT).
TRAUMA
Here For You
Going through any form of trauma can be difficult and life altering. Sometimes, the symptoms of trauma don't show up immediately. Oftentimes, months, years, or even decades later. These effects can bring about complex feelings (i.e., anger, worry, guilt, shame). It's not abnormal to experience a mix of all of these emotions. You may experience physiological symptoms, such as, feeling on edge, recurring nightmares, vivid memories, and general muscle tension. As a result, you may attempt to avoid all of these experiences all together and begin to feel "numb," detached, and lonely. These experiences can lead to us feeling depleted.
However, there can be a brighter side to look forward to.
Fortunately, decades of research have gone into creating evidenced based treatments for trauma related disorders, depending on the readiness of the patient. Research shows us that these interventions have demonstrated significant reductions in trauma specific symptoms to the point where patients can live their life more meaningfully and purposefully.
We will discuss the symptoms of your traumatic experience to help you understand what to expect and potential treatment options available. The evidenced based interventions I offer are: Cognitive Processing Therapy, Prolonged Exposure, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
ANXIETY
Calmness and Strength
Many of us experience anxiety to the point where it begins to interfere with our well-being. When our anxiety begins to influence our well-being, then it's worth considering if closer attention is needed. Whether it's anxiety about relationships, career, health, sleep, existential anxiety, or all of the above, there's approaches that we can take to help moderate the effects of our anxiety. My approach involves looking at and processing underlying emotions that may be hiding underneath anxiety, identifying and understanding the utility of unhelpful thoughts that preoccupy our minds, and identifying simple changes we can make in our lives to help foster calmness, clarity, and groundedness.
MEDITATION
Freedom is the chance to make a choice of where you place your energy - Easwaran
Our breath is a significant source of what brings healing, calmness, and clarity. Through focusing our attention on our breath, in this moment, we cultivate our ability to heighten our sensory awareness, take the demand off a future point, and create the space to bring awareness and intention to the on-going story in our thoughts. Meditation, or our ability to be Present and Alert, has been proven to have many health benefits, including improved memory and concentration, gastrointestinal health, lower blood pressure, improved asthma, and strengthened immune system function.
I provide meditation classes that focus on breath, vitality, and groundedness.
PRICING
Breakdown
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Free 15 minute consultation
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50-minute therapy: $275
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I do not accept any insurance.
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Inquire about sliding scale and/or shorter appointment windows.
