Tell me your story;
together
we will find the fragments,
disentangle the knots,
turn ache into movement,
find the thread that leads you home.
Welcome. I’m glad you’re here.
Reaching out is an important step toward healing. Life can feel overwhelming when we are facing emotions like anxiety, depression, or grief.
I have over 25 years of experience supporting individuals through challenges that arise during different stages of life. While these changes are expected and natural, they can become debilitating when compounded by unresolved trauma, difficult relationships, chronic stress, or loss.
I offer a compassionate and grounded therapy approach that will provide you with tools and insights for meaningful healing. I am a believer in creativity as a key to growth and recovery. Services are available virtually throughout California in both English and Spanish.
Getting started is simple: Contact me to schedule your free, no-obligation 15-minute phone consultation.
-Paulina Ospina-Mallarino, LCSW
Core Therapeutic Philosophy
Your story, at the heart of our work
In therapy, we’ll explore life experiences with curiosity and compassion to uncover patterns that affect your well-being. I will invite you to contemplate diverse perspectives to discover new insights, inner strengths, and tools to navigate challenges with greater clarity and confidence. This therapeutic process supports the development of a healthier and empowered sense of self.
Connection Between Body and Mind
We store emotional experiences in our bodies. By increasing body awareness in therapy, we gain valuable insights into how we respond to trauma. Our work will help you explore the body’s capacity to process and release emotional experiences. Together, we’ll integrate somatic practices such as breathwork, grounding, visualization, and posture awareness to support your healing journey.
Healing in the Context of Identity and Culture
Our mental health is shaped by many factors that may be beyond our control, such as gender, cultural background, sexual orientation, and life stage. My therapeutic approach is sensitive to these aspects of identity and experience. We’ll explore how they support or challenge your emotional healing.
Therapeutic Approaches
Solution-Focused Therapy
This approach is goal-oriented and it centers on meaningful steps towards improved functioning and well-being. It identifies your strengths and builds on what's already working for you.
Cognitive-Behavioural Approach (CBT)
These evidence-based tools help you become more aware of your thoughts and how they influence your feelings and actions. Together, we'll explore new ways of thinking that support your mental health and emotional well-being.
Humanistic Therapy
Rooted in empathy and acceptance, this approach sees you as the expert of your own life. It offers a safe, non-judgmental space to explore your values, process emotions, and connect with what truly matters to you.
Narrative Therapy
Narrative therapy invites you to examine your story with fresh eyes. We'll gently explore the beliefs and patterns shaping your life and work to develop healthier narratives that support your recovery and growth.
Communication Skills Training
Learning to express yourself clearly and listen deeply can transform your relationships. We’ll practice skills to help you feel more connected, understood, and confident in your interactions.
Challenges We can Work On
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Navigating Life Crossroads
When you are juggling multiple roles, beginning or ending relationships, adapting to new work environments, striving for work-life balance, or redefining your sense of identity among other major life changes, therapy addresses the anxiety, depression, and adjustment difficulties that often accompany these experiences.
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Seeking Emotional Growth
When you are feeling misunderstood, lonely, sensitive—and find yourself making choices that don’t serve you—therapy offers tools to strengthen emotional awareness, develop constructive mindsets, and improve communication skills to help you create healthier emotional environments.
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Managing Family Dynamics
Family relationships can significantly affect emotional well-being. Conflict, estrangement, or loss may contribute to feelings of anxiety, depression, confusion, or guilt. Therapy offers an opportunity to process these challenges, identify relational patterns, and develop skills for healthy communication and boundary setting.
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Rediscovering Purpose and Creativity
Creative stagnation and disconnection from meaning can trigger feelings of anxiety and depression. You may be regretting past choices, grieving unfulfilled dreams, feeling confined by current roles, and wondering what comes next. Therapy offers a space to reconnect with your creative self, integrate life’s experiences, and rediscover a sense of purpose.
Providing telehealth services
Telehealth therapy is convenient, effective, personal, and deeply supportive. Meeting from the comfort of a familiar space can ease anxiety, reduce barriers, and help you feel more grounded during sessions.
Online therapy offers the same depth and connection as in-person care, while providing added flexibility and comfort. This is your space to feel seen, heard, and supported. Together, we’ll create a therapeutic environment where healing and growth can take root, where your story can unfold with strength and clarity.
Pasadena, CA Office
595 E Colorado Blvd STE 205, Pasadena, CA 91101
Palm Desert, CA Office
73550 Alessandro Dr STE 200, Palm Desert, CA 92260