Lara Mekhitarian
LICENSED MARRIAGE & FAMILY THERAPIST | Trauma and Resiliency specialist | LMFT# 78395 | telehealth
Lara is currently not accepting clients.
Specialties
Trauma from physical assault or abuse
Anxiety
Sexual Abuse
Traumatic grief and loss
Grief support for parents
Veterans
Support for life transition
Workplace trauma and harassment
Workplace team building and communication
LGBTQ+ & affirming counseling
Sex and intimacy therapy
Kink and polyamory
Communication and assertiveness skills
Boundary setting
Infertility challenges
Empowerment and self-esteem challenges
High profile sexual harassment
Alternative relationship counseling
Women’s issues
Men’s challenges
**Currently not accepting clients.
Treatment Modalities
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Havening Technique
Brainspotting
Trauma Resiliency Model (Somatic)
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Trauma Conscious Yoga Method
Somatic Therapies
List of Accepted Insurances:
Optum
TriWest CCN
Oscar Health
United Health Care
United Behavioral Health
UMR
HMC HealthWorks
Uprise Health
TRICARE
Aetna
CignA
MolinA
MHN
Empathia/LifeMatters
Concern health
There are certain challenges that require in person services, specific trainings, and/or EXPERTISE due to being either more high risk or circumstantially appropriate. The following are challenges that require a higher level of care or need in person attention and will be referred out for more appropriate services:
children
adolescents
couples
Borderline personality disorder
dissociative identity disorder
bipolar I & II
Narcissistic personality disorder
Psychosis
suicidality and self-harming behaviors
ocd
ADHD
disclaimer:
One of the reasons we do a four session assessment is to determine exactly that. If you meet with a therapist and it doesn't feel like a good fit, we are happy to transfer you to another therapist on our staff or provide outside referrals.
DISCLAIMER: We reserve the right to refuse services to any person at any time who we deem to have needs out of our scope of practice (especially personality disorders & psychotic disorders since they require in person support), disrespectful and harassing of staff, or any other reason that will either violate our practice standards or for private reasons. You will immediately be referred to another practitioner for continued work. We will provide at least one referral resource.You can also visit PsychologyToday.com for a list of other providers.
BIOGRAPHY
Lara Mekhitarian, fulfilling her childhood dream of helping others, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Trauma Specialist. She has dedicated her career to working with adults and teens affected by trauma, especially those who have suffered traumatic grief, workplace harassment, and childhood abuse. Her multidisciplinary approach to treating trauma is supported by her various certifications in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Brainspotting, Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and the Havening Technique. She is also trained in sensorimotor psychotherapy, the Trauma Resiliency Model, and other somatic therapies. Serving as a trilingual therapist, Lara is an indispensable tool to the Armenian and Latinx communities. Lara earned her Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy from Pacific Oaks College and her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from California State University, Los Angeles. As a former professor at Pepperdine University, Lara has a strong background in education and has led numerous trainings for staff and faculty at such groups as JPL, City of Burbank, City of Oxnard, Calty Design Research, LA Philharmonic, and Cedars Sinai Hospital. She has also provided training at a number of California State Universities in Southern California, with the goal of building a strong and effective working environment. In addition to being the Director of Heal the Hurt Counseling, she is also the Employee Assistance Provider for Cedars Sinai Hospital staff, through Empathia LifeMatters.