For more than twenty years Cindy Scherban, LCSW, has been helping clients achieve optimum emotional and mental health as a private practice clinician in Studio City. Cindy provides a safe and professional environment for clients to explore the obstacles and roadblocks that impede their ability to live life to its fullest. Her empathetic and non-judgmental personality melds with her extensive training to guide clients in an interactive process to tackle life’s challenges.

Cindy creates a safe and supportive alliance between herself and her clients through her immense compassion. That compassion, combined with her knowledge and vast experience in helping clients cope with a wide range of difficulties and traumas, helps put them on the path to manifesting a meaningful and abundant life.

Cindy aids her clients in discovering the barriers that impact emotional and mental well being, so she may equip them with the skills to handle life’s complexities. She works with clients to create a foundation on which they can establish strength through an integrated and balanced underpinning of self awareness. Through various modalities, such as Psychodynamic orientation, Cognitive/Behavioral approach, Solution-Focused techniques, Neuropsychology, and Mindfulness, Cindy’s goal is to foster continued emotional and mental health that will lead her clients to a flourishing future.

Education

Having first studied at the California State University of Northridge for her undergraduate degree in Sociology, Cindy then received her Masters in Social Work degree from the University of Southern California. Cindy maintains a steady schedule of continuing education so as to be on the cutting edge of new therapeutic approaches to her areas of expertise.

Areas of Expertise

Cindy’s areas of expertise include; Depression, Bipolar disorder, Coping with Anxiety, Marital/Couples concerns, counseling for Adolescents and Teenagers, Issues of Attachment, Grief & Loss, Sexual Abuse and Molestation, Sexual and Gender orientation, Transgender, Infertility and beyond, Post-Partum Depression, Career Growth and Development, Work Transitions, Health Related concerns, Women in Transition, Psychosocial aspects of Retirement and Aging. Additionally, she has trained and worked extensively in Critical-Incident Stress De-Briefing, as well as Disaster Training.

Cindy has also created, organized and facilitated wellness workshops and programs related to: Parent Effectiveness, Smoking Cessation, Stress Management, Weight Reduction, Coping with Change, Assertiveness Communication, Women in Transition and the Psychosocial Aspects of Retirement.

Women and Psychotherapy

Women of all ages are likely to experience various challenges and demands within their lives. These challenge and demands may be unique to their particular stage of life, while some challenges are universal to the state of womanhood. As a psychotherapist, my role is to help empower women as they traverse these various challenges by facilitating the discovery of their sense of authority, resiliency and creativity.

Examples of these challenging life issues might include:

Due to the challenges of these stages of life, some of the following mental health issues may arise; depression, anxiety, panic attacks, eating disorders and substance abuse. I specialize in helping women successfully transition through these various stages and challenges of their lives by guiding them to find, or maintain, a strong sense of self and well-being.

Psychotherapy for Adolescents & Teens

Growing up can be full of excitement and new adventures, but it is also a time of extreme emotional and physical change. When these changes are difficult they are sometimes called “growing pains,” and they can be simply life lessons or larger problems that seem overwhelming and too much to deal with by yourself.

A psychotherapist can help you work through problems that you may be having with friends - either making them or keeping them - or help you with difficulties that you are having because you feel that your parents don’t understand you. Relationships can be really tough, and having an adult that is on your side and experienced with these issues can ease a lot of those “growing pains.”

Sometimes you may have feelings that you don’t understand. They may be feelings that frighten you or make you feel like you don’t want to live any more or that make you think you are crazy, and you may not feel comfortable or safe enough to talk about them to your parents, family or friends. These issues are exactly the kinds of things that a psychotherapist is trained to listen to and help guide you through. A good psychotherapist is someone who won’t ever judge anything that you share with them, they are there to listen to you as you explain or learn to explain, how you feel and what you want your life to be like.

Talking to a psychotherapist can provide you with an opportunity to have a private place to share all of the problems and difficulties that may be overwhelming you. But as you read this you may be thinking that it sounds bad or scary to talk to someone that is a stranger. Well you’re right, it can be those things, that’s why you meet a psychotherapist and “interview” them in your first meeting. That way you can decide if this stranger feels like someone that you may be able to learn to trust and feel comfortable talking to about the things that bother you. Psychotherapists are easy to learn to trust because the law says they cannot share with anyone anything that you tell them, not even your parents, unless you give your permission.* That means the time that you have with your therapist is very private and all about you for you.

As you talk to your psychotherapist about the things that are bothering you, scaring you, or making you sad, you’ll build a relationship with your therapist that will become a safe and compassionate place for you to tell your private inner thoughts and worries. That’s what a psychotherapy session is, it’s just you and your therapist sitting comfortably and safely in a room together and you get to decide what you want and need to talk about. You are in charge of your time with your psychotherapist, it is your chance to learn to feel strong and in charge of your life.

* The law says the only time that a psychotherapist must share what you say is if you are going to harm yourself or someone else.

 

Glossary

Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW): In the state of California, a social worker has a master’s degree in social work from an accredited institution. Areas of study include: psychology, mental health, human behavior, sociology, growth and development, and research methods. A social worker trained in psychotherapy helps individuals, couples and families deal with a variety of mental health and daily living problems with the goal of improving overall functioning. back

Psychodynamic therapy: Most psychodynamic therapy approaches are based on the concept that some maladaptive functioning is in play and that at least in part, this maladaptation is unconscious. Through this process of therapy, the emphasis is on unconscious conflicts, examining of defense mechanisms, and reviewing early childhood experiences. Trust of the process and developing personal insight are extremely important for therapy to be successful. back

Cognitive/Behavioral therapy: Cognitive/Behavioral therapy is a psychotherapeutic approach to help address dysfunctional emotions, behaviors and thoughts. The basic goal of cognitive/behavioral therapy is to change maladaptive thinking, which can lead to positive changes in feelings and behavior. This form of treatment can be effective in helping to deal with the following conditions; anxiety, mood disturbances, eating disorders and substance abuse. back

Solution-Focused: Solution-focused therapy helps clients identify their vision and goals toward the solving of a current problem. The purpose of this treatment is to focus on present and future concerns, not on the past. The therapist will assist the client in identifying a positive direction for change in their lives along with their hopes for the future. This will be based upon the goal setting that is created by the client within a therapeutic context. The overarching goal of this treatment is to initiate behavioral and lifestyle changes in order foster positive growth and potential within one’s life.

Relational therapy: Relational therapy is based on the principle that emotional well-being depends on having satisfying and meaningful relationships with others. Emotional distress is often rooted in patterns of relational experiences that have demeaned or injured ones sense of self. The goal within this type of therapy is to provide a safe environment to “re-experience” the destructive relationships from which the patient can move forward and create healthier patterns of relating. back

Neuropsychology: This process of therapy uses methods from experimental psychology to uncover the relationship between the nervous system and cognitive function. More specifically, this form of therapy looks at the particular aspects of the nervous system and links it to neuroanatomy and psychological function. This can be especially helpful when working with patients who may have suffered from illness or injury to the brain, which has caused neurocognitive problems and/or impairment. back

Mindfulness: Mindfulness is a therapeutic approach that encourages a patient to generally live in the moment. Mindfulness supports the observation of ones thoughts and physical reactions without judgment. While focusing on the “here and now,” the process involves learning to focus on breathing and staying present, so that intrusive destructive thoughts can’t undermine you. Mindfulness can be very effective in the managing of depression along with other negative-thought inducing maladies. back