Kathrin Winkler, MA, MS, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, EMDR certified

While completing a graduate degree in sports therapy in Germany (M.S.), I gained an understanding of the connection between a healthy mind and body. This led me to further my knowledge by pursuing a degree in Marriage and Family Therapy (M.A.).

After graduating from Hope International University in 2010, I gained experience working in various settings with different populations. Throughout the years I supported families, individuals and children with issues concerning anxiety, depression, trauma, addiction and sports psychology concerns.

I grew my therapeutic skills through ongoing education and practice in: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Parent Child Interaction Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).

My specialties are trauma related problems, sports psychology, anxiety and depression. I am an EMDR certified therapist and honorable member of the Francine Shapiro EMDR library since 2010 plus have been mentioned in the Journal: EMDRIA Newsletter, Vol 15, Issue 2. Furthermore, I have been a clinical member of the EMDR International Association and also have had the chance to work with Dr. Deborah Courtney, in providing EMDR for traumatized children by translating the EMDR Journey Game from English to German.

I have been a high performance athlete since the age of 10 and competed in the European Student Beach Volleyball Championship, the Youth Olympics, the Indoor Volleyball Schools World Championship, the Indoor Youth National Team of Germany as well as the professional national Beach Volleyball tour (AVP). My early introduction to sports including the accompanied psychological struggles caused me to write my M.S. thesis in a sports psychology related subject.

In 2015, I started to also work with individuals in early recovery from substance abuse and became the clinical director for 2 years at a local dual diagnosis program.

I am passionate about people receiving good therapy. In order to further that, I am teaching students about counseling at Hope International University. I continue to educate myself on the newest developments in the field of psychology through ongoing advanced EMDR trainings, readings, consultation groups and more.

Specialties and areas of focus:

Adults with symptoms of depression, anxiety, trauma
Individuals who are Athletes and high performers
Individuals trying to overcome struggles that were caused by Substance Abuse and Addiction in their family and life

Trainings, Certification and Competencies:

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
Trauma- Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) for children and teens.
Certified EMDR Therapist
Trained in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)

Kathrin Winkler, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (Lic # 84283)

Cheri Ota Lohmann, MA, Associate Marriage and Family Therapist

After earning my Bachelor of Arts degree as a psychology major in college, I took a long detour working in finance and media. Throughout those years and through therapy, I navigated high-stress and challenging environments. These experiences led me to reconnect with my roots in psychology and mental health and deciding to become a therapist.

In 2021, I graduated from Pepperdine University with a Master of Arts in clinical psychology. While at a nonprofit mental health center, I gained experience working with individuals, couples, and groups. During that time, I treated a diverse set of clients with a range of concerns including couples/relationship issues, infertility/postpartum struggles, supporting first responders and high-pressure/performance professionals, chronic illness, immigration and acculturation, trauma, and anxiety.

It is very important for me that clients have space to be seen and heard as well as uphold their voices as a guidepost for our work. Therapy can be a personal experience, and having grown up in a diverse family, I have an appreciation for the complexities of building safety around supporting a sense of self.

Using an eclectic approach, I work to provide a place for clients to be empowered in telling their stories using their voices and identifying their own strengths to make positive change. I also focus on building emotional awareness so clients can use their understanding of themselves to choose more developmental behaviors as well as learn new thought and behavior patterns to create the experiences they want and more sense of well-being.

Supporting others in their walks of life is something I have always tried to practice. As a therapist, it is a privilege to help clients move with more ease and choose the lives they want to live.

Specialties and areas of focus:

Individuals and teens with symptoms of trauma, depression, and anxiety
Individuals and couples who are navigating infertility issues
Couples experiencing relationship challenges and looking to rebuild and deepen their connections
Individuals working in media/entertainment and high-pressure/performance industries

Trainings, Certifications, and Competencies:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
Narrative Therapy.

Cheri Ota, Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (lic# 129146) under supervision of Kathrin Winkler, LMFT (lic# 84283)

Veronica Thurman, MS, Associate Marriage and Family Therapist

While navigating through my own life I found myself drawn to helping others and wanting to better understand their stories and motivations. I found it rewarding when I could make someone feel heard, accepted, and understood. While in high school I was able to work as a peer counselor and discovered that my interest went further than conversations with friends. This, combined with my own experience benefiting from therapy, inspired me to pursue becoming a therapist.

After receiving my MA in psychology in 2018, I worked in a variety of settings. I began my work with children in both school and home settings. I later moved to a non-profit working with adults, couples and families. I have supported clients with a variety of issues including depression, anxiety, relational issues, personality disorders and trauma.

I use an eclectic approach to therapy that I tailor to meet the needs of the client. I mainly utilize client-centered therapy, humanistic therapy, CBT and emotion-focused therapy in my approach to treatment. By using cognitive-behavioral therapy I can help clients challenge their negative beliefs and change the behavioral patterns that do not serve them. Often there is a link between our past and present thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that we are unable to see, I help you uncover and understand these hidden connections. I utilize emotion focused therapy to increase awareness and acceptance of one’s emotion and to create a safe space to allow the client to explore their own thoughts and emotions.

It is my top priority to create a space that is free of judgement where you can feel safe to process thoughts and feelings in a way that feels authentic to you. It is very important to me that my clients feel heard and accepted. You are the expert in your own life, and I want to help you access your strengths to achieve positive and meaningful change.

Specialties and areas of focus:

Adults, and teens with symptoms of depression, anxiety and trauma.
Couples struggling to adjust to new circumstances or experiencing obstacles in their way of interacting and connecting with one another

Trainings, Certifications, and Competencies:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)

Veronica Thurman, Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (lic# 107385) under supervision of Kathrin Winkler, LMFT (lic# 84283)