Leah Southwick, LMFT

Leah Southwick is an LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist) licensed in California with 15 years of clinical experience. She works with adults who are stressed, anxious, depressed, or struggling in relationships. She also supports people facing parenting challenges, grief, sleep problems, low self-esteem, career transitions, compassion fatigue, and issues related to intimacy and codependency.

Leah trained at the California Institute of Integral Studies where mindfulness and experiential learning were emphasized. She completed undergraduate studies at UCLA and graduated Magna Cum Laude. Over her career she has worked across age groups, including children, adolescents, and adults, and has experience in family settings.

Her approach blends several practical therapies. She uses attachment-based ideas to look at how early relationships shape current patterns. She draws on cognitive behavioral therapy to identify unhelpful thoughts and test new behaviors. Mindfulness practices are used to increase present-moment awareness and reduce reactivity.

Leah also brings client-centered values and motivational interviewing techniques to sessions. That means conversations focus on what matters to the person and on small, doable steps toward change. Sessions tend to be collaborative and goal-focused, emphasizing skills and insight.

People who keep putting others first or who have trouble saying no often find concrete tools here. Leah helps people notice patterns, practice boundary-setting, and build routines that support better sleep, mood, and energy. She works in English and is based in California.

How Leah applies therapy approaches in online sessions