• Bereavement / Grief
• Conflict Resolution
• Coping With Stress
• Test or Performance Anxiety
• Eating Disorders
• Mindfulness & Meditation
• Child & Adolescent Issues
• Caring for Aging Parents
• Substance Abuse

To learn about upcoming community lectures, or to request a speaker for your organization, call (310) 208-3120 3120 for Westwood or (949) 737-5460 for Irvine.

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology Counseling Center is a court-approved provider of domestic violence counseling for victims and perpetrators of violence.

How do I get started?

If you or someone you know has been instructed by the courts to attend a qualifying domestic violence or anger management program, please contact us to register for an upcoming session. Call (310) 208-3120 3120 for Westwood or (949) 737-5460 for Irvine.

Under California’s Proposition 36, nonviolent drug offenders may be referred to community-based treatment as an alternative to incarceration or probation. Through a contract with the Los Angeles Department of Mental Health, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology Counseling Center provides the Court-Mandated Drug Abuse and Alcohol Treatment Program (under the proposition 36 legislation) for individuals, couples, adolescents, and families.

How do I get started?

If you or someone you know has been instructed by the courts to attend a qualifying (proposition 36) substance abuse treatment program, please contact us to register for an upcoming session. Call (310) 208-3120 3120 for Westwood or (949) 737-5460 for Irvine.

Group therapy is a process through which a small group of people (generally six to ten) meet face-to-face with a trained group therapist to talk about a particular issue with which all of them is struggling—such as grief/bereavement, anger management, eating disorders, living with chronic depression or anxiety, recovering from childhood sexual abuse, etc.

Under the direction of the group therapist, members share and explore their feelings and behaviors, hear different points of view and coping strategies, and receive encouragement from others facing similar issues. Group therapy provides participants a powerful opportunity to share and learn from others in a safe and supportive environment while working toward healing and change.

How do I get started?

To find out what groups we are currently running, and to register, please call (310) 208-3120 3120 for Westwood or (949) 737-5460 for Irvine.

Couples counseling is a process through which a couple (who may be engaged, dating, married, partnered—or sometimes even parent and child or other pairings) works with a trained therapist to identify specific areas of conflict and/or aspects of their relationship they would like to change, and then develops a plan of action to improve each individual’s satisfaction and contentment.

Working with a therapist in a safe and confidential setting, couples are able to explore how their individual backgrounds, beliefs, thoughts, and behaviors may be impacting their relationship in both positive and negative ways. The therapist may assist the couple with addressing any immediate and pressing problems, as well as developing strategies for protecting and enhancing the long-term health and happiness of their relationship.

How do I get started?

The first step is to call us to schedule your initial appointment with one of our graduate-level therapists. At your first session (which generally lasts approximately two hours) you and your partner will have the opportunity to build rapport with the therapist and provide her/him with some background about your relationship and the reasons you are seeking counseling.

At the end of that first session, if you decide that you would like to move forward working with the assigned therapist, you will discuss fees and then decide on a mutually-agreeable time slot for your counseling sessions (typically, the couple will meet with the therapist once a week, and each session will last approximately one hour). At your second appointment, you will begin working with your therapist to set goals for your counseling experience and then begin working together toward achieving them.

To schedule a free consultation, call (310) 208-3120 3120 for Westwood or (949) 737-5460 for Irvine.

Individual therapy (sometimes called “psychotherapy” or “counseling”) is a process through which clients work one-on-one with a trained therapist—in a safe, caring, and confidential environment—to explore their feelings, beliefs, or behaviors, work through challenging or influential memories, identify aspects of their lives that they would like to change, better understand themselves and others, set personal goals, and work toward desired change.

People seek therapy for a wide variety of reasons, from coping with major life challenges or childhood trauma, to dealing with depression or anxiety, to simply desiring personal growth and greater self-knowledge. A client and therapist may work together for as few as five or six sessions or as long as several years, depending on the client’s unique needs and personal goals for therapy.

How do I get started?

Your first step is to call us to schedule your initial appointment with one of our graduate-level therapists. That first session (which generally lasts approximately two hours) provides an opportunity for you to build rapport with the therapist and provide him/her with some background about yourself and the reasons you are seeking counseling.

At the end of that first session, if you decide that you would like to move forward working with the assigned therapist, you will discuss fees and then decide on a mutually-agreeable time slot for your therapy sessions (typically, the client and therapist will meet once a week, and each session will last approximately one hour). At your second appointment, you will begin working with your therapist to set goals for your therapy experience and then begin working together toward achieving them.

To schedule a free consultation, call (310) 208-3120 3120 for Westwood or (949) 737-5460 for Irvine.

Like a medical examination in which a physician evaluates a patient’s physical well-being by speaking with the patient and/or administering formal tests, a psychological assessment is a process through which a psychology professional evaluates a client’s psychological, emotional, and behavioral well-being through open dialogue and formal testing. The assessment process may involve one or both of the following:

1. A series of face-to-face interviews during which the psychology professional meets with the client (and sometimes his/her family members) to gain a rich understanding of the client’s emotions, behaviors, thoughts, coping strategies for dealing with life’s challenges, and personal strengths.
2. One or more standardized tests (both verbal and written) that the psychology professionals can use to gain more objective and data-driven insights regarding a client’s overall well-being.

With this information, the psychology professional can provide an appropriate diagnosis (if one is warranted) and work with the client and his/her family to set goals and develop an appropriate plan for positive change.

How do I get started?

If a doctor, educator, or other professional has recommended that you have a psychological assessment (sometimes referred to as “psychological testing”), your first step is to call us to arrange a free consultation. That initial consultation will last approximately two hours. You will meet with one of our clinical staff to discuss your background and the reasons you are seeking an assessment. At the end of the session, the clinician will provide a recommendation regarding next steps, and discuss payment options should you wish to proceed.

To schedule your initial consultation, please call (310) 208-3120 for Westwood or (949) 737-5460 for Irvine.