Hello! I’m Dr. Farmand, a licensed clinical psychologist practicing in the Pasadena area. With over a decade of clinical experience treating a variety of issues, my primary focuses include: trauma and trauma-related issues, difficulty navigating major life transitions, relationship problems, anxiety, and depression. I work with clients individually, as a couple, or as a family, treating a wide range of ages from children, to adolescents, to adults. I recognize that when it comes to therapy there is no “one size fits all” model, and no matter your age or the challenges you face, I strive to provide you with the following: Safety— to create a space where you can allow yourself to be vulnerable, Self-Compassion—to gently understand the inner shame that stems from painful experiences, A Voice—to not only feel heard, but to learn to identify your own voice and find your intuition, Nurturance—to grow to recognize inner conflicts and fulfill your unmet needs, and Hope—in order to find a way forward as we walk through this journey together.

From a young age I knew that I wanted to spend my life helping people. I quickly discovered a strong sense of empathy and natural attunement to those around me. I found myself connecting with their emotional pain and was drawn to offer support as I too experienced my own challenges. I come from an immigrant family where I spent most of my childhood moving to different parts of the world until finally settling here in America. Although being constantly uprooted was difficult, it allowed me to experience people from a variety of cultures and to observe the internal and external challenges they faced. One thing I noticed consistently across multiple demographics was people’s tendency toward (often unconsciously) repeating the same familiar, yet unhealthy patterns in their lives, which came from deeply rooted wounds. The idea that someone could help others to identify and break free from these patterns is what fueled my desire to become a clinical psychologist.

I earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from San Diego State University and shortly after, my Doctorate (PsyD) in clinical psychology from Alliant International University, California School of Professional Psychology. Through the course of my education I developed a passion for working with trauma and trauma related stressors, which became the focus of my clinical dissertation: studying and identifying dissociative disorders and factors that contribute to their misidentification and misdiagnosis. I had the honor of presenting my clinical dissertation at the 18^thannual International Conference on Violence, Abuse, and Trauma in San Diego, California.

In clinical practice I had the good fortune of working in a number of settings, which allowed me to gain valuable experience treating people from different backgrounds struggling with a multitude of issues. My time in the public school district saw me providing play therapy to younger children that had experienced traumatic stressors. In other settings I have worked with adults suffering from atraumatic and traumatic brain injuries, chemical dependency, domestic violence, and sexual and physical abuse. I was able to help treat the multicultural challenges that accompanied immigrants, refugees seeking asylum, citizens of war-torn nations, and cultural identity/assimilation issues. In many of these settings I was also able to create and run therapy groups for both adolescents and adults.

Perhaps the most rewarding and challenging setting of my clinical career was attending a rigorous 2-year post-doctoral fellowship at the Reiss Davis Child Study Center. It was there that I honed my craft through seminars and intensive training taught by a distinguished faculty of psychoanalysts, psychodynamically trained psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers. Our work and training were based on a developmental psychodynamic approach in treating trauma related stressors. We applied these skills to helping children and adolescents who had experienced severe life challenges such as: sexual and physical abuse, identity issues, trauma related to adoption history, self-harming behaviors, suicidality, and developmental trauma.

Now, in private practice, much of my clinical work focuses on treating: trauma, anxiety, depression, life transitions, and those struggling with relationship challenges. I utilize both short-term and long-term treatment and my clinical approach is primarily psychodynamic, relational, and attachment-based. I incorporate these approaches with elements of cognitive-behavioral therapy, and mindfulness practices. However, just as important as the clinical framework, is my connection with you, the client. I strive to provide you with a warm, compassionate environment as we work collaboratively to explore life challenges together.  I believe creating a space that promotes the ability to be vulnerable is an integral part of working with clients. From my perspective, one of the reasons we get stuck in unhealthy patterns is becoming too comfortable with toxic behaviors that are familiar to us—whether that means chronic unhealthy relationships, substance abuse, self-sabotage, or issues of low self-worth. Part of my role as a psychologist is to help you to deepen insight and to gently guide you out of these comfort zones in order to promote change and emotional growth. I feel very passionate about what I do and I am truly grateful for the opportunity to walk through this journey with you. If you are considering treatment, or simply have questions, please don’t hesitate to send me a message or call for a free consultation.