Miriam Davis, M.A., M.F.T.

I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who has been working in Los Angeles for over 20 years. I offer a calm, clear, individualized approach to each individual, couple, teen or child that I work with.  I provide a safe, caring and effective place for my clients to work through a variety of life difficulties and transitions so that they can have calmer, healthier and more satisfying individual lives and relationships.

• Marriage and Partner difficulties: I can help with communication, intimacy, dealing with infidelity, life  transitions and other problems that couples are having problems dealing with.
• Parenting:  I help individuals or couples work out a variety of difficulties with their young, teenage or young  adult children.  I have helped numerous families improve their home lives and the difficulties they may be having with their children.  We work on effective discipline techniques and communication that works!   Parenting is challenging but there are ways to make parenting more effective, producing greater respect for   both the parents and their children.
• Depression: Many of my clients are dealing with depression.  I use a variety of techniques to help them  deal with depression, change the thinking that often leads to depression and work through issues that are  keeping them from having freer and happier lives.  This includes depression that is the result of early life  issues, chronic illness and bereavement....as well as many other life problems keeping them  depressed.  
• Anxiety:  Many people come in trying to handle anxiety that may be disrupting their lives.  Sometimes this  is from relationship or job related stress, and sometimes it takes the form of panic attacks.  We work  through ways to manage and lessen their stress and anxiety....in very "real life" and direct ways. I  introduce them to techniques to lessen their anxiety and feel more effective in their lives...and, as a  result, feel more self esteem.
• Substance abuse and addiction:  I have helped many clients handle a variety of addictions, including  substance abuse.  We work on the underlying reasons for the addictions...and the steps to take to  overcome and recover from addiction.
• Trauma:  I work with many clients who have had early life trauma or more recent trauma or abuse.  I have  been able to help individuals manage a variety of feelings and problems that result from these traumatic  events. The work we do together allows them to move on in their lives feeling stronger and more whole. 
• Gender Identity and Sexual Problems:  I work with a number of individuals and couples who are in  emotional pain because of unresolved sexual problems, gender identity issues, or the loss of intimacy in  their relationships. I help them (individually or with their partners) relate to each other more  effectively...resulting in more satisfaction and overall happiness.
• Career Transitions and Creative Difficulties:  I work with a number of men and women who are struggling  with career problems, whether they are in a mid-life transition period or having difficulty with the  unpredictable nature of their creative careers (actors, writer, musicians, etc.) also helping them blend their  creative goals with the practical demands of family life 
• Unresolved Long Term Family Issues:  Many people come in with symptoms that are actually the result of  family issues from their childhoods....or ongoing, present day family conflicts.  We work together to  find ways to resolve and understand what has happened in the past....and then work to find ways to relate  to their extended families in smoother, more effective, more honest but respectful ways in the present.  

I worked for 10 years as the lead therapist for the Ventura County Public Health Center for HIV/AIDS, seeing patients and their families throughout Ventura County.  In addition, I have taught courses in the assessment and clinical treatment of persons infected and affected by HIV/AIDS at CSUN and other schools and institutions.

I have taught "Systematic Training for Effective Parenting" (STEP) to dozens of parents, therapists and teachers throughout the L.A. area and continue to teach these parenting classes to parents of children ages 1-13. In addition, I have been President, Newsletter Editor and Membership Chair of the Group Psychotherapy Association of Southern California (now called GPALA.)  In addition to being a member of that group, I am a member of the San Fernando Valley CAMFT, the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, the American Academy of Bereavement and the Screen Actors Guild. 

I can also be found on various other websites: Psychology Today's "Therapist Finder", YP.Com, GPALA'S website...plus by own website, MiriamDavisLMFT.com.