Dr. Carole Goguen

License No.	State
PSY17685	California

My clients often describe me as warm, accepting, safe, emotionally supportive, and validating. I specialize in helping people plagued by imposter syndrome, overwhelmed by life's pressures, or haunted by traumas to feel confident, calm, and secure. My approach equips you with practical life skills. My curiosity drives me to understand the factors contributing to your current distress and how your past experiences may influence your present struggles. Together, we'll delve into your emotional patterns and personal history to foster self-understanding. This process will enable you to acquire the necessary tools and skills for self-compassion and develop more helpful perspectives of yourself/others.

I offer flexibility by providing evening appointments, with availability as late as 10 pm, ensuring convenience for clients.

Wanting to be of service to others, I started volunteering at a crisis line and learned about the traumatized and overwhelming lives of the callers. I wanted to get the best education and quality supervised experience possible to be able to help people just like the callers get the care they deserve. I obtained my Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Psychology from California State University, Los Angeles. I then attended Pepperdine University and earned first my Master of Arts (M.A.) in Clinical Psychology and then my Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.).
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During my 6 years of graduate school education, I received supervised psychotherapy and assessment training working with people of color and members of the LGBTQ community in several diverse settings:
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- A Rape Counseling Center working with sexual assault survivors who were struggling to come to terms with the violence they suffered.
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- A Community Mental Health Clinic providing therapy to clients struggling with depression, anxiety, self-doubt, and conflicted relationships.
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- Juvenile Hall working with adolescents helping them to cope with the circumstances of their incarceration and to learn practical strategies to better navigate their often troubled, chaotic lives at home.
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- A Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Center providing helping clients understand how their past lead to their addiction, and teaching relapse prevention.

- A VA Medical Center Psychiatric Unit working with newly hospitalized Veterans who were a danger to themselves or others by helping them contain their emotions, understand their feelings, and learn new coping skills.

I received further clinical training in a year-long, full-time internship program at Patton State Hospital, a forensic hospital for persons who had a severe mental disorder that caused them to be in conflict with the legal system.
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CLINICAL EXPERIENCE:
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Upon graduation I became the Associate Director of Research and Education at the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Vermont and provided therapy to Veterans struggling with the aftermath of war, sexual assault, PTSD, depression, anxiety, troubled relationships, sleep problems, and and the effects of Gulf War Illness.
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After returning home to California, I became a staff psychologist at the Veteran’s Administration’s (VA) Los Angeles Outpatient Clinic. For more than 20 years, I have been working with Veterans suffering from PTSD, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, severe mental illness, homelessness, and military sexual trauma (MST).
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Although I am now in private practice, I also continue to work at the VA with Veterans. I also train and supervise VA internship trainees.

Degrees/Certifications

• Pepperdine University - PsyD - Doctor of Psychology
• Zur Institute - Telemental Health Certification