https://www.resiliencefamilytherapy.com/home daily 1.0 2024-09-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c921ea03b5ae37fbc39b2e/1637435078616-XJ6ZQ7N18F2YSFY4TX2J/child-therapy.jpg Resilience Family Therapy Ventura https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c921ea03b5ae37fbc39b2e/1637435132872-4SA8Q3CUY3GHQFERG5PV/teen-counseling.jpg Resilience Family Therapy Ventura https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c921ea03b5ae37fbc39b2e/1637435202747-O61RHWLKOE430ALTCOVW/family-therapy.jpg Resilience Family Therapy Ventura https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c921ea03b5ae37fbc39b2e/1637435750843-TF80RWNEYVO2ZPPH3MOE/addiction-and-recovery-counseling.jpg Resilience Family Therapy Ventura https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c921ea03b5ae37fbc39b2e/dc297e29-97e5-4f6e-a24e-0acdf9e4d54b/family-therapist-ventura.jpg Resilience Family Therapy Ventura - Specializing in: Child Therapy Teen Therapy Boarding School Support RTC/PHP/IOP Step-down Support Parenting & Family Conflict Addiction & Recovery Kids and Teens Parenting / Family Conflict Life Transitions Pregnancy / Postpartum Addiction https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c921ea03b5ae37fbc39b2e/1635304231935-3EZW617VDGYNKA6VIYRO/Headshot+2019.JPG Resilience Family Therapy Ventura - Leah French, LMFT Hi, I’m Leah! I’m a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in Ventura, CA specializing in working with children and teens. I’m passionate about helping families - kids, parents, and everyone in between - learn how to overcome challenges and adjust to life’s transitions. The majority of my practice focuses on the kinds of things families face every day: emotional or behavioral issues, communication, depression, anxiety, perfectionism and overachievement stress, school struggles, past trauma, addiction, parenting challenges, and family conflict. I work to help families adjust to life’s natural transitions such as starting school or college, birth of a new child/sibling, blending families, young adulthood & more. I have extensive experience with higher acuity issues like self-harm, suicidal ideation, substance or alcohol abuse, juvenile court involvement or placement in higher levels of care. I also specialize in supporting local boarding school students where I am able to travel to campus to provide mobile therapy on site. As a boarding school therapist, I work collaboratively with many local schools and have experience and insight into the very unique culture and potential challenges that boarding school life presents. I use a very down-to-earth and client-centered approach to work with you to identify YOUR goals and pain points you want to overcome and walk alongside you providing tools and guidance to help you get there. I combine evidence-based techniques such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Solution-focused Therapy with play, interactive exercises, and conversation seeking to get to know you and make therapy a personal, meaningful, enjoyable, and effective experience. And while some of that may sound like a lot of psychobabble, I can assure you that the space I provide will always feel conversational, comfortable, encouraging, validating and unlike typical “therapy.” Most of my child, teen and parent clients have shared that I’m “not your typical therapist,” and even the ones most resistant to starting share that they actually look forward to coming! My goal is for you to feel seen and heard and discover or remember your best self! https://www.resiliencefamilytherapy.com/what-people-say daily 0.75 2023-07-13 https://www.resiliencefamilytherapy.com/rates-insurance daily 0.75 2025-10-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c921ea03b5ae37fbc39b2e/b65c73be-6b33-4193-a22a-5622ba0a8eb4/therapy-rates-ventura.jpg Rates & Insurance - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.resiliencefamilytherapy.com/contact daily 0.75 2023-07-13 https://www.resiliencefamilytherapy.com/resilience-family-therapy-welcome daily 0.75 2024-09-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c921ea03b5ae37fbc39b2e/1636051685965-F2TEU9HO9JHF97UY8RH3/resilience-family-therapy-ventura.jpg Welcome to Resilience Family Therapy - Counseling for kids, teens, young adults & their parents What is RESILIENCE? And why did I choose that word for the name of our practice? The definition of resilience is “the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.” When I think about what I want this practice to accomplish for you or your child, that really sums it up. I want us to help you recover quickly from whatever is holding you back or causing you pain, while helping you discover your strengths and build the resilience to adapt and cope with challenges in the future. Life