Counselor / Therapist in Laguna Niguel, CA

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Larry Goodman, LMFT

Counseling and Psychotherapy for Children, Teens and Parents

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Hello.

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), specializing in the treatment of children, adolescents, and their families who struggle with a variety of psychological, behavioral, academic, and relational problems. I also provide families with support for parenting, School and Special Education Consulting, Divorce, Co-Parenting and ADHD.

I know that, as parents, you know your child(ren) better than anyone else, including pediatricians and clergy. You are the experts and from personal experience, I have learned that parents need to trust their instincts about their children.

One of the goals in my work is to help children and teenagers realize that they can find solutions to their problems, enhance their relationships, build self-confidence, and develop a healthy sense of who they are. I have observed that when children and adolescents begin to feel good about themselves and when they realize they have options instead of limitations, their behavior mood, social, and academic functioning improve - they are happier and more resilient.

I use a combination of Cognitive Behavioral, Family Systems and eclectic interventions with adolescents, and with pre-adolescents, play therapy, to help younger clients identify, explore, and resolve their behavioral and emotional struggles.

Providing child and adolescent therapy, I have over 15 years of clinical experience with all aspects of psychological, developmental, and behavioral difficulties, including anxiety, depression, mood disorders, anger, trauma, PTSD, loss, defiance, impulse control problems, ADHD, learning issues, substance use, social thinking issues and the autistic spectrum.

An important part of working with children and adolescents includes working with their parents (or guardians). I provide parents with support and constructive ideas that can strengthen their effectiveness, enhance bonding between each other, and restore their sense of hope and satisfaction in the family.

Bio

As a child and adolescent therapist, I have been licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences since 2001 and have provided counseling services to children, teens and families.

I have delivered supportive therapeutic services to children and their families since 1997. During those years, I have helped individuals and families, children and adolescents to resolve problems with anxiety and mood disorders, ADHD, Learning Disabilities, defiant/disruptive behaviors, grief, loss, trauma, parent-child conflict, divorce, autism and pervasive developmental disorders, schizophrenia, PTSD, and other mental health challenges.

Along with my clinical work, I have considerable knowledge and experience collaborating with a variety of mental health providers, such as local psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, behavior specialists and in-school professionals. I have also worked with numerous related service agencies, including local school districts, the Department Mental Health, and Child Protective Services.

In addition to my role as a clinician, for the last few years, I have provided clinical supervision and training to other mental health professionals and am a CAMFT Certified Supervisor. My prior experience in financial corporations and project management has enabled me to serve as an Executive Director of a local mental health agency and on the boards of CAMFT in Silicon Valley and for a large credit union.

Practice Areas

Counseling / Therapy	Life Transitions
Adolescents	Loneliness
Anger Management	Marriage & Family Therapy
Anxiety and Panic	Marriage Counseling
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)	Men's Issues
Body Image Issues	Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Caregiver Issues	Online / Video / Teletherapy
Children's Counseling	Pre and Postpartum Mental Health
Chronic Illness	Premarital Counseling
Coronavirus/COVID-19 Issues	Relationship Issues
Couples Therapy	Self Esteem Issues
Depression	Seniors and Elder Care Issues
Divorce	Stress Management
Eating Disorders	Trauma and PTSD
Grief and Loss	Work and Career Issues