Parents
Beach Cities Psychotherapy
Serving the South Bay Communities of Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, El Segundo, Torrance, Palos Verdes and surrounding Beach Cities.
We will get in the trenches with you and help you get to the root. We are not nodding-head therapists.
The challenges of parenting can sink us or make us better parents. Therapy helps.
At Beach Cities Psychotherapy, we understand how challenging parenting can be. The journey of parenthood is often a journey into understanding ourselves, our struggles, and our own wounds from childhood.
Whether you’re struggling with mommy blues, parenting a teen, feeling like a bad parent, or feeling overwhelmed balancing your own reactivity or perfectionism with the genuine desire to be a good parent, we get it.
Parenting is much more than raising a human. It requires so much more of us than even the most prepared parents ever expect and comes packaged with daily unexpected challenges layered in self-insight and vulnerability.
We understand the unique challenges that come with being a parent and we will help you move through them on your journey to better understand your children and your self so that you can parent confidently.
If you can identify with the following experiences, therapy for parents may be right for you and your family.
Feeling overwhelmed by the demands of parenting. Worrying that you're not doing enough.
Feeling like behavioral issues are a reflection of your parenting skills or feeling like an ineffective parent.
Irritability with kids, family members or colleagues.
Frustrations around co-parenting. Fighting about how to parent effectively.
Noticing family dynamics from your own childhood that you don't want to instill in your children.
Resenting your children or partner. Fears around the trajectory of your relationships with them.
The challenges of parenting are so much more than any parent ever expects.
At Beach Cities Psychotherapy, we understand that the journey of being a better parent is more than a conversation about parenting styles. Often the conversations are uncomfortable ones like distinguishing the parents we have become or grew up with from the parents we want to be and navigating the distance between the two.
Why Beach Cities Psychotherapy?
Are you looking for a therapist who lights pretty candles, smiles and nods while you talk about the same problems week after week?
If you are, that’s not us.
At Beach Cities Psychotherapy, we ask the challenging questions and get in the trenches with you. Sometimes trauma, anxiety, depression, relationship struggles, or identity issues get in our way.
You may feel empty, broken or even worthless when other people may think you have it all.
We help you make the shifts you need to live the life you want and feel able to appreciate it. Our goal at Beach Cities Psychotherapy is to cultivate change and healing by asking you the hard questions, addressing the areas where you are stuck, and confronting pain with treatment and healing.
We are direct, hands-on and we value humor above candles. Our therapists are not scared of your pain, your fear, your struggles.
We will delve beneath the surface when you are ready.
We value your mental health, your time and your resources too much to talk about the same problems in the same ways that you always have.
Often people come to Beach Cities Psychotherapy when they feel like other therapists have skimmed the surface and they need more.
We want to help you heal and find the clarity you need in your life.
Meet Your Therapists:
Shannon Meena, ACSW
For people struggling with ruminating thoughts or who feel trapped by their anxiety, Shannon Meena is a lifeline. Shannon’s CBT skill set gives her the ability to offer tools to transform anxiety and her empathic approach and ability to connect to clients is her superpower.
Shannon creates a safe space where clients can explore their feelings, learn effective communication skills, and strengthen their self-esteem.
In addition to working with anxiety and life transitions, Shannon is also experienced working with depression and has training TF-CBT to help teens and pre-teens with issues relating to trauma. She works with adults and also has a unique ability to connect with pre-teens and teenagers.
Read her full bio here.
Ashlee Byous, AMFT
Ashlee Byous, AMFT is passionate about self-awareness and emotional intelligence. She believes that strengthening these areas serves as a foundation for overcoming life’s challenges. She builds a warm, safe, collaborative therapeutic relationship with her clients.
Ashlee works with adults and teens struggling with life transitions, communication struggles, relationship challenges, anxiety, and depression. She has specialized experience helping people heal from traumatic relationships including relationships with partners, friends, family, or even professional relationships with people with personality disorders including Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
Read her full bio here.
We Offer Walk and Talk Therapy
Our location offers us a unique opportunity to bring clients to the beach in Hermosa for sessions by the ocean when clients request it.
Walking during therapy creates an alternating rhythm of our steps on the pavement and stimulates alternating sides of our brain which facilitates processing.
Fresh air and nature are also helpful to healing. Moving when we feel stuck can also help us to move through life’s obstacles and create a tangible, very real momentum that is both literal and metaphorical.
While our therapists also work with clients in the office, Walk & Talk sessions are beneficial for clients who don’t want to sit on a sofa for an hour. It’s okay to alternate between Walk and Talk sessions and in-office sessions.
Our therapists understand that not every day feels like a good day for a walk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which payment methods are accepted?
Payments can be made with cash, check, credit card, or Zelle.
What is the cost of psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy fees vary depending on which therapist you select to work with as well as which service you are seeking. Feel free to contact us to discuss the exact fee.
Are psychotherapy fees covered by health insurance?
We are not in-network with any insurance companies. If you have a PPO plan or a plan with out-of-network benefits, your insurance company may reimburse you for services. This means that you will be responsible to pay for our services up-front and then we provide you with forms to submit to your insurance company for reimbursement.
You can check your specific mental health benefits with your health insurance and ask the following questions:
- Do I have benefits for outpatient psychotherapy services with an out-of-network provider?
- Do I have a deductible and has it been met? If my deductible has not been met, what deductible needs to be met for insurance to reimburse?
- What will insurance reimburse after that deductible has been met and what do I need to do or provide in order to get reimbursed?
- How many psychotherapy sessions will be covered per year?
We Make Getting Started Easy
Step 1. Reach Out
Step 2. Schedule Your First Session
Step 3. Feel Like You Again
