It’s time to start feeling in control of your life
I Can Help You Discover How
Meet Cheryl Bentley, LMFT
Practicing Holistic Depth Therapy in Los Angeles & online across California
or
PROFESSIONAL
PSYCHOTHERAPY
I’ll be your rock & your ally as you embark on transormation.
Working with me offers you a private hour, of undivided attention each week that’s just for you to focus & receive support for your life, your troubles, & your chosen goals.
I’m a believer of using whatever works, such as books & podcasts, however, there’s no replacement for personalized care. I’ll be your sounding board to discuss topics too taboo or vulnerable for typical social spaces while meeting you where you are each week as your needs shift.
What’s it like to work with me?
What’s unique about my style of therapy is that I bring an existential depth lens to everything we do. This means that at times I might cheer you on with earnest, and at other times I may push you to ask more of yourself, to think deeper or fight harder in the direction of your goals than other therapists would. I’ll help you to zoom out and consider what your choices mean to your life’s big picture view and remind you why it’s important.
Together, we’ll create a space where real transformation is possible; you’ll feel both seen & empowered to live from your truth.
Post-modern Analytic/Existential Depth Psychology
Combines aspects of postmodern philosophy, which accounts for society and environmental factors that influence the “self”, and depth psychology, which focuses on the subjective nature of reality and the unconscious mind. This approach emphasizes that individual experiences, identities, and truths are shaped by social, cultural, and historical contexts, and uses psychoanalytic methods to explore unconscious processes, while challenging fixed interpretations and embracing multiple perspectives on the self and the psyche.
Somatic Informed
A body-centered therapeutic approach that focuses on the connection between body and mind to help individuals process and release trauma. Somatic interventions can often allow individuals and trauma survivors to drop into their feelings if they are experiencing numbness or blocks to feeling. By paying attention to physical sensations, movements, and emotions stored in the body, it allows for deeper healing and stress relief.
Methods
Mindfulness & Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Mindfulness and CBT complement each other by addressing both emotional regulation and thought patterns.
Mindfulness helps develop present-moment awareness by focusing on thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations without judgment, thus enhancing self-awareness, stress reduction, and fostering emotional regulation. CBT focuses on identifying and challenging negative thought patterns to foster healthier thinking and behaviors.
Internal Family Systems
When fitting, I employ Internal Family Systems. IFS views the person as made up of different "parts" or sub-personalities, each with its own feelings and roles. Through IFS, we can work to heal wounded or conflicted parts by accessing your core "Self," fostering internal harmony and self-compassion.
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a somatic psychotherapy approach that helps individuals heal from trauma, distressing life experiences, and negative core beliefs. It involves recalling traumatic memories while engaging in bilateral stimulation to help iyou reprocess memories, thus reducing emotional distress, rewriting your relationship to your memories, and shifting your negative core beliefs to something more positive and comprehensive of the situation.
My Guiding Principles
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Honesty
Maintaining an honest relationship with you, even when it’s challenging to be honest. I want us to enjoy the safety & depth of having such a relationship.
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Vision
I’ll hold a vision of promise & believe it can happen for you; if your trust in the process ever falters, you can lean on my belief in you.
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Modeling
Serve as an example of a healthy relationship & provide a space for you to practice new skills, vulnerability, & bravery.
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Vulnerability
Offering my own experiences when applicable or helpful. Being forthright and owning my own mistakes in our work together.
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Curiosity & Humility
I will maintain a state of curiosity & growth by learning about & from you, your perspective, & how you navigate the world.
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Growth
While, I remain a support to your growth, I also continue to pursue my commitment to my own development professionally & personally.
Specialty Areas
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Women
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Creatives & Entrepeneurs
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Couples
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Trauma
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Anxiety & Depression
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EMDR Intensives
Why Chrysalis?
chrys·a·lis /ˈkrisələs/; noun
a quiescent insect pupa, especially of a butterfly or moth.
ex: "the transformation from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis and, finally, adult"
a transitional state.
ex: "she emerged from the chrysalis of self-conscious adolescence"
While the therapeutic process can be confronting, therapy provides affirmation, insight, thoughtfulness, & inner-strength. Over the course of time, it offers you an opportunity for deep transformation not unlike the magic a caterpillar undergoes inside the chrysalis to emerge as a butterfly.
As you move through the work, you begin to carry the changes & efforts made in therapy into all of your experiences. You’ll notice that you start to respond to things differently & have a new found freedom, understanding, peace, & power in your steps.
Credentials
Education & Licensure
University of California; Berkeley, Bachelors of Art
New York University; Masters of Fine Art
Antioch University; Masters of Clinical Psychology
Training & Certifications
Emotionally Focused Couple’s Therapy Level 1
EMDR Level 1 & 2
Trauma Informed Clinical Practice
Trauma Informed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
420 hours of silent meditation retreat course work in Zen & Vipasanna
Peer Counseling Certification
Doula Birth Certification
Professional Association
Licenced Marriage & Family Therapist
CAMFT
Leave old patterns behind.
Step into confidence, authenticity, & empowerment.
Change doesn’t happen in a vacuum. With consistency and the right support, you can leave old patterns behind & move forward.