Gila Brown, LMFT
(/GHEE-la/)
TIME TO SHINE
When people are ready to, they change. They never do it before then, and sometimes they die before they get around to it. You can't make them change if they don't want to, just like when they do want to, you can't stop them.
~ Andy Warhol
About You
You hide it very well.
You dress the part.
Your success distracts you from feeling so alone.
People seem to like you, but they don't really understand.
Often it feels easier to pretend that you're OK, but deep down... you hope for something more.
Gila Brown, MA, LMFT
(/GHEE-la/)
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist
Throughout my life, I have always been driven by the impulse to figure things out.
I began my career as a teacher, but after almost a decade of teaching, I came to see that the single most important factor in any of our lives is our relationship with our parents. I left teaching and, in 2011, I returned to graduate school to become a psychotherapist.
I have since fallen in love with psychotherapy. It is the ultimate vehicle for figuring things out. Therapy is the process of moving from your story controlling you, to you controlling your story. It is like getting a PhD in yourself. I am forever fascinated by us human beings, how we make sense of the world and our place in it. I am honored to be able to do this work, and help others figure things out for themselves.
I hold an unwavering faith that the life you want is available to you.
Services
Individual Adult Psychotherapy
Consider me your calming force with an unrelenting 'yes-you-can' attitude. I balance deep empathy, strong analytic skills and a bit of dry humor to empower you to create the life you want.
Specializing in:
Depression* Shame* Suicidality* Self-harm* Anxiety*Anger Management*
Relationship problems* Isolation* Parenting*
Adult Children of Narcissistic Parents
Growing up with a narcissistic parent shapes your sense of self in a painful way that can lead to a great deal of suffering as an adult. It is not your fault. You ARE good enough. And... there is a road to recovery.
WIEBGE-Certified Level II
(The WIEBGE acronym stands for “Will I Ever Be Good Enough?”, and signifies certification in Dr. Karyl McBride’s five-step recovery model for treating adult children of narcissistic parents.)
Recovery from a Narcissistic Partner Relationship
Being in partnership with someone with NPD can shape your sense of self, leaving you feeling small and unsure of who you are in the world. Recovering from these relationships is empowering and freeing.
WIEBGE-Certified Level II
(The WIEBGE acronym stands for “Will I Ever Be Good Enough?”, and signifies certification in Dr. Karyl McBride’s five-step recovery model.)
Understanding Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)
The term narcissism is often casually used to describe someone who is unkind or selfish in some way. It is important to understand that there are specific qualities that differntiate someone with NPD from someone who is, or is simply acting unkind or selfish. At its core, NPD represents an inability to experience or show empathy towards others. This is a person who is wholly consumed by how they are perceived by others and all their efforts and interactions serve to elevate their imagined value. This includes behaviors that become problematic and painful in their close relationships; including criticism, manipulation, triangulation, playing the victim, playing the martyr, having a fluid relationship with the truth and exhibiting envy. Understanding this as the disorder that it is, is necessary in aiding in the recovery from a relationship with someone with NPD.
The person with NPD in your life will not change. You must.
Working Together
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For your convenience and security, all therapy sessions are conducted online through a HIPAA-compliant platform.
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Generally speaking, new patients can plan for regular weekly, 50-minutes sessions.
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I am not on any insurance panels. You will receive a monthly super-bill that, if you choose, you can submit to your insurance carrier to request any partial reimbursement they might offer for out-of-network providers.
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I am licensed in both California (lic 89063) and New York (lic 001854)
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Good Faith Estimate available upon request.
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Notice of Privacy Practices
Contact
Please note that any information is being submitted through a non-secured email and for better privacy, you might prefer to contact by phone.
310.497.7461