Who is Laressa Desmond PhD LMFT

I specialize in helping couples in the LA area. I work with most aspects of relationship attraction, dating, living together, engagement, marriage & long distance. Private practice since 1993. I see clients at my offices in West Los Angeles & Santa Monica as well as via video and phone-sessions. If you go to the Contact Me page you can see all the issues that I counsel & specialize in and those that I do not work with.

License 

Calif MFT License 29944

Degrees & Certifications

          EMT          

Medical Center Pre-Hospital Care, UCLA

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  Masters/Doctorate - Antioch/AU

         Psychology & Human Sciences       

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Internships & Mentorships

Communication & Couples Dynamics

Dr. Alex French, UCLA

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        Anger Management            

Southern Calif Counseling Center

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Trauma Training & Certifications

Trauma Recovery

Mitchell Technique,

UC San Diego

   Red Cross Certified in all of the following

Debriefing First Responders  

Disaster Management  

Debriefing Disaster Workers

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Coach Training Certifications

Certified Professional Coach

Interpersonal Coaching

College Executive Coaching, Santa Barbara

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Technical Consultant for Film & TV

  Oprah, Episode on Infidelity

Naomi Judd Talk Show Pilot

      Woody Allen film Scenes From A Mall

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Guest Therapist on Radio & TV

   Treatment of Panic Disorder

CNN News

Issues of Life: Your Relationships

KRLA Radio

Impact of OCD Parents on Children

FOX TV

Effect of TV Violence on Teens

MTV

Crisis Therapy on 9/11

NBC

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Emotional Intelligence

Mayer Salovey Caruso Method

Testing & Assessment

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Workshops Given

FBI, LA Bureau - Depression Prevention

FBI, LA Bureau -  Stress Management

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Teaching Abroad

Center for Citizens Initiatives

I taught American psychology techniques to psychologists, psychiatrists & middle school teachers in Yekaterinburg, Russia

Affiliations

American Association of Integrative Medicine

Association for Traumatic Stress Specialists

International Critical Incident Stress Foundation

International Association for Relationship Research

What makes me unique as a therapist

One interesting aspect is the way that I began my practice in the Los Angeles area. After graduation and internship, I launched my practice by doing office sessions 2 days week and house calls 3 days a week. The house call population that I initially served was those who were homebound due to PTSD or anxiety disorders such as agoraphobia. Their fragile emotional state was such that they couldn't leave their home to attend therapy.

In the field work aspect of my house calls I went with clients to malls, airports,  grocery lines also on trains, freeways, elevators, etc. I taught them arousal control, systematic desensitization and habituation in order to face and free themselves from phobias that limited their freedom.

The range of my client base extended from Santa Clarita to Northridge to Lakewood, to Santa Monica.  

During those home sessions, of course, it was often the case that other family members would be present, usually a spouse. It became efficient to include them in the sessions and via that I began to understand the contagious nature of emotions inside a relationship. As this process evolved I branched out into deeper theoretical and practical ways for helping couples.

My clientele included housewives, celebrities, law enforcement, first responders, executives, entrepreneurs and business owners. I am happy to share my areas of expertise in Couples Therapy and Emotional Intelligence with you.

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