FAQs

  • You may not know right away if working with Dr. Sophia feels like the right fit—and that’s completely okay. She believes rapport takes time to develop as the relationship unfolds. She treats both the 15-minute phone consultation and the initial session as a trial period, checking in with you at the end of each. She encourages clients to explore their options and be open about what they need in a therapist. Her feelings won’t be hurt if you decide to go another route; she’s always happy to provide referrals to clinicians whose identities, styles, or backgrounds may be a better match for your needs.

  • Many factors influence what kind of therapy will be most helpful or resonate with you, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Dr. Sophia uses an integrative style that allows her to flexibly adapt to your unique needs, personality, and way of relating. She tailors each session to meet you where you are while gently inviting exploration of the places you might be avoiding, creating space for growth, awareness, and meaningful change.

  • Psy.D.’s and Ph.D.’s are doctoral-level therapists (psychologists), while LCSW’s, LPCC’s, and LMFT’s are master’s-level clinicians in social work, clinical counseling, and marriage and family therapy, respectively. Doctoral training typically involves additional years of education, broader study across specialties, and more extensive clinical experience. Psychologists are also qualified to conduct comprehensive psychological assessments, which is one reason their fees may sometimes be higher. That said, there are skilled, compassionate, and effective therapists at every level—the quality of the therapeutic relationship matters far more than the letters after a name.

  • Dr. Sophia is a private-pay provider and offers a sliding scale based on income to help make therapy more accessible. If she is considered out-of-network with your insurance, she can provide a superbill for you to submit for potential reimbursement. She provides services at The Wellness Collective in Hermosa Beach California where she sees clients in person.

  • Yes! Dr. Sophia offers both in-person and virtual therapy for clients in California. For clients located in Washington State, she provides virtual sessions only. This allows her to offer flexible care while maintaining proper state licensure and ensuring clients can access therapy in the way that feels most comfortable and convenient for them.

Neurodivergence

Do you work with adults with ADHD, autism, or AuDHD?
Yes. I provide neurodivergent-affirming therapy for adults navigating ADHD, autism, AuDHD, executive functioning challenges, burnout, anxiety, identity development, and relationships.

Do you work with people who are exploring whether they may have ADHD or autism?
Yes. I provide psychological evaluations for ADHD and autism and can also help clients make sense of their experiences and consider whether an evaluation may be appropriate.

Do you work with college and graduate students?
Yes. I work with college and graduate students navigating ADHD, anxiety, perfectionism, academic burnout, executive functioning challenges, identity development, relationships, and major life transitions.

Relationships, Attachment & Family

Do you work with relationship and attachment concerns?
Yes. Therapy can help you understand attachment patterns, communication and conflict, boundaries, intimacy, and recurring patterns in relationships.

Do you work with family-of-origin issues?
Yes. We can explore how family dynamics and early experiences may continue to influence relationships, self-worth, boundaries, emotional responses, and expectations of yourself and others.

Do you work with people who are struggling in relationships because of ADHD, autism, or other forms of neurodivergence?
Yes. Neurodivergence can shape communication, emotional regulation, sensory needs, intimacy, and expectations within relationships. Therapy can provide space to understand these differences without pathologizing them.

Trauma & Abuse

Do you work with survivors of trauma or sexual abuse?
Yes. I provide trauma-informed therapy for people who have experienced sexual abuse, childhood trauma, relational trauma, family trauma, and other difficult or overwhelming experiences. Therapy can focus on safety, self-understanding, boundaries, relationships, emotional regulation, and healing at a pace that feels manageable.

Do you work with complex or relational trauma?
Yes. We can explore the ways repeated or interpersonal experiences—including family dynamics, abuse, neglect, emotionally unsafe relationships, or chronic invalidation—can shape how you understand yourself and relate to others.

Can trauma and neurodivergence overlap?
Yes. ADHD, autism, trauma, and anxiety can sometimes overlap in ways that make it difficult to understand what is contributing to a person's experiences. I take a nuanced approach to understanding the whole person rather than assuming that one diagnosis or framework explains everything.

Gender & Sexuality

Do you work with LGBTQ+ clients?
Yes. I provide affirming therapy for LGBTQ+ clients and offer a space where sexual orientation, gender identity, and relationship experiences can be explored without judgment or assumptions.

Do you work with transgender and gender-nonconforming clients?
Yes. I work with transgender, nonbinary, gender-nonconforming, and gender-questioning clients around identity, relationships, family dynamics, anxiety, self-acceptance, and life transitions.

Do you work with people who are exploring their gender or sexual identity?
Yes. Therapy can provide a supportive space to explore identity, relationships, family responses, internalized expectations, and questions about how you want to live and express yourself.

Do you work with people navigating the intersection of neurodivergence and gender or sexual identity?
Yes. For some people, understanding their neurodivergence can change how they understand their identity, relationships, or experiences of belonging. Therapy can provide space to explore these intersections with curiosity and without imposing assumptions about what your identity should look like.