Therapists

Julia Schiffman, MSW, ASW

Country: USA
State: California

I began my career as a sex educator at A Touch of Romance, where I gained a better understanding of myself and the work I wanted to do as a therapist. Working as a sex educator led to me personally explore myself, my connections with others, and how I wanted to live my life as a sexual and human being. I took this knowledge and applied it to my life’s work as a social worker, defending, advocating, and addressing the needs of gender, relational, and sexual minority populations.

I carry this forward now with the individuals and couples I see for sexual health and wellness challenges. It can be hard to find the way back to how things “used to be,” whether it is a friendship, intimate partners, or family members. So, if you’re navigating through a consent violation, sexual challenges, LGBTQ+ issues, relationship difficulties, life transition, anxiety, or depression, you will be met with a safe space to explore and understand how to move forward and take the next steps.

My affirming therapy approach supports individuals from sexually diverse communities, including kink, BDSM, consensual non-monogamy, swingers, polyamory and any other sexual or alternative minority communities. As an affirming therapist, I want the fear of being misunderstood to be the last of your worries so we can get to the issues that are most pressing to you.

My approach to therapy is through attachment and relational models such as Emotionally Focused Therapy and Gottman along with cognitive-behavioral therapy and mindfulness techniques. Through self-exploration, you will develop better self-awareness. You will understand why certain things elicit anxiety, and what makes you feel happy and satisfied, so you can use these newfound understandings to make sense of your emotions and reactions to outside stressors.

Languages Spoken: English