Naomi Azriel, MA, MFT

About

I specialize in helping women and their partners materialize their dreams for safe, connected and passionate love relationships, as well as a for a life more fully and passionately lived. Many women come to me feeling that they never got a real chance at fully becoming who they could be. As a result, they are constantly overwhelmed, nervous and second-guessing themselves and their choices. They feel chronically responsible for others at the expense of their own selves, and rarely get to just relax in their skin so they can be spontaneous and playful.

Having worked in the counseling field for over eleven years, I have come to see how real & intimate love scares the hell out of many of us, especially if we grew up learning that love was dangerous and came at a high cost. I have also found that these struggles stem from our earliest experiences in our families and communities. When we don't get to speak out our truths as girls and women, we grow to second guess our own intuition and power. When internalized homophobia or early trauma are part of the mix, women also face feelings of shame and rage about not being fully safe or accepted. These feelings can have a powerful impact on your relationship with yourself and others, even and especially when they occur outside of your awareness.

My training has prepared me to listen to and understand these unspoken truths, even the ones you still don't have words for. I help by hearing women in a different way than they have been heard before. Feeling witnessed, understood and met at a sufficiently deep level can be incredibly transformative and healing. Over time, you will find yourself feeling safer, more relaxed and more alive. This kind of aliveness can create the kind of momentum you need in your life to pursue and live out your dreams, to be more present and more "you" in your relationships, and to finally feel that you are the woman you have dreamed of becoming!

I have been working in different capacities in the counseling field since 1998. Through out my journey, I have been consistently struck by the profound transformation and healing that happens when one feels truly held, understood and met by another human being. It is this inspiration and awe that I have brought to and strive to continue to bring into all of my work.

I hold a Masters’ degree in Clinical Psychology from the New College of California, and a California license as a Marriage & Family Therapist. I draw on many different theories and inspirations in my work, including my own life experiences and personal growth. Of the many theories I have learned and that have shaped me, I mostly draw from psychoanalytic and relational theory, as well as self-psychology, social justice, feminist and somatic modalities.

My professional and volunteer career have brought me into some wonderful community organizations, which have inspired me and taught me important lessons about myself, others, and the different ways in which I could use my own self to bring about change not only in the lives of individuals, but also in the greater community. In my private practice, I continue my commitment to the values of peer support networks, of harm reduction and deep respect for people traditionally marginalized.

Outside of my work, I appreciate and am nourished by family, community, nature, literature and animals. I am sustained in my work by mentors and teachers who have supported me in becoming the therapist and woman that I am.

When you first call, I will listen carefully to hear and understand your viewpoint on what is troubling you. You can also ask me any questions that are important to you about myself or my practice. When you feel ready, we can schedule an appointment to sit down and start thinking together about what is going on in your life, and how you need and want for things to change. We will talk together for an hour, and then decide if we want to keep working together on a regular, weekly basis.