✹ Psychodynamic Therapy in Los Angeles ✹
Pasadena, CA & Telehealth Throughout California
“Nothing ever goes away until it teaches us what we need to know.”
― Pema Chödrön
Coming to therapy is a radical act of both turning inward and turning towards another. I honor what it took to get here, and I don't take lightly what it means to invite someone in.
My approach to therapy draws from psychoanalytic, relational, and existential perspectives. I am interested in all that makes you who you are: your past and present relationships, the way you view yourself and others, your dreams and waking fantasies, your deepest fears and strongest beliefs. My work is trauma-informed and rooted in queer liberation.
“One may prefer spring and summer to autumn and winter, but preference is hardly the point. The earth turns, and we live in the grain of nature, turning with it.”
― Robert Hass
✹ How I Work ✹
I view therapy as a collaborative ritual in which we tend to the whole truth of your experience. This includes the parts that feel messy, painful, or hard to put into words. Together, we’ll listen for what your feelings, anxieties, dreams, and patterns are trying to tell you, gently unearthing the parts of you that have been buried. Change becomes possible once we can clearly see what we’re working with.
Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki wrote, “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.” I honor the wisdom of beginner’s mind in my work as a therapist, making no assumptions about your lived experience. I see each person as an endlessly unique, historical, and ever-evolving being. My attitude towards my clients is one of empathy, curiosity, dedication, and playfulness.
As we begin to shake up our familiar patterns and access a wider range of emotions, this work can feel challenging. Therapy offers a dependable and trusting relationship where you don’t have to go it alone. My role as a therapist is to support you in slowing down and staying with what’s difficult, while also helping you build the capacity to respond to yourself with more compassion, agency, and creativity.
In our work, we’ll pay close attention to what is said and unsaid, what is felt and unfelt, what is expressed in the body and in action, and what unfolds between us.
✹ Who I Work With ✹
“Artists are people driven by the tension between the desire to communicate and the desire to hide.”
― D.W. Winnicott
Many people I work with live against the grain in career, love, and identity. Whatever brings you in, we'll explore not just your symptoms but the reasons they showed up in the first place, helping you move through suffering toward self-compassion, agency, and aliveness.
I work with individual adults, teens, couples, and relationships of all kinds, including monogamous and non-monogamous partnerships, sexual and non-sexual relationships, friendships, siblings, and roommates.
Areas of Interest
childhood trauma
family estrangement
depression & low self-esteem
attachment patterns
LGBTQIA+ identities
gender expansiveness
relationship issues (romantic, sexual, and/or platonic)
ecological and existential anxiety
complicated relationships with screens and technology
nurturing creativity under capitalism
✹ About Me ✹
Hello! My name is Ness (they/them). I grew up in Los Angeles and earned my master’s degree in Counseling and Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. I did my clinical training in psychoanalytic psychotherapy at Valley Community Counseling Clinic, where I worked with adults, couples, adolescents, and groups in North Hollywood.
Before training as a psychotherapist, I received an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Washington where I wrote, studied, and taught the art of poetry. Poetry and psychotherapy occupy a similar corner of my mind: one of symbolism, vulnerability, revelation, interwoven threads, metaphor, duality, reverence, and delicate attention.
I’m registered in California as an Associate Marriage & Family Therapist #163397 and an Associate Professional Clinical Counselor #22756. I work under the supervision of Megan Attore, LMFT #139682. I see clients at Inner Vision Psychotherapy in Pasadena, CA, in-person and via Telehealth.
✹ FAQ ✹
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The first step is to schedule a free 20-minute phone consultation. This is a brief, introductory conversation where you can share a little about what's bringing you in, and ask any questions you may have. I'll walk you through my approach and we can get a sense of whether we're a good fit.
The next step is to schedule a 50-minute appointment. Think of this first meeting as an extension of the intake process, where we’ll continue to assess whether working together feels like the right match for your needs. I may ask you about what you’ve been feeling, how you hope therapy can help, and what brought you to therapy at this particular time.
Scroll down to get in touch!
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Therapy works best and has the most lasting effects when done consistently. Under most circumstances, I ask patients to come at the same time each week, for 50-minute sessions. If you are seeking a greater depth of therapeutic work, it is always an option to meet more frequently.
The duration of our work together is something we'll revisit and discuss periodically.
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Individual Sessions $185
Couple Sessions $200
A portion of my practice operates on a sliding scale. If affordability is a concern, feel free to contact me. I'm happy to talk through your options.
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As an out-of-network provider, I do not accept insurance directly. I can give you a detailed superbill that you can submit to your insurance for reimbursement if you have a PPO plan.
Before we get started, I always suggest checking with your insurance company to find out what your out-of-network mental health benefits look like. Make sure to ask about percentage of reimbursement, deductibles, session limits, and anything else they may require from you. The goal is to have no surprises!
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Both! I see clients in person in Pasadena and virtually throughout California. Virtual sessions happen on a secure, HIPAA-compliant video platform.
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To avoid being charged the full fee for your session, please notify me at least 24 hours in advance if you will be missing a session.
✹ Get in Touch ✹
No website can really capture what it feels like to work together. For that, we’ll need to have a conversation.
If something here resonates with you, I invite you to reach out. We can set up a free 20-minute phone consultation to explore whether we might be a good fit.
Call, email, or use the form to contact me.
phone: (323) 989-3594
email: nessbatykotherapy@gmail.com