is hard! And it can be even harder when there is a traumatic event in your past or present. Maybe it’s an unhealthy relationship, some kind of abuse, addiction, maybe you’re struggling in school or not where you thought you’d be in life or maybe you are your worst enemy! Pain and circumstances can paralyze us and keep us from seeing our potential or make it feel impossible to go on. Becoming more resilient not only helps you get through difficult circumstances but empowers you to grow and even improve your life along the way. How incredible is that?! Circumstances that threatened to defeat us can now become catalysts of change to make us better. That is what therapy is all about. Schedule a free 20 min consultation today to see how we can help, or keep reading below to learn a little more about me and the story behind Resilience Family Therapy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c921ea03b5ae37fbc39b2e/8ef1d09b-29c6-4d55-a799-ecba0d53a83b/Leah-French-LMFT.jpg Welcome to Resilience Family Therapy - Hi, I’m Leah. I’m so glad you’re here! I founded Resilience Family Therapy because I believe kids, teens, young adults and families deserve therapy that is skilled, compassionate, genuine, and tailored to the person sitting in front of us. After more than 25 years working with children, teens and families, I’ve had the privilege of watching people move through incredibly difficult circumstances, discover strengths they didn’t know they had, and begin to feel hopeful again. That belief in our ability to adapt, heal and grow is at the heart of Resilience Family Therapy and it continues to shape the practice as we’ve grown. I’m incredibly proud of the practice we’ve built and the therapists who are part of it. Whether you’re looking for support for your child or teen, navigating something difficult as a family, or looking for therapy for yourself as a young adult, we’re glad you found us. Take a look around to learn more about our therapists and approach, or schedule a free 20-minute consultation so we can help you find the right fit. https://www.resiliencefamilytherapy.com/about-leah-french-lmft daily 0.75 2026-01-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c921ea03b5ae37fbc39b2e/8fccc1ae-105f-43a1-b2ad-14dcd865b4ee/Leah-French-LMFT.jpg About Leah French, LMFT - Hi! I’m Leah French. I’m a psychotherapist licensed to practice in California and the Founder and Clinical Director of Resilience Family Therapy, serving kids, teens and families in Ventura. I’m also a wife and boy mom - which these days involves a whole lot of football, baseball, BMX racing, and time spent on sidelines, fields, and racetracks all over the country. I’m also mom to a sweet and spunky neurodivergent little guy, which has given me a very personal seat on the other side of the table navigating autism, IEPs, AAC, speech and occupational therapy, developmental services, the regional center, and all the systems families are somehow expected to figure out while simultaneously just trying to be a parent. Outside of therapy and parenting, I’m a motorcycle/outdoor/adventure lover, seeker of good books, Mastiff lover, psychology and math geek, sourdough/cake/all-things-sweet baker, and a woman with a giant heart who loves big and feels even deeper. One might argue it’s that last part that has most colored my life and led me down the path to becoming a therapist - and I can’t say that’s wrong! Every therapist is also a person with their own life journey, and mine has helped me become a more empathetic, connected, effective and compassionate therapist. I am proud and honored to be a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and incredibly proud of what Resilience Family Therapy has grown into. My passion is using my gifts, education and life experiences to help others move through difficult circumstances, discover their own resilience, and find joy and purpose in their lives. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c921ea03b5ae37fbc39b2e/24ee95e0-09f1-4bec-a12b-100d49ac6661/IMG_6209.JPG About Leah French, LMFT - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.resiliencefamilytherapy.com/child-therapy daily 0.75 2023-07-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c921ea03b5ae37fbc39b2e/f0d359d8-f89a-4e1a-8b16-b401a14d4b2a/child-therapist-ventura.jpg Child Therapy Ventura - Even if your child can’t verbally tell you what’s wrong, they are telling you. Their behaviors and ways they interact with you, their teachers and their friends send you clues that they need some extra support and that a child therapist might be a great fit. Not every therapist has the training and experience to work with young children (despite what your insurance company may be trying to suggest to you!). Child therapy should not look like adult therapy