LAARA ISRAHEL

Marriage and Family Therapist

California Central Coast

I believe therapy is a spiritual journey.

Without spirit we can’t heal.

We can learn, think and experience temporary fixes.

The mind does not heal the heart, the psyche or the soul. Nor does self-will.

Our mind and self-will keeps us stuck.

Stuck in ego and identification with personality and conditioning

That was given or acquired along the path of life.

We are much more than we think we are.

We have great capacity to heal.

We can do that together with spirit and heart.

That is therapeutic.

Welcome to the rising and falling of your breath, the whole of your body and your state of mind, exactly as they are right now.

Welcome to any worries you may be carrying.

Welcome to any fears, sorrows, or shame held in your bones, any scent of anger.

Welcome to every joy you’ve ever known.

Welcome to all of you. Welcome. Welcome. Welcome.

SPECIALTIES

A note on the specialties, and on diagnoses in general: I believe we are guided by what plagues us, though not defined by it. Ultimately, I am called to work with those who want to listen to their heart’s deepest voice, regardless of what this looks like on the surface.  I specialize in deep listening.

TRAUMA RECOVERY

COMPULSIVE BEHAVIOR

COUPLES THERAPY

ANXIETY & DEPRESSION

ABOUT LAARA

My education – a giant tossed salad of varied and colorful ingredients: experiential and academic learning, grounded in a wide range of clinical and experiential practices. Formal schooling at Seattle Pacific University  and an entire lifetime immersed in Eastern philosophy and spirituality.   In the last decade I have trained extensively in couples and individual therapy practices: Emotionally Focused Therapy, Dan Wile’s Collaborative Couples therapy and AEDP – Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy. I give great credit to one of my oldest teachers: walking the up and down paths of success and failure and the unexpected support that can show up at just the right moment. 12 step recovery and a deep bow to my greatest teachers, my family, especially my children.

California LMFT # 50309
Washington LMHC # LH00009573

WHAT TO EXPECT

You are encouraged to speak with me at any time about questions you may have regarding your treatment plan, fees or insurance. Please reach out, I look forward to meeting you.

GETTING STARTED

I see clients in-person and virtually online using a HIPAA compliant Zoom platform which has worked  well for almost 6 years – even pre-pandemic.  Please reach out with any questions, or to set up an initial consultation.

TESTIMONIALS

Laara…”I want you to know how much I appreciate all your efforts, wisdom, and insights. I do not believe that I could have broken through my denial to treat my addiction without your patient but consistent efforts. The decrease of my appointments with you has only to do with my assessment of my improving mental health, a tribute to your success. In many ways, you have enabled me to find the path to peace I was/am so desperately searching for.”
RTG

Laara Israel really helped my husband and I learn to communicate in order to make our marriage stronger. After 10 years of marriage, you would think we would know how to tell each other that we loved one another, but we weren’t doing it well. Navy life and deployments made it rough. Laara helped us to see ourselves and how we were expressing our wants and needs to each other. She gave us techniques to use that helped us be open to each other again. And she integrated our faith in our counseling sessions, which we really appreciated. I was really resistant to counseling at first, but I’m so glad that I went. It has made such a difference in our family. Thanks Laara!
MM

I had put off therapy for years. I was afraid a professional would look at me and tell me I was crazy or something worse. But it was the opposite of what I thought, I began to feel more calm from the start.

JJ

CONTACT

OFFICE ADDRESS: 2280 Sunset Drive, Suite B1, Los Osos, CA 93402.

EMAIL: [email protected] Laara cannot promise privacy through email please use email for scheduling questions only.

PHONE: 619-804-8747 To speak with Laara with questions or to schedule an appointment. Please leave a message, I will return your call within 24 hours on my office days – Wednesday thru Saturday, except on vacation days