You may seem fine on the outside, but be suffering on the inside. My clients are often intelligent, talented, or successful people who feel alone in their problem.  

You may be having difficulty with certain events in your life and revisiting the past or worrying about the future may be keeping you up at night. Your relationships and sense of vitality may feel at risk, leaving you without hope for change. This does not have to continue. At any given moment, you have the power to say “this is not OK." I can help. You don’t have to be alone.

Life is precious. Realizing you need help and seeking it are the most important steps to making satisfying changes. Working as a team, we can take the next steps and identify what you really need and the changes you need to make to live an authentic, meaningful, and vibrant life.

Education

Shirley Pakdaman, Psy.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist in California (PSY26413) with over a decade of education and training in psychology. Dr. Pakdaman completed a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University, a program accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA). She also holds an MA in Psychology from Pepperdine University and a BA in Communication Studies and Mass Media with honors from UCLA.

Advanced Training & Clinical Experience

Dr. Pakdaman completed an Advanced Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System in women’s health and continued advanced practice in treating depression, insomnia, anxiety, trauma, and PTSD. Dr. Pakdaman has a passion for helping parents have better relationships with their children and completed fellowship research in facilitating a Mindful Parenting program for parents struggling with stress.

Dr. Pakdaman completed an APA accredited internship at Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System, where she received specialty training in insomnia, substance abuse, health psychology (including pre-procedure evaluations), and psychotherapy. She has worked at USC Student Counseling Services as a therapist and crisis intervention counselor, at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior conducting neuropsychological assessment of degenerative conditions and brain injury, and at the Pepperdine Community Counseling Center as a therapist, mentor, and supervisor.

Consultant, University Faculty, & Author

Dr. Pakdaman is also currently practicing at premier global law firms as a Well Being Consultant. Dr. Pakdaman has served as an adjunct clinical professor at Pepperdine University. In addition to her clinical work, she is a published author in the fields of mindfulness and ethical clinical supervision of psychology trainees.