and a child therapist’s office should not look like an adult therapist’s office! Child therapists are trained to use games, play, art, and other non-verbal ways to help children address challenges and concerns in a non-threatening and often fun way that allows them to process, learn and explore on their terms. I take pride in creating a space that children love to come and feel safe, nurtured and supported while exploring hard and uncomfortable things. Give me a call today to see how I can help! I have over 20 years of experience working as a child therapist and have worked directly with children who have experienced everything listed above and more. I would love to see how I can help your child build resilience and thrive! https://www.resiliencefamilytherapy.com/teen-therapy daily 0.75 2024-09-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c921ea03b5ae37fbc39b2e/4da01834-181f-4e9b-839e-cdcc380474e5/teen-counseling-ventura.jpg Teen Therapy Ventura - Are you worried about your teen and wondering if teen counseling could help? Is your teen easily agitated or upset? Do they seem overwhelmed and sad most of the time? Are they having trouble concentrating? Are they shy and withdrawn and avoiding social interactions? Do they seem unmotivated and disinterested in things they used to love? Are they sleeping or eating more or less than usual? Are they angry, belligerent, or violent? Are they overcome by a past trauma? Are you worried about substance or alcohol abuse? Have you noticed unexplained scabs or scars and wonder about cutting or self-harm? Do you have an overachieving perfectionist being affected by school pressure and academic expectations? Is the pressure of college admissions or sports teams becoming too much? Is your teen engaging in risky behaviors? Has the pandemic caused changes in your teen’s mood, behavior, communication or interests and you’re worried they might need some extra support? I CAN HELP! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c921ea03b5ae37fbc39b2e/d1f38e4b-9130-489a-a431-e07099675385/teen-therapist-ventura.jpg Teen Therapy Ventura - I have over 20 years experience working as a teen therapist specifically with teenagers struggling with all these issues and more. My passion is connecting with teens and helping them to believe in themselves, to rediscover hope and purpose and watching them transform. Finding a therapist that is a good fit is important for anyone, but even more so for teenagers. They are often more resistant to therapy and distrustful. They take extra time, empathy, creativity, and authenticity to build trust with for effective, meaningful work to be done. There cannot be a one size fits all approach to teen counseling. I work hard to meet your teen where they are at and provide genuine heart-centered work from a foundation of evidence-based science. Call me today to see if I might be a good fit for your teen! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c921ea03b5ae37fbc39b2e/624150b8-894f-4de7-a5d4-41f0f168d5ea/adolescent-therapy-ventura.jpg Teen Therapy Ventura - Adolescence is HARD. It is a time of transition between childhood and adulthood which can leave many teens feeling like they just don’t quite fit in anywhere. There are new bodies, new emotions, new desires, new identities, new relationships, and changing brains; all a recipe for something incredibly fantastic and wildly complicated. It can be an exciting and adventurous time and an extremely challenging and tumultuous one! Teen therapy can be an essential support to help your teen thrive during their adolescence or to help them build resilience and learn to cope in the face of trauma, loss, or their ever-changing world. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c921ea03b5ae37fbc39b2e/df8a3a6f-fcee-49eb-acfa-b4fabc69c258/adolescent-counseling.jpg Teen Therapy Ventura - Our teenagers today need even more support than ever. The pandemic has affected them in a unique and significant way. They may not always be speaking up, but they are struggling. Depression and anxiety can look different in teens and their natural push outward toward independence and social relationships and away from home may mean that they are not opening up to you or sharing the way they used to. Having a space where they can explore these internal struggles is imperative to their well-being and the key to helping them transition to healthy adults. Give me a call today to see if I can be that safe space for your teen. https://www.resiliencefamilytherapy.com/family-therapy daily 0.75 2023-07-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c921ea03b5ae37fbc39b2e/6589dd91-1173-42a0-a6d4-fcd16aa40706/family-counseling-ventura.jpg Family Therapy Ventura - We offer family counseling in a number of forms: Family therapy with parents and