Ira Israel, LMFT, LPCC,
I inspire and empower people to create extraordinary lives
30 years of experience working with filmmakers & musicians.
In-person counseling in beautiful Santa Monica office with easy parking. Cigna, Optum, United Healthcare In-network provider of Buddhist, spiritual, existential, and narrative psychotherapy. I have 15 years of experience helping people find new solutions to old problems, improve their relationships, express themselves creatively, and lead meaningful lives.Individuals report that I am exceptionally skillful at quickly discerning core wounds and providing resources to help release traumas and treat the symptoms of depression and anxiety; couples report greater understanding, compassion, ease and intimacy (usually in 1 or 2 sessions).
Blog Posts
Education/Training
BA University of Pennsylvania, Department of Sociology
MA University of Connecticut, Department of Philosophy
MA University of California, Santa Barbara, Department of Religious Studies
MA Antioch University, Clinical Psychology
Bio
Since 2011, I have been working in private practice as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC #31) and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT #50646), teaching sold-out transformational workshops, producing a series of best-selling mindfulness DVDs, and writing about psychology, philosophy, Buddhism, yoga, film, art, music & literature for the Huffington Post, Good Men Project, Mind Body Green, Thrive Global, and Medium.
As an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania I became interested in psychology when I studied with Philip Rieff (“The Triumph of the Therapeutic,” “Freud: Mind of the Moralist”) and philosophy when I studied with Alexander Nehamas (“Nietzsche: Life As Literature”). After graduating UPenn in 1988 I took a Master of Arts degree in philosophy at the University of Connecticut, during which I concentrated on aesthetics, semiotics, epistemology and the philosophy of mind.
I then worked for two years in New York City in Paul Simon’s office, at Warner-Elektra-Atlantic, and producing Russell Donnellon’s “Ursa Minor” CD. In 1991 I moved to Paris to work with Luc Besson on the screenplays for “The Professional” and “The Fifth Element,” Chantal Akerman on the screenplay for “A Couch in New York,” and with several other French writer/directors, as well as with singer Mylène Farmer on the hit song “My Soul is Slashed.”
While exploring Thailand in early 1994, I became fascinated by Buddhism, yoga, and meditation, which led me first to study parapsychology at Duke University and eventually take a second Master of Arts degree in religious studies at the University of California in Santa Barbara. At UCSB I studied the histories of mindfulness and yoga with Alan Wallace, David Gordon White, Barbara Holdrege and the late Ninian Smart.
In March of 2007 I completed my formal academic education with a Master of Arts degree in clinical psychology from Antioch University focusing on positive psychology, attachment theory, cognitive behavioral therapy, and the works of Jacques Lacan, Alice Miller, Carl Jung, D.W. Winnicott, Melanie Klein and many other theorists.
Besides the numerous occasions I have sat with His Holiness The Dalai Lama, I have been privileged to study Buddhism at Spirit Rock with Jack Kornfield, Rick Hanson, Fred Luskin, James Baraz, Phillip Moffitt, David Richo and Sharon Salzberg.
Other Languages
French
Payments Accepted
Credit card, Check, Venmo, PayPal
Hours:Monday-Thursday 10-5
Cost/Session
sliding scale
License:LMFT, LPCC
Helpful Links
 Website:
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Google Business Listing:
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Practice Areas/Issues Treated
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Therapy
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Life Transitions
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Addiction
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Loneliness
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Adolescents
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Marriage & Family Therapy
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Anger Management
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Marriage Counseling
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Anxiety and Panic
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Men's Issues
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Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
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Body Image Issues
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Online / Teletherapy
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Caregiver Issues
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Pre and Postpartum Mental Health
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Chronic Illness
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Relationship Issues
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Couples
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Self-Esteem Issues
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Depression
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Seniors and Elder Care Issues
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Divorce
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Stress Management
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Eating Disorders
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Trauma and PTSD
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Gifted / Talented Issues
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Work and Career Issues
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Grief and Loss
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Licenses/Certifications
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Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC)
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Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)
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Psychotherapy (MA)
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