Ron N. Gad, PhD

iving in LA is not easy. Even when you have that life that you’ve always envisioned – the one with the ideal career, sought-after car, and home in the perfect neighborhood – even if you have the relationship that you thought you’d always dreamt of having, something inside you can still feel unfulfilled… and that, if nothing else, is totally confusing.

I mean, why aren’t you happy, right? Why are you anxious? You’ve checked off all the boxes on your proverbial list, and you still don’t feel completely successful, you’re still anxious, and there are moments where you think you might even be depressed. And the worst part about it, is that there is this underlying guilt behind it. Since you have most things you thought you’d ever want, and you know that most people would kill to be in your position, how can you complain? So, you don’t.

You just hold it in.

You keep all your anxieties bottled up inside and you walk around with a smile on your face, even though you’re down and depressed and constantly wishing you can share your pain so you don’t feel so isolated. You might have a friend or a partner that you share some things with, but you don’t want to burden them all the time… and that feels so lonely.
But you’re not alone!

So many men and women – professionals, creatives, and moms and dads are dealing with the same identity issues that you are. And all you need is a place to share what you’ve been experiencing – a place to be honest about the thoughts that ruminate in your head – a person to help you process why it is you feel so unfulfilled when you have so much.

I can be that person for you!

Therapy with Dr. Ron

Working with me is more than fixing the symptoms that are complicating your life right now. We’ll do that, and it’ll be a priority.

Feeling Better Right Now (Symptom Reduction)

So, if you’re not sleeping well or eating healthily, we’ll get on correcting that – we’ll help you refocus your attention on the thoughts and behaviors to best alleviate the symptoms of depression and anxiety that are overwhelming you right now. If you can’t control your anger or the pressures from work are carrying into your personal life and disrupting your relationships, we’ll fix that right away. If you find yourself sabotaging current or prospective romantic, professional, or personal relationships, we’ll fine-tune and adjust your behavioral patterns to get you interacting in a way that is most beneficial to you and your future. And if you’re trying to manage a life of addictive substances or behaviors, we’ll work to ensure that you are equipped with the tools to eliminate them from your life. For that, we’ll use some Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) tools to help.

Feeling Better Forever (Addressing Root Causes)

But together and most importantly, we’ll spend time looking into the meanings behind and underneath what you’re feeling and thinking. These are the root causes that, when addressed, will not only relieve you of the symptoms, but should help you understand where the symptoms are coming from, why they are there, and how to keep them from ever coming back.

You see, relieving symptoms makes life easier in the moment and helps you get your life back on track. But if you never analyze the root causes, the symptoms will just come back again and again.

This psychodynamic perspective of psychotherapy believes in a bottom up approach. If we attack the issue from its root, it will alleviate the core of the problem, and not merely the symptom-manifested result (like anxiety or depression).

We will work together to create a happy, healthy, relational life that brings you deep joy. Tens of thousands of hours of therapy with people just like you and extensive clinical research as a psychological author has provided me with the unique ability to help you delve deep into the implicit, buried issues that keep you from maximizing your potential, unblocking your creative and professional flow, and embracing who you truly are.

Therapy by A Creative, For A Creative

The pressures of entertainment are immense and intense. It’s impossible to get out on stage and bear your soul to an audience without feeling the vulnerability of your entire life – you feel all the criticisms that came before and worse, you’re actually living up to the expectations of your friends, your family, and the high expectations that you’ve set for yourself.

And what about the complexity of identity? Who are you meant to be in the creative world? When you’ve been working on a show for so long, and your time on the show ends, it must be so complicated. Understanding that you are so much more than just a role or just a writer or just a person within a show, sounds so easy… but it’s such a deep concept – and you need someone who understands its complexities. The identity in and around the entertainment industry require a nuanced approach – a specialized approach for therapy for creatives.

When you’ve been a starving artist for so long, and you’ve associated with that identity, it’s difficult to understand who you’re supposed to be once you’re… well, not struggling in that same way anymore. As a creative, as an artist, identity is everything. And when you identify as a ‘starving artist’, that isn’t starving anymore, you need to find a way to redefine yourself. Just because you’re not a struggling artist anymore, doesn’t mean you don’t struggle with being an artist, and it doesn’t mean that you aren’t struggling with your life. It’s a tough process that can feel very lonely; people just don’t understand that it’s hard to find success… but it can be.

You don’t need to go through this alone. I can be there for you.

I’m a writer at heart; it’s just what I love to do. I’ve written a few things that had some acclaim, they even got published back in the day of literary magazines, and I thought about making a career in it…

Alas, I seem to be more suited to help writers and other artists than to be a working artist myself. But it’s in my bones; I know what it’s like to feel the art within me. I get the draw to incorporate creativity, the need to live the life of an artist, and I understand what it means to feel fragmented when you are not being creative, because you are a creative.

