Who is Laressa Desmond, PhD, LMFT?
I specialize in PreMarital Counseling in the LA area. Private practice since 1993. I work with most aspects of relationship, from dating to PreMarital to Marriage Counseling. I see clients in my offices in West LA, Santa Monica & Woodland Hills, as well as via FaceTime and phone-sessions.
License and NPI
CA LMFT 29944
NPI number? Yes
Degrees, Specialty Trainings & Certifications
EMT Medical Center Pre-Hospital Care, UCLA
Masters/Doctorate Psychology Antioch/AU
Communication Mentor: Dr. Alex French, UCLA
Anger Management 1 year internship at SCCC
Relationship Dynamics Mentor: Dr. Alex French, UCLA
Trauma Training & Certifications
Trauma Recovery Mitchell Technique, UC San Diego
Red Cross Certified Early Stage Disaster Management Red Cross Certified Crisis Debriefing First Responders
Red Cross Certified Emergency Services Debriefing
Red Cross Certified Disaster Workers Debriefing
Teaching USA
Crossroads School Teaching Intern Life Skills Program
FBI, LA Bureau Taught Depression Prevention
FBI, LA Bureau Taught Stress Management
Teaching Abroad
Center for Citizens Initiatives, Ekaterinborg,
~ I taught American psychology techniques to European psychologists, psychiatrists & middle school teachers
Coach Training Certifications
Certified Professional Coach
College of Executive Coaching, Santa Barbara, CA
ICF, International Coach Federation
Relationship Coaching for Couples
Technical Consultant for Film & TV
TV Oprah, Episode on "Infidelity"
TV Naomi Judd Talk Show Pilot
Film Woody Allen "Scenes From A Mall"
Guest Therapist on Radio & TV
CNN News Treatment of Panic Disorder
KRLA Radio Issues of Life: "Your Relationships"
Fox TV Impact of OCD Parents on Children"
MTV Effect of TV Violence on Teens
NBC Crisis Therapy for Families on 9/11
Additional Skill Sets
Emotional Intelligence: Testing and Enhancement ~ (Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Method)
Affiliations
American Association of Integrative Medicine
California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
Association for Traumatic Stress Specialists
International Critical Incident Stress Foundation
International Association for Relationship Research
What makes me unique as a therapist?
Actually there are several unique qualities that I bring to my clinical practice. One interesting aspect is the way that I began my practice in the Los Angeles area.
After graduation and internship, I launched my practice by doing house calls and field work. The population that I initially served were those people who were homebound with PTSD due to trauma or anxiety disorders such as agoraphobia. Their fragile emotional state was such that they couldn't leave their home to attend therapy.
The range of my client base extended from Santa Clarita to Santa Monica. During those home sessions, of course, it was often the case that other family members would be present, usually a spouse. It became efficient to include them in the sessions and via that I began to understand the contagious nature of emotions inside a relationship. As this process evolved I branched out into deeper theoretical and practical ways for helping Couples.
My clientele included housewives, celebrities, law enforcement, first responders, executives and business owners.
Since that unusual beginning I have developed a practice devoted to helping Couples in all stages of love, from attraction, to dating, to living together, to engagement, to marriage. I no longer do house calls but am available to clients at my offices in West Los Angeles, Woodland Hills and Santa Monica. I also do video counseling sessions.
Email is the quickest way to reach me
I look forward to hearing from you.
Warm regards,
Laressa Desmond PhD
CPC CA LMFT,
Laressa Desmond, PhD, LMFT
Exclusive discount on Video Therapy