Diane Vargas, AMFT

About

Marriage & Family Therapist Associate in Los Angeles, CA. Works with Trauma and PTSD, Self Esteem and Obsessive-Compulsive (OCD). Sees clients in person and online. Takes Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna and other plans. Accepting new clients.

Areas of expertise

• Trauma and PTSD
• Self Esteem
• Anger Management
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Grief
• Peer Relationships
• Relationship Issues

Types of therapy

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• EMDREye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. A structured trauma therapy in which a person recalls distressing memories while following side-to-side eye movements or taps.
• 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.
• Internal Family Systems (IFS)Sees the mind as made of different 'parts', and helps people understand and care for them from a calm, compassionate core 'Self'.
• Mindfulness-Based (MBCT)Combines mindfulness practice, paying attention to the present moment without judgment, with ideas from cognitive therapy.
• Parent-Child Interaction (PCIT)A therapy for young children's behavior in which the therapist coaches the parent live, often through an earpiece, while they play together.
• Person-CenteredA warm, non-directive approach: the therapist listens with empathy and without judgment, and trusts the person to find their own direction.
• PsychodynamicExplores how past experiences, relationships and feelings outside awareness shape how a person thinks and acts today.
• 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.
• Strength-BasedFocuses on the strengths, skills and resources a person already has, and builds on them to meet challenges.
• 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

Trauma and PTSD, Self Esteem, Obsessive-Compulsive (OCD), Addiction, ADHD, Anger Management, Anxiety, Bipolar Disorder, Borderline Personality (BPD), Child, Depression, Eating Disorders, Grief, Impulse Control Disorders, Infertility, LGBTQ+, Marital and Premarital, Men's Issues, Mood Disorders, Peer Relationships, Relationship Issues, Sex Therapy, Sexual Abuse, Spirituality, Thinking Disorders

Insurance

Aetna, Aetna Medicare, Aetna Student Health, Anthem, Anthem Blue Cross, BHS | Behavioral Health Systems, Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Blue Shield Promise Health, BlueCross and BlueShield, Carelon Behavioral Health, Carelon Health IPA of California (CHIPA), Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Cigna and Evernorth, Cigna Medicare, Health Net, Humana, Humana Dual Medicare and Medicaid, Humana Medicare, Inland Empire Health Plan, Kaiser (Out-of-Network), L.A. Care Health Plan, LA Care (Carelon), Magellan, Managed Health Network (MHN), Medi-Cal, Medicaid, Medicare, MHNet Behavioral Health, Molina Healthcare, Optum, Oscar Health, Oxford, Providence, Sutter, TRICARE, TriWest, United Medical Resources (UMR), UnitedHealthcare / Optum Medicaid, UnitedHealthcare / Optum Medicare, UnitedHealthcare Student Resources, UnitedHealthcare UHC | UBH, Out of Network

Fees

Individual sessions $160, couple sessions $180; sliding scale available

Payment methods

ACH Bank transfer, American Express, Apple Cash, Cash, Check, Discover, Health Savings Account, Mastercard, Paypal, Venmo, Visa, Wire, Zelle

Ages

Children (6 to 10), Preteen, Teen, Adults, Elders (65+)

Works with

Individuals, Couples, Family

Communities

Bisexual Allied, Gay Allied, HIV / AIDS Allied, Immuno-disorders, Intersex Allied, Lesbian Allied, Little Person Allied, Non-Binary Allied, Queer Allied, Racial Justice Allied, Sex Worker Allied, Single Parent, Transgender Allied

Ethnicity

Black and African American, Hispanic and Latino

Languages

English

Gender

Female

Other offices

Murray, 84107

Education & qualifications