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Sue Brekka, M.A., MFT #45546
General Clinical Psychotherapist / Eating Disorder Specialist
Welcome
Welcome
Thanks for checking out my website. Interviewing therapists can be a frightening and frustrating process. So, this site is here to answer some of your questions and give you a sense of how we would work together.
My goal is to provide a safe place where all of your feelings are welcome. Together we will work through uncovering the unconscious processes that may be keeping you stuck in the same patterns year after year. Once we figure out how you got to where you are now, then we can work together to help you get "unstuck" and use what you've learned in therapy to create a more
fulfilling life.
You may be wondering why I chose the Orchid for my logo? A neglected orchid may survive, but it will not bloom. In order to bloom, it needs consistent nurturing with just the right balance of food, water and temperature. So too, as human beings, we can survive despite a lot of neglect. But we cannot thrive and bloom unless we consistently nurture ourselves physically, emotionally, spiritually and in relation to one another.
Consistency is the key word there. Many of us go in "fits and starts" veering back and forth between self-care and neglect. But in order to thrive, and create a blossoming life, we need to provide ourselves with that self-care and nurturing consistently, day after day. In our work together we will identify the sometimes unconscious ways in which you neglect or damage your life, bringing them up to the conscious level so that you can spot the neglect when it is threatening your success. And then we will work together to devise a path of nurturing and self-care that is right for you, and work together to help you make it a consistent life pattern.
A large part of our work together will be on learning to tolerate feelings rather than trying to get rid of them. As it is in our attempts to "get rid of" feelings that we generally "use" substances or self-neglect to try to shut ourselves down or numb out the uncomfortable feelings. The key to tolerating feelings is allowing them to be present without trying to get rid of them or diving into or "wallowing" in them, while maintaining our consistent, nurturing self-care day after day. In this way, we can survive and ride out the uncomfortable feelings, not allowing them to damage or set us back. And when they pass, we will find ourselves amid a life that is still growing and blooming to its full potential.
Thank you for allowing me to share your journey.
About Me
About Me
A Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Private Practice in West Los Angeles, I work with children, adolescents and adults in individual, group, couples and play therapy. Working primarily from an Object Relations (psychodynamic) perspective, I integrate CBT, DBT, Family Systems, and Attachment theories as appropriate for each patient's progress. The main issues I treat are anxiety, depression, eating disorders, addictions, OCD, and relationship/intimacy problems, etc. My specializations are in Eating Disorders, and Child/Adolescent therapy.
I completed my Masters in Counseling Psychology at the California Graduate Institute and received extensive training in psychodynamic psychotherapy at the CGI Counseling Center. I also received training in Family Systems oriented, Group Therapy at the Julia Ann Singer Center's Family Stress Program. And I interned in early-childhood, attachment oriented therapy at the Early Childhood Parenting Center (in Santa Monica, and at the Gramercy Housing Project). I also had the great privilege of receiving group supervision (5 years) from James Grotstein, M.D., a world renowned psychoanalyst, author and expert in the work of Wilfred Bion. I hold advanced certificates in Eating Disorders and Child Custody and
Divorce Mediation.
Our Work Together
Our Work Together
In an environment of compassion and respect, we will explore the complex dynamics of your internal world. Over time, we will identify the internalized voices of the important people from your childhood and discover how these internalized voices impact and oftentimes limit the success of your current relationships. Through the course of treatment, you will begin to understand these dynamics and learn to change dysfunctional patterns in your life, leading to more rewarding and enriching
interpersonal relationships.
Education
Education
Los Angeles Institute and Society for Psychoanalytic Studies
"Eating Disorders: Thinking outside the box" (30-hour certificate in treating eating disorders)
Mosten Mediation
40-hour certificate in divorce and child custody mediation
California Graduate Institute
M.A. in Counseling Psychology (Psychology and Marriage and Family Therapy dual masters)
Southern Methodist University
B.A. in English and Political Science
Professional Affiliations
Professional Affiliations
CAMFT--California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
SCMA--Southern California Mediation Association
AFCC--Association of Family and Conciliation Courts