Vanessa Alcoser

Hello All, and Welcome!

I'm a newly Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (although I have been doing therapy with clients since 2022) who believes that therapy doesn't require you to have everything figured out before you walk through the door. In fact, most people come to therapy because life feels messy, overwhelming, confusing, or like they're starring in a sequel they never agreed to be in.

I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from California State University, Dominguez Hills and my Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy from Touro University Worldwide. My education and clinical experience have equipped me to support individuals, couples, and families as they navigate life's challenges and work toward meaningful change.

I specialize in anxiety, depression, relationship concerns, life transitions, self-esteem, stress management, perinatal mental health, parenting challenges, and family dynamics. I enjoy helping clients make sense of difficult emotions, improve communication, strengthen relationships, and develop healthier ways of coping with life's inevitable ups and downs.

Clients often tell me they appreciate my warm, nonjudgmental approach and ability to balance meaningful therapeutic work with genuine human connection. Therapy can be hard work, but it doesn't have to feel clinical or intimidating. There is room for laughter, curiosity, and even the occasional moment when we realize that what felt like a personal flaw is actually a very human response to a difficult situation.

My therapeutic approach is grounded in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), attachment theory, somatic awareness, and other evidence-based practices. I believe our emotions make sense, even when they show up at inconvenient times—like 2:00 a.m. when you're trying to sleep or five minutes before an important meeting. Together, we'll explore patterns that may be keeping you stuck and work toward creating lasting change.

The first session is typically a bit more structured than future sessions. We'll begin by reviewing informed consent, discussing the therapy process, and addressing any questions you may have about working together. Much of our time will be spent completing a biopsychosocial assessment, which involves gathering information about your current concerns, personal history, relationships, health, and other areas of your life. While this may feel more like a question-and-answer conversation, the purpose is to help me gain a comprehensive understanding of you as a whole person, not just the challenges that brought you to therapy.

During our second session, we'll explore your family history through a genogram and discuss your upbringing in greater depth. This helps us identify important family dynamics, relationship patterns, and experiences that may be influencing your current thoughts, emotions, and relationships. Understanding how you were raised can provide valuable insight into what you learned about emotions, vulnerability, communication, conflict, and connection. Together, we'll begin to make sense of these patterns and explore how they may be contributing to your current struggles, as well as the strengths and resilience you've developed along the way.