Life is not as simple and as straightforward as it might seem. Things don’t just happen on one clear-cut level – there are multiple symbolic levels to everything. And as creatives, we get that. If you’re able to see beyond the literal reality of things and see the symbolic in what’s happening in your life, then you can gain insight into the pieces that you’ve been missing.

Therapy for creatives is about looking for the symbols that are hiding in plain sight and making sense in them.

Therapy for Moms

Motherhood is this amazing space of joy, excitement, and personal growth. And somehow, at the same time, you’re clouded with doubts of depression, fits of rage, and this realization that – while you would never trade the life you have now for any other – you have indeed lost a sense of self that you’re desperate to find again.

You crave a healthy balance of motherhood and independence, but your guiltless path is likely held captive by societal, familial, and personal expectations. There are so many pressures put on you by what your parents project on to you, or worse, how your in-laws passive-aggressively demand you raise your own children. And if that is not enough, you struggle with your own insecurities about it all and the challenges of having your partner understand what it is you’re going through…

You deserve to have it all, and I know that it’s possible. We can work together to make it happen!

Therapy for moms is all about identity – your identity. It’s about creating the space for you to find out who you actually are and how you can get there while juggling all the responsibilities of your family. And you can do it! We will work together to fight against the tendencies to do what others expect of you and to even work through the patterns of trying to be someone you think you should be. Rather, you and I will work together to get you on a path toward who you actually are.

You might be wondering if the therapy you need is for you, individually, so that you can work on your own stuff or couples therapy for you and your partner to manage the stress that you’re feeling in parenthood. And the answer is probably YES! But I almost always suggest that personal therapy is the best place to start. Therapy for moms is about you. It is about figuring out what is happening in your world that is keeping you from being as happy as you envisioned yourself being in motherhood. It is about realizing that the things that once made you feel successful and proud and fulfilled have shifted, and that you likely need a new perspective on your own sense of self.

Therapy for moms is not about figuring out how you can conform to some traditionalistic sense of motherhood. It is exactly the opposite. Therapy for you as a mom is about discovering what you need in order to make you feel whole and fulfilled in your new life as a mother – and that starts with you believing in your heart of hearts that you deserve to live a life where you feel complete – as a mom, yes… but also as an independent, successful, and fulfilled woman.

As a therapist in Beverly Hills, CA, I can help you reach that place. Together, you and I will dig deep to figure out what you’ve been missing in this new stage of your life. We will explore how these current challenges may be reflections of patterns in your life and reinforcements of historical notions that were likely instilled in you early in your life.

You don’t have to live your life as a prisoner of how you’ve always felt. You can change the way you feel about yourself, about the world, and about the way you see yourself within the world… and that starts with an exploration into who you truly are as you explore yourself in motherhood. I can’t wait to help you through it.

Relationship and Couples Counseling

Making sense of yourself is hard enough, but trying to understand your partner, your relationship, and the ways you struggle as a couple is even more challenging. There are times when you lay in bed and look over feeling like you don’t even recognize the person sleeping by your side and times when you wonder where the passion went, where the connection went, and where the intimacy has gone. Of course, other times, you remember what drew you to your partner and you’re reminded of all the wonderful things that you’ve been through together and the love that is so deeply a part of your connection. Being torn about your relationship is understandable, and at some point, most people struggle with connection, communication, and intimacy… but it is extremely difficult to pinpoint the root of the struggle and to know where to even start when you want to fix it.

Relationship and couples counseling is about finding the root of the disconnect that is causing distance and bickering and even moments of hatred. The real work involves a process of insight and understanding into the personal and joint identity that longs to be seen, heard, and understood. Often times, as couples grow, there is a tendency to grow differently. And that’s normal. But it doesn’t have to mean that you’re growing apart.

I know that there may be a part of you that just wants to cut loose and run away. But there is also that part that longs to rekindle what brought you together in the first place. Working with couples has its challenges, no doubt, but the joy of creating the space for you and your partner to work on hearing, seeing, and loving one another again is priceless.

Fight the urge to run away. Don’t get caught in the storyline that your relationship is lost, that you could never understand each other again, that you can never bring back the intimacy that has been lost. Put in the effort to find a way to see your partner and be seen in the relationship. Work toward understanding what you need and what is needed from you. Regain that love, the intimacy, and the connection that has been lost. Rebuild your relationship.

