Aly Dearborn
Psychotherapist -
Aly Dearborn, MA, LMFT, CSAT – Licensed in California (#45462) and Oregon (#T2025)
Being a human can be difficult and literally everyone needs help sometimes. I began therapy when I was 14 and have been studying myself and the human psyche ever since. I graduated with a BA in Psychology from the University of Memphis (Tennessee) in 2001, a MA in Counseling Psychology from Lesley University (Massachusetts) in 2004 and became a licensed psychotherapist in California in 2008.
I have benefited greatly from the wisdom and support of many therapists, teachers and mentors over the years and have found tremendous value in working with therapists who are open about their own therapy experiences. I readily share the gifts they have offered me with others and am a therapist today because I believe in the healing power of this work.
My current practice is guided by the polyvagal theory of the autonomic nervous system, interpersonal neurobiology, feminist theory, family systems, attachment theory, depth psychology, somatic psychotherapies, and trauma & addiction studies.
I am formally trained in the Polyvagal Theory with Deb Dana, LCSW and love educating people about the functioning of the autonomic nervous system and how integral (and embodied) it is to our experience as human beings. I help clients better understand their own nervous system dysregulation (usually identified as “anxiety,” “anger issues” or “depression”) and develop a relationship with their autonomic nervous system that restores their trust in its innate flexibility, resiliency, and capacity to recover/discover safety and connection.
In my practice, I primarily work with individual adults dealing with painful, repetitive relationship patterns, addictive behaviors, negative self-concepts, chronic anxiety/depression, or other impacts of childhood abuse or neglect. As a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist through the International Institute of Trauma and Addiction Professionals, the focus of my clinical practice is on working with women seeking to understand, interrupt, and break free from repetitive cycles of unfulfilling relationships. I particularly enjoy supporting women who have been “afraid to be alone” in developing a deep and fulfilling relationship with the Self in their recovery.
I am also trained in Post Induction Therapy, which is a trauma treatment model developed by Pia Mellody in her work at the Meadows Treatment Center (Wickenburg, AZ). This model posits that codependency is a form of “developmental immaturity” caused by child abuse and provides an approach for growing the “functional adult” part of the Self through psychoeducation, inner child awareness, and re-parenting work.
I have also trained and/or certified in various somatic-based practices, such as iRest Yoga Nidra, Trauma-Informed Expressive Arts Therapies, Trauma-Informed Yoga, and Mindful Self-Compassion practices. I have studied a wide variety of feminist, earth-based spiritual and shamanic traditions, which offer perspectives and tools that have been instrumental to my personal and professional work.
To learn more about me or how I may help support you through the circumstances that have brought you here, please reach out! I am happy to answer any questions you may have and look forward to connecting with you. Email: alyd.mft@gmail.com See also my website: alydmft.com.
Skills and Expertise
Abuse / Survivors of Abuse
Adjusting to Change / Life Transitions
Anxiety
Attachment Issues
Codependency
Depression
Family of Origin Issues
Individuation
Meditation
Midlife Crisis
Mindfulness based therapy
Relationship Issues
Sexual Addiction
Sexual assault
Spirituality
Trauma and PTSD
Women's issue
Addiction
LGBTQ
Sexual Abuse
Stress
Treatment Orientation
Eclectic
Existential
Feminist
Humanistic
Interpersonal
Jungian
Mindfulness
Person Centered Therapy
Psychodynamic
Rogerian
Self-Compassion
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Expressive Arts Therapy
Somatic
Telehealth-based
Therapy unique to each client
Trauma Focused Therapy
Expressive Arts Therapy
Family Systems Therapy
holistic health
Modality