My experience

I work primarily with individual adults, but also children as young as 10 years old and adolescents. When working with children, I often involve the parents or caregivers in family therapy sessions. In addition to regular talk therapy, I use art, sand play and other play therapy techniques with children. When it seems that adult members of a family are not relating well to one another, I also work with adults in families.

I am an EMDRIA-certified EMDR therapist and find that EMDR Therapy is very helpful in helping people let go of their traumatic incidents from the past. My experience with clinical hypnosis has also helped people with trauma, grief, anxiety, unwanted habits like over-eating and smoking, and depression. It is a joy to help people at an unconscious level to overcome the barriers that their everyday, conscious minds can sometimes create.

In past positions, I have also done group therapy, collateral work with significant others, other health care providers, and other people involved in my clients' lives. I have also done case management, referrals, and advocacy in past agency jobs.

Some of the places I have gained clinical experience include OMI Family Center, Kaiser Chemical Dependency Recovery Program, Los Guilucos Juvenile Facility in Santa Rosa and the John F. Kennedy Community Counseling Center. After receiving my license I worked at Episcopal Sanctuary and Walden House until I started my private practice in 2004. I moved to the Antelope Valley from the San Francisco Bay Area in 2009 and have a private practice here as well. My clients have been from a wide variety of various ethnic groups and socioeconomic backgrounds. I create a warm, supportive and affirming environment for LGBTQQIA+ youth and adults. I have worked with clients who are severely mentally ill, dually diagnosed with mental illness and substance abuse, as well as grief, anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. Trauma and grief can happen to everyone at some point in life. What makes the difference is how we use the experiences to grow and learn.

Many of the people with whom I have worked have severe physical challenges and physical disability as well. To support people with environmental illnesses, I strive to provide a scent-free office. As someone who has health challenges, I understand that we all have strengths and we all have things we wish were different about our lives. The specific challenges vary from person to person. My job is to find the common element of suffering, understand it, and help you heal it. Together we bring your strengths to the forefront and find a way to triumph over your challenges. I am honored to help you with your unique challenges.

Please call me to set up an appointment at 661-233-6771.

More info about me

Professional Background:

Dr. Lisa S. Larsen is a licensed psychologist in private practice, who helps adolescents and adults resolve trauma and complicated grief. She also helps with depression, anxiety, LGBTQ+-related issues, chronic health problems like ME/CFS, and low self-esteem. She has been licensed since 2003 in California and since 2022 in Florida for telehealth only.

Since her early clinical experience, she has consistently enjoyed working with people from diverse cultural backgrounds and socioeconomic statuses. Her graduate training at John F. Kennedy University emphasized multicultural competence and awareness. In her work at community mental health clinics, substance abuse clinics, and in private practice, she has also been able to help people with a wide variety of lifestyles and sexual preferences. She is proud to be a knowledgeable, skilled ally to the LGBTQ+ community.

Some of the techniques that Dr. Larsen enjoys using include clinical hypnosis; EMDR Therapy; Solution Oriented Therapy; and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. She has extensive training in Ericksonian clinical hypnosis from the Milton Erickson Foundation and Dr. Michael Yapko’s 100-hour course. In addition, she has been an EMDRIA-certified EMDR therapist since 2008. With hypnosis and EMDR therapy, she has helped people quit smoking, change their relationship to food and eating, reduce anxiety, reduce depression, cope with grief, and reduce traumatic stress.

Areas of Expertise:

Resolving traumatic incidents from the past
Easing the pain of acute and prolonged grief
Working with LGBTQ+ communities
Improving self-esteem, interpersonal boundaries, and confidence
Reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Professional Organizations/Associations:

California Psychological Association, Los Angeles County Chapter
EMDR International Association
American Society for Clinical Hypnosis
California Association for Marriage and Family Therapists (Associate Member)

Online Publications:

(please see https://www.lisaslarsen.com/projects-2)

Interviewed in the following magazines:

Authority Magazine
Thrive Global

Quoted in the following online journals:

Bustle Magazine
Thriveworks
Blunt Therapy
Up Journey
Reader’s Digest
POPSUGAR
Her Campus
Thera Nest
A Place for Mom

Courses and Presentations I’ve Authored / Contributed To:

3-hour on-demand course for the Zur Institute: Identifying and Treating Traumatic Grief in Adults.

What Makes a Death Traumatic and What to Do about It Clinically. Presented to the Iranian Psychological Association of America, 8/22/21. Two hours live online presentation for continuing education.

Identifying And Treating Traumatic Grief in Adults. Presented to the Los Angeles County psychological Association, 3/14/2022. Two hours live online presentation for continuing education.

Book Review of Treating Co-Occurring Disorders: A Handbook for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Professionals, in The Therapist, September/October 2004, Vol. 16, Issue 5, pp. 68-69.