Dr. Sharon is a licensed Psychologist and Marriage and Family Therapist. She has worked in various agencies as well as graduate schools. She has taught at Mount Saint Mary’s College, Argosy University, and California Graduate Institute. More recently, she was core faculty teaching in the Clinical Psychology, School Counseling, and Marriage and Family Therapy Departments as well as being Director of Clinical Training and Dean of Students at Phillips Graduate Institute. Dr. Sharon has an extensive background working in Special Education Schools. She was Director of School-based Mental Health Services at the HELP Group as well as being the Clinical Director of Summit View and Coldwater Canyon Prep Schools. Dr. Sharon has a Pupil Personnel Credential in School Counseling and many years of experience working with children, adolescents, and their families.

Gianna has followed the professional path of psychology and education since early adulthood.  She earned her degree in psychology from the University of Oregon.  Upon her graduation she focused on teaching.  Gianna taught in various settings for 15 years.  Part of her teaching experience included English in Spain for 2 two years.  Her experience in Spain led her to earning a MA in bilingual/bicultural education from Columbia University.  She went on to teach high school Spanish for 9 years in California.  During her time in secondary education, she also became an academic counselor, assisting high school students achieved their goals for college as well as reminding her of her psychology and counseling interest.  At Pepperdine University, she earned her MA in psychology.  She completed her internship and became a licensed MFT in 2013. Currently, Gianna is combining her love of education and psychology as the Clinical Supervisor at Counseling West  and enjoying the educational process for both her clients and herself in her private practice in Encino.

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Carol Tanenbaum is a Marriage Family Therapist and psychoanalyst. She has been in private practice in Sherman Oaks since 1978. While she works with families, couples and individuals, she also has had an interest and a great deal of experience working in community/non profit settings both here in the United States and overseas. 

Carol was a founding member of Global Children’s Organization, a non-profit organization that organized cross cultural summer camp programs for the children of the war torn Balkans, the children of Northern Ireland and young adults of Palestinian and Israeli backgrounds . She helped run these camping programs, which focused on bringing children from ethnically strife ridden war zones together to live, play, and heal from the war traumas of their young lives.

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Carol also ran the Ernest S. Lawrence Trauma Center at The Los Angeles Institute and Society for Psychoanalytic Studies. This program offered psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapy to young at-risk mothers who were living in and around Echo Park, Los Angeles.

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She was also a founding member and therapist for The Soldiers Project, a Los Angeles based non-profit organization that provides free psychotherapy to military families and soldiers coming home from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars She has worked with  families and individuals returning from these wars for the past 12 years and understands how important and helpful psychotherapy can be for their transition into civilian life.  

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She is also an adjunct on the faculty at Pacifica Graduate Institute in their Community, Liberation, Ecology track and has been a fieldwork adviser there for 8 years. Here, she is able to combine academic expertise, clinical, and community psychology in supporting her students through their degree programs.  She also teaches in the Trauma studies course at LAISPS in the area of war trauma and collective trauma. 

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She continues to work in her private practice and with students who are pursuing their careers in psychology. Her training in psychoanalysis and her hands on experience of working on the ground with traumatized groups has enlarged and enriched her psychological perspective and continues to be a great interest of hers. 

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Stacy Scates is a licensed marriage and family therapist, yoga instructor, bodyworker, and sound therapist who believes in the interconnectedness of the body, mind, and spirit. She understands that as individuals grow and change, so does their self-image, which is shaped by interactions with the world and personal relationships. Stacy emphasizes that being seen and cared for by others fosters ease, strengthens self-image, and leads to deeper intimacy and improved health.

Her practice highlights the importance of reconnecting with nature. Stacy actively promotes Ayurvedic principles, focusing on the dynamic connection with the five elements—Ether (space), air, fire, water, and earth—which has supported well-being for thousands of years. She believes that in today’s fast-paced world, re-establishing this balance is essential to counter feelings of overwhelm, disease, and a distorted sense of self.

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Stacy’s therapeutic approach integrates talk therapy, personalized yoga sessions, breathwork, Ayurvedic lifestyle education, Marma therapy (a form of bodywork using specific energy points for relaxation and mental clarity), and sound therapy. Her goal is to help clients explore and understand their sensations, emotions, thoughts, and actions, allowing for more authentic experiences of connection, intimacy, and joy.

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Stacy works with individuals, couples, and families, addressing anxiety, depression, grief, loss, and intimacy issues. She prioritizes play and pleasure over perfection, encouraging a positive relationship with both the body and the natural world.

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Sandra Rubalcava is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and the Clinical Coordinator at Counseling West. In her role, she is dedicated to overseeing clinical operations and training trainees. Sandra's expertise in fostering a supportive and effective environment has been instrumental in the professional growth of her team.