therapy services

For Emerging and Young Adults

I enjoy providing treatment to emerging and young adults who find themselves worrying too much or avoiding things that matter, due to fear. Perhaps you avoid initiating important conversations or attending social gatherings and would love to be able to do these things with ease. I also help individuals who want to communicate more effectively and learn skillful ways of responding to painful emotions.

Our work together starts with clarifying the areas in which you are suffering and those in which you are excelling. We will identify your long-term goals and what is most important to you. I provide targeted and gentle guidance as you learn practical tools for leading a fulfilling and balanced life. Throughout the process, we’ll monitor your progress together.

The success of therapy depends on the right match between your goals and the appropriate evidence-based treatments. It also depends on the confidence you have in your therapist. As the client, you will set the pace and determine what is helpful and true for you. My work is to gently guide you, with compassion and respect.

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my approach

Evidence-Based Therapy

Clarify

the root problem and its components.

Identify

your short- and longer-term goals.

Evaluate

the utility of your behaviors and thoughts.

Support

you in learning tools to shift the way you process pain.

Approach

painful experiences at a pace that you choose.

Monitor

the effectiveness of therapy in your life.

teletherapy

With Dr. Lilly

Teletherapy is remote therapy held on the phone or via an online video platform. Research shows that it can be as effective as in-person treatment. My practice offers only teletherapy for clients anywhere in California.

I use HIPPAA-compliant video conferencing technology to ensure that our sessions remain secure. You will need a private, comfortable space, a stable internet connection, and a device such as a laptop/PC, tablet, or a smartphone.

what to expect

Three Easy Steps

1

Get started with a free 15-minute phone call to see if my practice is a good fit for your treatment goals.

2

Schedule your 90-minute intake evaluation, which will culminate in a tailored treatment plan.

3

Enjoy your weekly 50-minute therapy sessions as we begin to work toward your personal goals.

pricing

For Teletherapy Sessions

My fee is commensurate with other psychologists in the area.

I do not participate in any insurance plans. However, I am happy to provide you with a superbill that you can submit to your insurance provider for out-of-network benefits.

therapies you will receive

DBT, ACT & CBT

During the 1960s, psychiatrist Dr. Aaron Beck pioneered CBT. DBT and ACT, described above, are forms of CBT. CBT is one of the most extensively researched therapies and involves client-therapist collaboration. By testing out our thoughts, we begin to learn that what our minds tell us is often a product of our emotions. CBT helps us to identify more helpful ways of thinking about ourselves and others.

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is a highly effective, evidence-based treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). It is a subtype of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) specifically designed to help individuals confront and manage their OCD symptoms. ERP works by gradually exposing clients to their feared thoughts, images, or situations (known as triggers) while simultaneously encouraging them to resist engaging in compulsive behaviors or mental rituals.

The primary goal of ERP is to break the cycle of anxiety and compulsions, allowing clients to develop a more adaptive response to their intrusive thoughts. Over time, this process weakens the connection between triggers and anxiety, leading to a significant reduction in OCD symptoms.

Incorporating ERP into the therapeutic process can empower individuals with OCD to regain control over their lives, enhance their overall well-being, and reduce the impact of intrusive thoughts on their daily functioning.

In the 1990s, Marsha Linehan, PhD, founded DBT to help individuals who had difficulty managing strong emotions. DBT is a behavioral therapy that espouses acceptance (a concept derived from Zen mindfulness) and change at the same time. Extensively researched, DBT has demonstrated significant success in helping people cope well with strong, overwhelming emotions and ultimately lead lives that are worth living.

DBT teaches us that there is always more than one way to understand a given situation; rather than seeking “one truth,” it is more helpful to recognize multiple feelings and perspectives, including and especially those that may appear contradictory. DBT is a behavioral therapy, which means that it is focused on changing the things we do. One of the core tenets of DBT (and my personal favorite) is that we are all doing the best we can and need to make changes (that is, unless progress is already happening at a reasonable pace). DBT also teaches us that figuring out what to do about a problem usually works better than judging and blaming ourselves or others.