children together as the primary form of treatment Family therapy in conjunction with your child or teen receiving individual therapy Parent only sessions, either on their own or as a component of your child or teen’s individual therapy Parent sessions may focus on modeling healthy responses and coping skills; understanding patterns of reinforcement; developing effective boundaries, rewards, and consequences; learning strategies for remaining regulated during difficult interactions; understanding your child’s diagnosis or needs; and learning how to reinforce skills your child is developing in therapy. They can also simply provide parents with a safe, nonjudgmental place to talk honestly about how hard parenting can sometimes be. Having space for your own experience, struggles, frustrations, and emotions can lift some of the heaviness and help turn hopelessness into hope. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c921ea03b5ae37fbc39b2e/c5a8cb0b-bd5a-4777-aff3-db0848b3995f/parent-counseling-ventura.jpg Family Therapy Ventura - I am a parent, too! I know firsthand just how hard and how joyful parenting can be. I believe it is the single most rewarding and challenging job in the world! I also know, because of my experience as a mother, just how difficult some of the things I may ask you to do are! But I do so because I know they work! And I am here to support you and walk by your side to help you until you can help yourself! Give me a call today to schedule a free 20 minute consultation to see what kind of family-based therapy might be a good fit for your family! Or click the link below to schedule that consult directly through my convenient online scheduler, https://www.resiliencefamilytherapy.com/addiction-and-recovery-therapy daily 0.75 2023-07-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c921ea03b5ae37fbc39b2e/b5dffce3-d417-4561-948d-eeaa8e5ac75f/addiction-and-recovery-counseling-ventura.jpg Addiction & Recovery Therapy Ventura - Addiction impacts EVERYONE, not only the person struggling with the addiction, but also their parents, children, spouses, and friends. Addiction and recovery therapy can be an important component in helping someone to maintain sobriety and experience lasting recovery or to support the loved ones impacted by the addiction. There are many paths to recovery and if you are here on this page, we want to commend you for your bravery in taking a first step or the next step for yourself or someone you love. “Getting clean” or stopping the use of a substance, alcohol, gambling, sexual addiction, food addiction etc. is really only the first step. Recovery cannot and will not be long lasting if further steps are not taken to address the mental health symptoms, past trauma, current or past unhealthy relationships, environment, friendships, legal consequences, or other circumstances that trigger, reinforce or maintain the addictive behavior(s). Addiction and recovery therapy can do just that! Schedule a free 20 minute consultation today to see if we can help! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c921ea03b5ae37fbc39b2e/f72ce264-ed76-434c-a82b-b8300dd7feda/addiction-counseling.jpg Addiction & Recovery Therapy Ventura - Therapy for the addict There are many forms of addiction treatment including detoxification, inpatient treatment programs, outpatient treatment programs, multiple therapeutic approaches and support groups including 12 step, SMART recovery, Celebrate Recovery etc. Resilience Family Therapy supports all of these approaches and offers individual and/or family therapy to help deepen recovery by addressing the underlying causes of continued addiction. About 20% of Americans who have depression or an anxiety disorder also have a substance use disorder. I believe that treating both the substance use disorder AND the mental health disorder is key to lasting recovery and freedom. Using individualized behavioral approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), our clinicians help people struggling with addiction to explore triggers, thoughts, and feelings that lead to addictive behaviors and learn coping strategies to maintain recovery and supplement their treatment in outpatient or 12 step programs. Our therapists are also trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) which can be a beneficial treatment in helping to teach the regulation of emotions to prevent reactivity and self-destructive behaviors that can lead to relapse and the ongoing cycle of addictive behaviors. