Tracy Pollack, Psy.D
Clinical Psychologist
3231 Ocean Park Blvd.,
Suite 215
Santa Monica CA 90405
I bring curiosity to the work, so that together we may think about and explore the aspects of your life that feel difficult and fixed. I will help you uncover and integrate the unacknowledged, but deeply felt parts of yourself, often hidden within your suffering. As we begin our work using a harm-reduction and trauma-informed approach and your symptoms begin to subside, these deeper parts can be felt, addressed, and healed through psychotherapy. Though not always a comfortable process, it's quite necessary for improving relationships and finding greater fulfillment in your life. Some of the long-term outcomes of a successful therapy are: symptom relief; a greater capacity to have meaningful and satisfying relationships with others; the development of internal resources that enable the active pursuit of goals; an expanded sense of personal freedom, and access to an experience of well-being that extends beyond the duration of the therapy itself. Working from this place of depth can be challenging, so I will join you in this journey with support, integrity and insight.
For the past 20 years, I have explored the mind-body connection and worked with individuals who come to me feeling stuck and fearful, or angry and misunderstood. Starting with my graduate studies at Roosevelt University and internship at Alexian Behavioral Health Hospital and continuing into my postdoctoral fellowship at the Wright Institute Los Angeles and the Susan Krevoy Eating Disorder Program under psychoanalytically-trained, creative minds, I began to work with adolescents, adults, couples and families in all levels of care. My dissertation focused on developing an eating disorder prevention program for fathers and young girls that explored the role of fathers in self-concept and identity development. In 2018, I earned a certificate in psychoanalytic psychotherapy through the Los Angeles Institute and Society for Psychoanalytic Studies in order to deepen my understanding and work with my patients. I am passionate about working with others to support their growth and discovery of a life full of personal meaning and value.
In 2018 I trained with Dr. Daniel Le Grange in FBT (Family-Based Treatment), a treatment developed for adolescents with eating disorders. I help the whole family get involved in solving the adolescent's eating disorder so that stability is restored and everyone can go on being.
I have also been trained in EMDR and find this trauma approach to be very useful in addition to the work we will do together. EMDR helps assist in the reprocessing of any distressing and traumatic event you experienced and lessens the effect your memories have on you.