DBT contains four skills components. Mindfulness is the foundational skill and facilitates the identification of interventions most effective at a given moment. Practiced independent of other skills, this important tool teaches what mindfulness is, how to exercise it, and how to determine if emotions, logic, or “wise mind” are in the “driver’s seat.” Dr. Marsha Linehan explains that there is enough suffering in any given moment, without adding the suffering of the past and the future.

Interpersonal effectiveness skills include clarification and prioritization of one’s objectives in relationships. This set of skills helps increase the likelihood of attaining our goals in relation to partners, colleagues, and even the manager at one’s gym (when, for instance, we want a refund for a mistaken membership charge).

Distress tolerance skills, also referred to as “crisis survival” skills, are what we use when our emotions are running the show and we don’t want to worsen an already difficult situation.

Emotion regulation skills help us to maintain emotional balance. Emotion regulation involves understanding how emotions serve us and how to identify various emotions. This set of skills focuses on learning how to increase positive emotions and to change emotions that are not serving us.

In the 1990s, Marsha Linehan, PhD, founded DBT to help individuals who had difficulty managing strong emotions. DBT is a behavioral therapy that espouses acceptance (a concept derived from Zen mindfulness) and change at the same time. Extensively researched, DBT has demonstrated significant success in helping people cope well with strong, overwhelming emotions and ultimately lead lives that are worth living.

DBT teaches us that there is always more than one way to understand a given situation; rather than seeking “one truth,” it is more helpful to recognize multiple feelings and perspectives, including and especially those that may appear contradictory. DBT is a behavioral therapy, which means that it is focused on changing the things we do. One of the core tenets of DBT (and my personal favorite) is that we are all doing the best we can and need to make changes (that is, unless progress is already happening at a reasonable pace). DBT also teaches us that figuring out what to do about a problem usually works better than judging and blaming ourselves or others.

DBT contains four skills components. Mindfulness is the foundational skill and facilitates the identification of interventions most effective at a given moment. Practiced independent of other skills, this important tool teaches what mindfulness is, how to exercise it, and how to determine if emotions, logic, or “wise mind” are in the “driver’s seat.” Dr. Marsha Linehan explains that there is enough suffering in any given moment, without adding the suffering of the past and the future.

Interpersonal effectiveness skills include clarification and prioritization of one’s objectives in relationships. This set of skills helps increase the likelihood of attaining our goals in relation to partners, colleagues, and even the manager at one’s gym (when, for instance, we want a refund for a mistaken membership charge).

Distress tolerance skills, also referred to as “crisis survival” skills, are what we use when our emotions are running the show and we don’t want to worsen an already difficult situation.

Emotion regulation skills help us to maintain emotional balance. Emotion regulation involves understanding how emotions serve us and how to identify various emotions. This set of skills focuses on learning how to increase positive emotions and to change emotions that are not serving us.

During the later 1980s, psychologists Steven Hayes, PhD, Kelly Wilson, PhD, and Kirk Strosahl, PhD, co-founded ACT. ACT teaches us that changing our relationship to thoughts, memories, feelings, and physical sensations is a path to freedom.

ACT involves identifying our values, namely what matters most to us deep down, and what qualities we desire to bring to our relationships and to ourselves. We can decide to make moment-to-moment choices to move toward our values, even while physical pain and painful stories about ourselves show up.

Engaging in persistent, values-consistent action steps and opening up to our suffering allows us to move through life with more flexibility.

During the 1960s, psychiatrist Dr. Aaron Beck pioneered CBT. DBT and ACT, described above, are forms of CBT. CBT is one of the most extensively researched therapies and involves client-therapist collaboration. By testing out our thoughts, we begin to learn that what our minds tell us is often a product of our emotions. CBT helps us to identify more helpful ways of thinking about ourselves and others.

a practical

Scientifically-Sound Approach

I believe that the components of change include:

  • Investigating to clarify components of a problem
  • Allowing temporary discomfort in order to achieve long-term goals
  • Identifying a specific plan for what to do differently
  • Practicing and repeating new skills, modifying as needed
  • Receiving compassionate and focused guidance from your therapist

get started

Book Your Free Consultation

Let’s talk! Book your free 15-minute consultation with Dr. Lillian Kaner Yamamoto, PsyD today to get started.