Therapy for Professionals

Reaching your goals and managing your career is hard enough, but doing it in a city like LA can be so overwhelming. There is so much stress involved in becoming the professional you dreamt of being. You’ve been working incredibly hard to enter your field, climb the proverbial latter, and shimmy your way into a specialty or position that feels just right. All the while, you’ve been dealing with the pressures set for you – by the society, your family & friends, and most intense, are the expectations you’ve set on yourself. All you want is to break free from what you “should” be doing and what other people “need” you to do… just so you can get to a place where you find real, honest fulfillment in what YOU want to do.

You don’t need to let those pressures control you. You don’t need to feel the weight of being everything to everyone. And you certainly don’t need to go through it alone. I get those pressures and the expectations and the limitations and all the BS that keeps you from being happy with what you do and feeling fulfilled as you do it… even when you’ve attained so many professional accomplishments.

Therapy for professionals will help you get to a place where you can be free, be connected, and feel successful in what you do and the things you’ve done. It seems so easy, doesn’t it? Just revel in your accomplishments and acknowledge your success. But it isn’t. The hardest thing is actually understanding what happiness is – what success is. And I’m not talking about what Forbes Magazine says it is or your parents or your friends; I’m talking about your own, personal definitions. You, me, us together, will help you make sense of what actually makes you happy. We’ll create the space for you to define your vision of success. And then, we’ll carve your path toward it.

Stop struggling to enjoy your life. Enough with the long days that don’t bring you any satisfaction. It’s time to make things happen. It’s time to really find the joy in what you do and who you are.

Addiction is More than a Disease

Managing addiction and addictive behaviors is always more complicated than people assume. You’re constantly hearing people suggest that you “just do that a little less” or “just stop at one drink” … “it’s not that big a deal,” they say. But you and I both know that it’s not that easy. It is a big deal, and no matter how hard you’ve tried, you have finally realized that it is more than just about the drink, the drug, or the behavior. There is something inside you that cannot stop. There is a feeling that compels you to have another or to do it again. And you want to stop. You just can’t.

You are not alone in this. Millions of people around the world are dealing with various vices that help them escape from the anxiety, depression, and day-to-day stressors in their lives. And managing those is the key to Long-Term Recovery. In order to really get your life back on track, you need to dig deep, and see what it is that is driving you to escape. The alcoholism or workaholism or any other ism you’re experiencing is not the problem… it is the symptom.

Of course, there are things you can do to ensure that you work less, or smoke less pot, or watch less porn, but why are you doing it? That is the question that we can delve into in order to help you achieve that long-lasting relief that you’ve longed to have. Much like anxiety or depression, addiction is caused by a deeper-rooted challenge that you have likely been dealing with most of your life. And together, we will help you get to the bottom of it.

Therapy for Addiction and Long-Term Recovery is about understanding what’s troubling you. The process is about noticing your patterns and working to help you understand what’s creating the need for you to escape through those addictive patterns. In order to do this work, you need to have some semblance of control over your addiction. It isn’t really possible to do if you’re drunk or stoned all the time. But even when you’re able to manage the addiction, you’re only half-way there. Now, with me, we can help you understand yourself and your addictive tendencies better so that you can really maintain and enjoy a life beyond the bounds of addiction.

Therapy for Therapist

People have no idea what it’s like to be a clinician – especially one in and around Los Angeles. You finally made it through grad school and all the required hours, and then you get past the anxiety around the licensing exams, only to find out that clinical work is not like anyone told you it would be. Who knew you would have to be a small business owner? No one taught you any of that in school. And while they may have tried their hardest to help you understand the vicarious trauma that transfers from each client to you, you had no idea that it would feel like this.

You need a place to process everything that you’re experiencing. You need someone who understands what it’s like to carry the weight of all the struggles your clients unload on you. Your friends and family try (if they try), but they just cannot fathom the emotional intensity that saddles you every time you enter a session. And very few can comprehend the lingering nature of our field. But I do.

Clinicians like you need to be able to process the unique stress that comes with psychotherapeutic work. You need a place to discuss what’s triggering you, how you’re affected by it, and ways to separate your own history from your clients’. Therapy for therapists is imperative for clinicians. You need to be able to separate your own stories, your own trauma, your own past, from the ones you hear about in your office. And together, we will help you do that.

The Space You Need Is Right Here

All you need is the space to dive down deep, past the common, everyday life experiences, so that you can start seeing who you really are. You don’t have to be alone as you struggle with intense life issues. I can help you on your journey toward figuring it all out – toward figuring yourself out.

Don’t wait. You owe it to yourself to email now, or call me at (888) 494-7788 to schedule your free consultation session. Together, we can help you make sense of what really needs to happen for you to experience the true feeling of satisfaction that you deserve.