my therapeutic approach

My approach is trauma-informed, which means I approach every client with the assumption that trauma is part of their story, and there are several reasons for this: first, I understand that trauma is widespread and extremely common: in the United States alone, around 60% of adults experience at least one Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE), and 1 in 6 report four or more; also, on average 24 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner -- and those are just a few examples (obviously there are many other kinds of trauma, and many other places in the world, not to mention massive international tragedies like war, genocide, and natural disasters). Secondly, trauma causes deep shame and profoundly disrupts a person’s sense of safety, trust, and agency. Third, many people do recognize that their symptoms are trauma-related, and many others do not immediately feel safe disclosing their history. Finally, even well-intentioned therapeutic interventions can be invasive, invalidating, or retraumatizing. For all of these reasons, my priorities in every session are safety, collaboration, empowerment, and choice. If you would like to know more about trauma-informed care, please visit the FAQs or click LEARN MORE below.

In addition to being trauma-informed, I have an integrative approach, which means I borrow and combine elements from multiple therapeutic models, instead of limiting myself to just one; this strategy allows me to adapt my treatment plan to my clients' unique needs, strengths, and preferences. Gilbert et. al. (2011) refers to integrative therapy as a "unifying approach and multi-dimensional relational framework that can be created anew for each individual."  If you would like additional information about integrative psychotherapy, please click LEARN MORE below.  The following is a list of my preferred treatment models:

1. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT): This method involves learning to control thoughts and change fundamental beliefs in order to reduce symptoms and problematic behaviors. CBT is the gold standard in mental healthcare because it is research-based and proven effective for treating a range of different issues and client populations. I am certified in several evidence-based practices (as defined in the FAQs) with foundations in CBT, including Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). If you would like to know more about ACT, please click LEARN MORE below.
2. Psychodynamic therapy: This is the traditional form of psychotherapy; the interventions are intended to facilitate insight and self-awareness, unmask the unconscious, examine underlying drives and defense mechanisms, and achieve self-actualization, among many other things. Psychodynamic therapy is effective for clients with problematic interpersonal relationships, unresolved conflict within their family of origin, unmet developmental needs from childhood, and avoidant or insecure attachment styles (just to name a few). To learn more about psychodynamic therapy, please click LEARN MORE below.
3. Humanistic: This approach falls under the "psychodynamic" umbrella; the interventions include expression of empathy, active listening, and unconditional positive regard; goals include building a strong therapeutic alliance, promoting self-acceptance, and facilitating personal growth.
4. Existential: This approach also falls under the "psychodynamic" umbrella; it involves helping clients search for meaning, embrace both freedom and responsibility, and confront mortality.
5. Mindfulness & meditation: These interventions are designed to help people to stay present in the moment, and learn to tolerate unpleasant emotions.

My name is Erin Link, I'm a Marriage & Family Therapist licensed in the state of California (MFT46835).  I have lived in Los Angeles for almost my entire life, except for the four years I went to college at the University of Oregon; my bachelor's degree is in biological psychology and chemistry, and I graduated magna cum laude. I went to graduate school at Pepperdine University, and my master’s degree is in clinical psychology. After I finished school I spent several years accumulating the 3000 hours of supervised clinical fieldwork required by the State of California to become eligible for licensure, and in 2008 I passed both board exams and officially became licensed to practice marriage and family therapy (to learn more about the discipline of marriage & family therapy, please visit the FAQs).

For the first 10 years of my career I was a public servant, and I worked with children and families in many different settings and on all levels of care, including schools, outpatient clinics, group homes, foster care, residential facilities, a partial hospitalization program, and an inpatient psychiatric hospital; I also worked for two counties: Orange and Monterey. During the course of my career I have established areas of specialization in childhood abuse and trauma, early infant attachment, family systems, and behavior management. I also became certified in several evidenced-based practices (as defined in the FAQs) including Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). 

I went into private practice in June of 2012, and since that time I've been working primarily with individual adults and couples. Currently, my areas of specialization include post-traumatic symptoms, mood dysregulation (anxiety and depression), codependence, attachment and family of origin issues, and problematic relationships.