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c921ea03b5ae37fbc39b2e/db36f6f2-036d-487f-8ffb-29c32e2082bb/recovery-counseling.jpg Addiction & Recovery Therapy Ventura - Therapy for those who love an addict Not everyone is ready or open to recovery. You can’t force someone to change before they are ready, and one of the hardest truths for friends, family members, spouses, and children of someone struggling with addiction is realizing that you cannot want their recovery more than they do or work harder at it than they are willing to. Finding therapy for yourself can be an incredibly freeing and healthy decision. Therapy can provide a place to process the impact of a loved one’s addiction, learn how to set and maintain healthy boundaries, recognize patterns of enabling or over-functioning, and begin making decisions based on your own well-being rather than the chaos addiction can create within a family. Your loved one may also be in recovery, and you may find yourself surprised by how complicated that feels. You can be deeply grateful that they are sober while still carrying hurt, anger, resentment, fear, or wounds from what happened during their active addiction. Recovery doesn’t automatically erase the impact addiction has had on the people who love them. Having a safe, nonjudgmental place to process all of those feelings - the good, the bad, and the ugly - can help you heal, rebuild trust where appropriate, and move forward in a healthier way. At Resilience Family Therapy, we understand addiction as something that affects the entire family system. Our clinical experience includes helping individuals and families navigate addiction and recovery, as well as developing and overseeing recovery-focused treatment programs. We’re here to support not only the person struggling with addiction, but the people who love them too. Reach out using the link below to schedule a free consultation and see how we might be able to help. https://www.resiliencefamilytherapy.com/schedule-now daily 0.75 2024-09-19 https://www.resiliencefamilytherapy.com/vanessa-jimenez-amft daily 0.75 2026-10-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c921ea03b5ae37fbc39b2e/c09fcd40-ef1e-4796-8d29-a61a44878042/spanish-speaking-teen-therapist-ventura Vanessa Jimenez, AMFT - Hi! I’m Vanessa. I’m an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist at Resilience Family Therapy, where I work with kids, teens, young adults and families in Ventura. I believe therapy works best when young people feel safe, understood, and able to show up as themselves - without pressure to say the “right” thing or engage in a way that doesn’t feel natural to them. I adapt therapy to each client’s age, interests, comfort level and way of connecting. For some kids and teens, that means talking. For others, it may mean art, games, movement, play, mindfulness, visuals or body-based activities. My goal is to meet clients where they are, build trust at their pace, and help them develop practical skills for managing big emotions, communicating what they need, building confidence and navigating the challenges in their lives. Who I Love Working With I especially love working with neurodivergent children and teens, including kids with autism and ADHD. I enjoy getting to know each child’s unique way of communicating, connecting, experiencing emotions, and moving through the world, and finding approaches to therapy that work with them rather than expecting them to fit into a traditional model of therapy. I also enjoy working with kids and teens who experience big emotions, frustration, anger, impulsivity, anxiety, depression, low confidence or negative self-talk. Many of the young people I work with are navigating changes or stress at home or school, friendship and social challenges, identity, academic stress, or other life transitions. How I Work I believe supporting a child also means supporting the people around them, so parents and caregivers are an important part of the therapeutic process. I collaborate with families to understand what they are seeing at home or at school and identify practical tools and strategies that can support their child outside of our sessions. My work is developmentally informed and individualized, drawing from evidence-based approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), mindfulness, somatic interventions, and play-based approaches. I use these tools flexibly based on each client’s needs rather than expecting one approach to work for everyone. Most importantly, I focus on building a strong therapeutic relationship first. Some kids and teens need time to build trust and feel comfortable, and that’s okay. My hope is that therapy becomes a safe space where they can explore difficult experiences, develop new skills, and be themselves without feeling pressured or expected to move faster than they’re ready for. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60c921ea03b5ae37fbc39b2e/a5fa9175-1d96-441e-b170-046fbbfe6b0d/spanish-speaking-child-therapist-ventura Vanessa Jimenez, AMFT - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.