Dr. Sara Assar, PsyD, MMFT

About

Psychologist in Los Angeles, CA. Works with Eating Disorders, Relationship Issues and Life Transitions. Sees clients in person and online. Takes Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield and other plans. Accepting new clients.

Areas of expertise

• Relationship Issues
• Life Transitions
• Anxiety
• Bisexual
• Coping Skills
• Depression
• Divorce
• Family Conflict
• Grief
• Lesbian
• Life Coaching
• Parenting
• Peer Relationships
• Self Esteem
• Stress Management
• Trauma and PTSD

Types of therapy

• Acceptance and Commitment (ACT)Helps people make room for difficult thoughts and feelings instead of fighting them, and commit to actions that fit what matters to them.
• Attachment-basedLooks at early bonds with caregivers and how they shape relationships and emotions now, and works toward a greater sense of safety and connection.
• CoachingGoal-focused work on the present and future, such as career, performance or life changes, rather than treatment of a mental health condition.
• Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)A structured, practical therapy that looks at how thoughts, feelings and actions affect each other, and teaches skills for changing unhelpful thinking and habits.
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia
• Cognitive Processing (CPT)A structured therapy for PTSD that helps people examine and change beliefs about themselves and the world that formed after a trauma.
• Compassion FocusedHelps people who are hard on themselves to build warmth and compassion toward themselves, as a counterweight to shame and self-criticism.
• Culturally SensitiveTakes a person's culture, identity, background and values into account, and shapes the work so it fits their life.
• Dialectical Behavior (DBT)A skills-based therapy grown out of CBT. Teaches ways to manage intense emotions, get through crises, stay present and handle relationships.
• Emotionally FocusedTreats emotions as a guide to change. Often used with couples, to understand patterns of conflict and rebuild a secure bond.
• ExistentialExplores life's big questions, such as meaning, freedom, choice, loneliness and death, and how they connect to a person's struggles.
• Exposure Response Prevention (ERP)The main behavioral therapy for OCD: gradually facing feared situations or thoughts while resisting the urge to carry out compulsions.
• Family / MaritalTherapy with couples or families together, focused on communication, conflict and the patterns between people.
• Family SystemsSees a person as part of their family as a whole, and explores roles, patterns and communication across the family rather than one person's problems alone.
• HumanisticA family of approaches, including person-centered and Gestalt therapy, that emphasize growth, self-awareness and a person's capacity to choose.
• IntegrativeCombines more than one therapy approach, fitted to the person's needs.
• InterpersonalA structured, time-limited therapy focused on relationships and life events, such as conflict, loss or big role changes, and how they affect mood.
• Mindfulness Training, Intuitive Eating Training
• Mindfulness-Based (MBCT)Combines mindfulness practice, paying attention to the present moment without judgment, with ideas from cognitive therapy.
• Motivational InterviewingA collaborative style of conversation that helps people explore mixed feelings about a change and find their own reasons to make it.
• MulticulturalRecognizes how culture, race, ethnicity and other identities shape experience, and makes them part of the work.
• Person-CenteredA warm, non-directive approach: the therapist listens with empathy and without judgment, and trusts the person to find their own direction.
• Positive PsychologyFocuses on well-being, strengths, gratitude and what makes life fulfilling, alongside working through difficulties.
• PsychodynamicExplores how past experiences, relationships and feelings outside awareness shape how a person thinks and acts today.
• Psychological Testing and EvaluationFormal assessment with standardized tests, for example for ADHD, learning differences or autism, usually ending in a written report.
• Solution Focused Brief (SFBT)A short-term, goal-focused approach that spends less time on problems and more on what already works and the small steps toward what the person wants.
• SomaticBody-focused therapy that pays attention to physical sensations, posture and breathing, on the view that stress and trauma are held in the body as well as the mind.
• Strength-BasedFocuses on the strengths, skills and resources a person already has, and builds on them to meet challenges.
• Structural Family TherapyLooks at how a family is organized, its roles, rules and boundaries, and helps reshape patterns that cause problems.
• Trauma FocusedTherapy for people affected by trauma. Puts safety and pacing first, and helps process painful memories so they have less hold on daily life.

More details

Sessions

Both in-person and online

Accepting new clients

Yes

Specialties

Eating Disorders, Relationship Issues, Life Transitions, Anxiety, Behavioral Issues, Bipolar Disorder, Bisexual, Body Image, Borderline Personality (BPD), Career Counseling, Child, Chronic Illness, Chronic Impulsivity, Chronic Pain, Codependency, Coping Skills, Depression, Dissociative Disorders (DID), Divorce, Emotional Disturbance, Family Conflict, Geriatric and Seniors, Grief, Health Optimization, Happiness, Quality of Life, Impulse Control Disorders, Infertility, Infidelity, Lesbian, LGBTQ+, Life Coaching, Marital and Premarital, Mindfulness, Weight Control, Body Image, Mood Disorders, Narcissistic Personality (NPD), Obesity, Obsessive-Compulsive (OCD), Parenting, Peer Relationships, Personality Disorders, Self Esteem, Self-Harming, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Addiction, Sleep or Insomnia, Spirituality, Stress, Substance Use, Testing and Evaluation, Thinking Disorders, Trauma and PTSD, Weight Loss, Women's Issues

Insurance

Aetna, Anthem, Blue Cross, Blue Shield, BlueCross and BlueShield, Optum, Out of Network

Payment methods

American Express, Discover, Mastercard, Visa

Ages

Preteen, Teen, Adults, Elders (65+)

Works with

Individuals, Couples, Family

Languages

English

Gender

Female

Education

University of Southern California, CSPP, Cleveland Clinic

Education & qualifications