Meet Auria Zahed
Expert in Mental Health, Emotional Growth, and Healing
Hi! I'm Auria, and I'm a California based therapist with over seven years of experience. My clients are adults who are struggling with people-pleasing, perfectionism, relationship issues, or have an anxious-attachment style. My clients come in feeling anxious, depressed, or "stuck", and I help them grow to feel empowered to break their patterns and learn to put themselves first in their own lives. Many of my clients have been victims of narcissistic relatives and/or partners, and I ensure those clients take time to heal from their past experiences as well as learn their worth for future relationships. Most of my experience has been working with women, couples, people of color, and clients who identify as LGBTQ+. In therapy, my clients focus on gaining self-worth, empowerment, healthy relationships, and a healthy work-life balance.
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In the first session, my clients and I will set goals based on how they would like to feel, think, and respond in the future. I love the saying, "You cannot control what happens, but you can control how you respond to what happens." In therapy, I help my clients get to the root of their issues and then focus on what can be changed, controlled, or simply accepted. We will set small, step-by-step goals that will eventually lead to significant changes. Throughout therapy, I focus on mental well-being and emotional awareness, and I ensure my clients learn to take steps toward successfully managing the things that initially seemed like a struggle.
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Auria Zahed, MS, LMFT
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Experience
I have a BA in Psychology and received my MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. I started my career as a therapist seeing clients at the LGBTQ Center OC. During my time there, I worked with children, teens, adults, couples, and families. I began my private practice, in early 2023, tailoring my expertise to work only with adult clients. I center my sessions around how the past has shaped my clients' thoughts and beliefs (including culturally & societally), and I focus on their next steps towards healing and happiness.
Client Testimonials
"She has been incredibly empathetic and patient while guiding me through some extremely rough circumstances. She's actually helping me feel stronger and more able to deal with the world than even before these recent traumatic life events took place and I could not speak more highly of her."
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"I recommend Auria to just about anyone. She is very compassionate, smart, and helpful in our sessions, especially on niche and difficult topics that I've brought in. She doesn't miss a beat, and creates a safe space for me to share what's going on with me. I like that she gives me homework assignments so I can challenge myself to grow"
FAQ
frequently asked questions
What style of therapist are you?
I'm a Humanistic therapist that uses CBT techniques and Attachment-Based theories. I see myself as your teammate. As a teammate, I will support you and guide you. Your goals become my goals for you, and we will collaborate to ensure you are able to heal, learn your value, and make the necessary changes for growth and happiness.
What is an LMFT?
An LMFT is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. As an LMFT, I'm licensed by the Board of Behavioral Sciences, in the state of California, to provide psychotherapy to individuals, couples, and families. An LMFT is a Masters level clinician who has completed a minimum of 3,000 clinical hours and passed board licensing exams. LMFTs are also required to complete continuing education requirements and stay up to date on the most recent ethical standards and regulations.
Do you see clients in person?
No, not at this time. I only offer video sessions. I use video platforms that are compliant and secure; they have "waiting rooms", so clients will not overlap. I am open to phone sessions if requested by a client.
What made you decide to be a LMFT?
I decided to be a LMFT at 13 years old. I wanted to help couples, as a marriage therapist, resolve issues and stay together. Now, many years later, I have found so much value in also focusing on mental health with clients one on one. I feel the most accomplished when I help my clients have lightbulb moments regarding their patterns, and my clients end up gathering insight and creating change that benefits the rest of their life, and all their relationships, moving forward.
How do I book a session or contact you?
To contact me, please use the contact form below or through "email" on my Psychology Today profile. I offer a 15 minute consult call to ensure we are a good match for each other. If we are, we can proceed with scheduling a session.
How long does therapy take?
Every client's circumstances are unique, and the length of time to complete goals varies. I do not set specific time limits, but timing is typically discussed throughout therapy in conjunction with reviewing goals.
Investment
Accepted Insurance Companies for Individual Therapy:
- Aetna
- Anthem BC
- Cigna
- Oxford
- United Healthcare
- Quest Behavioral Health
