Alexa Wage

My name is Alexa Tangalakis Wage and I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) based in Culver City, California. I work with adults and also have a special area of focus working with couples using Imago Relationship Therapy.

My approach

I believe that you are the expert on your own life and my goal is to help you become the best version of yourself. I blend psychodynamic therapy, to uncover the "Why" and origins of your behavior and responses, with humanistic and postmodern therapies to address the "So what do I do about it now?" For couples I have had great success using Imago Relationship Therapy to help reconnect and reignite intimacy between couples.

My focus

The adults I work with typically come in with challenges regarding dissatisfaction in their personal relationships, work stress and contemplating a career change, experiencing new symptoms of depression and/or anxiety, past trauma is interfering with current life, self-esteem issues, and many other life transitions. The couples I see range from those seeking pre-marital counseling, to those recovering from an affair, to those wanting some routine maintenance. With couples I pride myself on my ability to remain neutral while helping each partner see what life is like from the other partner's perspective. My client is the couple, not the partner who initiated the therapy, and I have seen this strength of mine translate into greater progress with those couples willing to do the work.

My communication style

I have a naturally compassionate, curious, and collaborative nature. I am here to provide you with authentic empathy together with a safe environment that will allow for the exploration of your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. I am on your team and I believe it is my job to help you feel contained in whatever emotions arise during our time together.

My journey to mental healthcare

I am fascinated by people's stories and have always been struck by the many different ways we respond to life challenges. Yet we are all connected by experiences of joy, grief, hope, disappointment, success, failure, fear, and the like. This enthusiasm I have for people and their experiences is what led me to a career in psychology.

My goals for you

Because I believe you are the expert on your own life, my clients typically set a majority of their own goals. I do not often give "homework" to clients. Instead, I collaboratively create with clients incremental steps they can take to promote the change they are seeking.

My first session with you

During a first session with me you can expect to simply share what prompted you to initiate therapy and tell me about the "Why now?" I want to get to know you, and time will help develop that. Most importantly, in our first session together I want to build the foundation of our therapeutic relationship where you feel that you can trust me with your challenges and goals.