Sandy Pedram

Hi! I'm Sandy Pedram, a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist. I help clients find healthy relationships or improve their existing relationships from an Emotionally Focused Perspective. More specifically, my focus is on Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder resulting from difficult relationships and life transitions such as Divorce.

My approach

My treatment modality is Emotionally Focused Therapy, a blend of Gestalt/Humanistic, Psychodynamic, Systems Theory, and Narrative Therapy. I use experiential exercises in sessions to help clients resolve unfinished business and trauma locked within the nervous system interfering with clients' ability to allow their genuine selves to make contact with reality and be present in their here-and-now experience. As part of this work, I support clients in working past emotional avoidance and intolerance of uncertainty.

My focus

I work with couples in various stages of relationship conflict, whether you are looking to reignite intimacy or gain clarity on whether to stay in the relationship or move beyond the relationship. Another one of my focus areas is supporting clients working toward staying connected to a loved one suffering from personality disorder while minimizing harm to their own lives.

My communication style

My goal, first and foremost, is to empower my clients in whatever areas of their lives they're struggling to connect with their own inner competencies and strengths. I am a humanistic therapist, believing in the inherent good in my clients and that clients are naturally oriented toward growth. I approach my clients with warmth and nurturing, in an effort to increase their self-compassion and decrease their sense of isolation and discouragement, amidst the existential challenges of the moment to moment.

My journey to mental healthcare

I have always enjoyed having substantial conversations with others, as opposed to more superficial small-talk. People live such busy, overwhelming lives these days. I am a true believer in the transforming effects of deep listening. We go about our lives as if we don't need one another until life reminds us that the most important thing is our interconnection with others, our community, and society. As a psychotherapist and mediator, I help others problem-solve and utilize their creativity to improve their lives.

My goals for you

One of the most difficult things to measure in treatment is change and growth because that is usually overshadowed by clients' inner critic and negative self-talk. Therefore, I treatment plan with clients to give us concrete goals to revisit every so often, that concretize the task of helping clients see the improvement in their lives.

My first session with you

I balance structure with flexibility. While my focus will be on building a relationship with you and making sure you feel comfortable, I will also be inquiring/gathering the information/context necessary to ensure your progress toward your treatment goals. In the first handful of sessions, I support clients with identifying intergenerational familial patterns that may be influencing their behavior/decision-making in the present.