Aubrey Koch

YOUR THERAPIST My name is Aubrey (she/her), I am a psychotherapist and the owner of Pas Counseling. I'm a licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and graduate of the Smith College School for Social Work. I have over 11 years of experience in the field, and am a current candidate in the psychoanalytic psychotherapy program at the Los Angeles Institute & Society for Psychoanalytic Studies (LAISPS). PHILOSOPHY Emotional discomfort, restlessness, feeling stuck, and the repetition of troubling patterns are often the unconscious mind's way of signaling to us that something in our psyche needs to be tended to. I approach my role as a psychotherapist with these needs in mind. Through a collaborative, attentive, and honest therapeutic relationship, we can explore your internal landscape, process your pain, seek insight into your patterns, and pursue new ways in which you can be your authentic self. As a person with genuine curiosity and care about the inner lives of others, I approach therapy with a warmth and attentiveness designed to create an environment where you can feel truly seen and heard. I primarily practice psychodynamic psychotherapy, also known as psychoanalytic psychotherapy. This depth-oriented treatment is driven by insight and designed to get to the root causes of your symptoms rather than simply eliminating them. I have additional education in mindful self-compassion, and my work with couples is informed by my training in the Gottman method. SPECIALTIES I specialize in working with adults with anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, and difficult family-of-origin relationships. I additionally work with people who are in need of building (or rebuilding) their sense of self, struggle with internal and external boundaries, and are making sense of their identity after being in high-control circumstances (religious groups, work environments, intimate relationships, etc). Among many groups of people, I work particularly well with intellectuals who struggle with encountering their emotions, creative folks with powerful imaginations, perfectionists in need of self-compassion, and people who provide care to others but have a hard time with their own needs (including healthcare professionals, educators, therapists, and organizers). People of all race, gender, sexual orientation, culture, spiritual, and ability backgrounds are affirmed in my practice. I am a queer person with an affinity for providing therapy to the LGBTQ+ community.