Therapy for Young Adults in Pasadena &los Angeles
You have done the things you were supposed to do. And somewhere underneath all of it, there is a question you have not had time to sit with yet.
Who am I, actually? Not the resume version. The actual one.
What brings young adults to therapy
Early adulthood is harder than anyone tells you it will be. The structure of school disappears, the questions that seemed abstract start to feel urgent, and the anxiety that was manageable before has a way of getting louder once there is less to distract from it.
People find their way to my practice for a lot of different reasons. A relationship that is bringing up patterns they do not understand. A sense of being stuck that coexists with looking fine from the outside. Questions about identity, sexuality, or gender that have never had a real space to breathe. The particular weight of being the most functional person in a family of origin, with no map for what that means now.
You do not need to arrive with it figured out. That is what the work is for.
The particular Pressure of Right Now
Developmental researchers increasingly recognize emerging adulthood, roughly ages 18 to 25, as a distinct life stage. It is defined by identity exploration, instability, and the feeling of being in-between. This a real developmental phase, and it is genuinely hard.
The patterns you build in this window tend to become the foundation for everything that follows. How you relate to yourself, to other people, to ambition and intimacy and rest. Working on them now, while they are still relatively new, is a lot more efficient than excavating them at 40.
75% of all lifetime mental health conditions emerge by age 24. Early adulthood is also the window where people most consistently fall through the cracks of mental health care. I take that seriously.
A Note on Queer Identity
I am a queer therapist, and I especially enjoy working with young adults who are navigating questions of gender and sexuality alongside everything else early adulthood brings.
If that is part of your experience, you do not have to explain yourself from the beginning or manage how I receive it. I understand, from the inside, what it is like to be figuring out who you are in a world that has a lot of opinions about it.
I work with queer clients in person in Pasadena and throughout California via telehealth.
THERAPY NEAR OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE & ACROSS LOS ANGELES
My office is in Pasadena, a short distance from Occidental College and easily reachable from much of Los Angeles. I also see clients throughout California via telehealth, which works well for people whose schedules or locations make in-person sessions difficult.
If you are a student, a recent graduate, or a few years out and still sorting through who you are now that the map ran out, this is work I do regularly. Reach out when you are curious.
How I Work
I am Kate DellaFera, a licensed clinical social worker based in Pasadena. My background is in trauma, and I bring that lens to everything I do, including work with young adults where trauma is not always the presenting concern but is often part of the picture.
My approach is integrative. Depending on what is most useful, I draw from talk therapy, Internal Family Systems (parts work), EMDR, Pain Reprocessing Therapy, and somatic approaches for when the body is holding something that conversation has not reached.
I do not have a program you go through. I have a set of tools and a lot of attention, and we figure out together what actually helps.
ABOUT ME
I received my Masters in Social Work from University of Southern California, and my Bachelor’s Degree in Individualized Study from New York University. I have a diverse background that informs my psychotherapy work, from my first career in the music industry, to a lifelong yoga practice. As a social worker, I am trained to consider all aspects of your experience, from your environment
My experience in social work and psychotherapy began on Skid Row where I worked with the unhoused community and began my training in trauma work. I then went on to continue my practice at Pasadena Trauma Therapy where I was extensively trained in working with CPTSD and dissociation. As a queer therapist, I deeply enjoy working with fellow queer individuals that have trauma backgrounds. I have supported folks through anxiety, depression, PTSD/CPTSD, life changes, attachment issues, boundary struggles, nervous system dysregulation, relationship and intimacy issues, and more.
I am a native New Yorker who is now happy to call Los Angeles home. In my spare time, I enjoy practicing yoga, cooking, and exploring the beautiful nature that California has to offer. I feel honored to do this work and witness my clients in moments of vulnerability and transformation. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you are curious about how we might work together.
ABOUT ME
EDUCATION
University of Southern California, MSW, Social Work
New York University, BA, Individualized Study (Music & Culture)
TRAINING
Trauma Resiliency Model Levels (TRM) - Trauma Resource Institute
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) - The Institute of Creative Mindfulness
Brainspotting (Phase 1) - Pacific Brainspotting
300 Hour Yoga Teacher & Meditation Training - Yogala Studios, Los Angeles
Katherine (Kate) DellaFera, LCSW
#123322
ADDRESS
402 S. Marengo Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101
PHONE NUMBER
(323) 524-8354