Adults
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College Students
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Couples
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EMDR
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Adults ✺ College Students ✺ Couples ✺ EMDR ✺
Explore Zakieh’s Offerings
Zakieh’s practice is welcoming to all, though she especially enjoys working with adults and college students navigating anxiety, people-pleasing, dating, friendship, complicated family dynamics, existential crises, and healing from childhood trauma. Many of her clients may appear high functioning outwardly while internally struggling with self-worth, relationship difficulties, family pressures, and navigating the space between the life they are living and the life they would like to have.
Zakieh approaches therapy from a sex-positive, queer affirming, anti-racist lens and has extensive experience working with individuals and couples who practice ethical non-monogamy. Her experience as a child of a Middle Eastern immigrant parent offers a nuanced understanding of bicultural identity, intergenerational dynamics, and the unique experiences of those from Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) backgrounds. She warmly welcomes clients of all backgrounds, including those navigating the challenges of the first generation experience. Zakieh also has expertise in working with those who have or are currently experiencing narcissistic abuse and similar dynamics.
Adults
✺
College Students
✺
Couples
✺
EMDR
✺
Adults ✺ College Students ✺ Couples ✺ EMDR ✺
Specialties
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You’ve spent a lifetime putting others’ feelings and needs ahead of yours. Maybe you prefer the discomfort of self sacrificing over the discomfort of upsetting or angering others. There is a better way! Let’s work together to build a life in which you can get your needs and desires met while still preserving the relationships that matter to you.
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Anxiety, worry, fear, stress, and all related emotions can make it feel impossible to be present and enjoy life. Anxiety is the antithesis of joy and ease. I can help get to the root of why the worry and tension is so loud to begin with and support you in the process of turning down the noise so that you can get back to living and feeling alive.
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Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a structured, evidence-based, psychotherapy designed to alleviate distress from traumatic memories, PTSD, anxiety, depression, and much more. I see folks for EMDR solely as well as EMDR in conjunction with talk therapy.
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Relationships are at the core of my work. Together, we will explore your earliest, most formative relationships and uncover the impact they have on your patterns to relating to romantic partners, friends, colleagues, and more.
For couples/relationships (2+), we will work together to discover the vulnerable feelings underneath your patterns of conflict and disconnect and build a new way of communicating and relating. I also offer a 3-4 month premarital/pre-commitment program for couples who are engaged or taking a new, big step in life together.
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Maybe you’ve been at odds with yourself for so long that you can’t even fathom a world where you actually like yourself. I have helped many individuals overcome self hatred and shame to reach a place of genuine self admiration and confidence.
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Whether you are struggling with food restriction, binging, or purging, or you simply wish you had a better relationship to food, I am here to help. Together, we’ll understand where your struggles with food come from and improve your ability to listen to your hunger and fullness cues. As with all therapy, this work moves entirely at your pace and never faster than what you are ready for.
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I support individuals who are currently in narcissistic and emotionally abusive relationships (romantic, platonic, career, and otherwise) as well as people who have experienced them in their childhood or past and are looking for a safe place to understand and process what happened and avoid repeating patterns in the future.
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You have so much to offer others and the world, but your inner critic will not let up for a single moment so that you can share it! Maybe you are flooded with thoughts like:
“This is so embarrassing”
“I should just cancel; it will be less stressful if I stay at home”
“Nobody likes me”
“What if there’s an awkward silence?”
“Everyone is looking at me, and they’re judging”
“I’m going to make a fool of myself”
Like any kind of anxiety, we will partner to explore what is underneath these thoughts and work together to find more ease and comfort in your skin.
Together, we'll explore who you are beneath the expectations, fears, and old stories that may be limiting your potential. My work helps you cultivate deep self-compassion, set boundaries that honor your worth, and live with the authenticity and presence that creates lasting fulfillment. Rather than approaching you from a “fixer” mentality, we will explore how and why you came to show up the way you do, and explore which strengths we’d like to preserve, and which approaches no longer serve you.
I guide partners beyond the cycle of hurt and misunderstanding into genuine intimacy. Through conversations that reach the heart of your disconnect, we’ll build new patterns of connection, trust, and understanding that strengthen your bond for years to come.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a structured, evidence-based, psychotherapy designed to alleviate distress from traumatic memories, PTSD, anxiety, depression, and much more.
Sometimes the most meaningful breakthroughs happen when you’re not sitting still. Walk & Talk therapy brings our sessions outside, combining the grounding effects of gentle movement with the depth of traditional psychotherapy. Walking side-by-side can feel less intense than sitting face-to-face, making it easier to open up, process emotions, and access deeper insight. The rhythm of walking, fresh air, and connection to the environment can help regulate anxiety, support embodiment, and create space for reflection in a way that often feels different from the therapy office. Sessions take place in thoughtfully selected outdoor locations such as Lake Hollywood Reservoir or the Rose Bowl, with location determined collaboratively ahead of time. Because these sessions involve additional planning and travel, availability is limited.
Taking the next step in your relationship is exciting — and it's also one of the most important investments you can make. Pre-commitment counseling offers those in relationships a dedicated space to explore communication patterns, navigate differences, and build a strong foundation before making a lifelong commitment. Whether you're newly engaged, moving in together, or simply ready to deepen your partnership, this work can help you enter the next chapter with clarity, confidence, and a deeper understanding of each other. A typical pre-commitment counseling course of therapy requires about three months of weekly sessions.