Mona Klausing
Marriage & Family Therapist - LMFT
Welcome.
You have taken the first step in seeking help. You may be feeling distress, experiencing an identity shift, facing difficulties in your personal or professional relationships, contemplating a major life transition, or navigating a health crisis. I’m interesting in partnering with you through these challenges.
Our society teaches us to value independence, confidence and productivity – sometimes to the detriment of personal relationships and our own sense of self-worth. Almost daily we are bombarded with narrowly defined gender roles, and ‘rules’ around how we should look, act, think and feel. I enjoy collaborating with clients to reconsider the boundaries of their lives, how they create meaningful relationships, and in doing so, identify their preferred ways of engaging with the world around them.
Prior to making a mid-career change to the field of marriage and family therapy three years ago, I worked as a marketing and public relations executive for almost 20 years in the high tech industry. As such, I have been witness to the stress and other negative effects of ‘corporate America’ and in conforming to social norms and pressures that don’t fit our own ideas of self. Born in India and raised in the US, I have also lived and worked in the Dominican Republic and Japan, and am part of a multi-cultural family. I believe this gives me a unique perspective on how individuals, couples and families deal with the stressors associated with immigration and acculturation, multi-ethnic relationships, intergenerational conflicts, life transitions and other difficulties.
My education includes a master’s degree in Marriage & Family Therapy from San Diego State University, and two post-Master’s certificates in Latin American Family Therapy and Narrative Therapy & Community Work from Alliant University Mexico City campus and Narrative Health Initiatives, respectively. I provide counseling services in English and Spanish. I offer a sliding scale (based on annual household income) in the range of $80-200/session and a college student rate of $65/session.
I have two new therapy support groups starting this Fall:
– TRANSITIONS | Women’s Support Group – Tuesday evenings
– RESTORE | Therapist Support Group – Thursday evenings
If you are interested in joining a therapy group, please use the contact form to express your interest and arrange a time for an intake interview in person. I look forward to hearing from you.
In addition to being the Founder of Avani Counseling, I am the Co-Director of NISD Counseling, a low-cost counseling center in the Hillcrest community of San Diego, CA, where we train Marriage & Family Therapists. I am also an Adjunct Faculty at San Diego State University where I teach in the department of Counseling & School Psychology.
I live in San Diego with my husband and animals. My professional bio can be viewed on LinkedIn.
Please visit my therapy web site: www.avanicounseling.com for more info or contact me at admin@avanicounseling.com with any questions.
Skills and Expertise
Adjusting to Change / Life Transitions
Adjustment to College
Anxiety
Blended Family Issues
Breakups
Career Counseling
Couples therapy
college age
Depression
Divorce and Divorce Adjustment
Family Conflict
Identity Issues
Marriage Couseling
Midlife Crisis
Multicultural Concerns
Peer Relationships
Parenting
Premarital Counseling
pregnancy
Postpartum Depression
Relationship Issues
Self Esteem
Single Parenting Issues
Stress
Women's issue
Treatment Orientation
Narrative
Solution Focused Therapy
Modality
Individuals
Couples
Family
Group