I am Franco E. Santos, MA, Marriage & Family Therapist Intern and I can help:

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It is not easy to do, no, to ask for guidance, to ask for help. For many, doing so would be to admit defeat, to acknowledge that one is weak. But, nothing can be further from the truth. Psychotherapy is an opportunity to explore forgotten strengths.  When all seem hopeless, having a second pair of eyes and ears, someone who is able to empathize and, at the same time, look at the situation from a different perspective can mean the difference between further isolation and mental anguish, to living a life of pure potential. Franco E. Santos, M.A., MFTI (Reg. #IMF 61114)

About Me

I am a Marriage and Family Therapist-Intern (Intern No.: IMF 61114) in Tarzana, California. I provide individual counseling, couples/marital counseling, family counseling, parent-child counseling, and group counseling. I help clients find resolution to a wide variety of emotional and relational problems including depression, anxiety, PTSD, and marital/family conflicts.

I attended Phillips Graduate Institute in Encino, California, where I received a Master of Arts degree in Psychology with emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT). I received my Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from California State University, Northridge (CSUN).  I had served three years of active duty with the U.S. Army and five years with the U.S. Army Reserves.  Currently, I am a professor of psychology at DeVry University.

In Practice : Theoretical Orientation/Modality:

I believe in the collaborative process in therapy.  I feel that therapy is a partnership, a journey undertaken by the client and the therapist, and, for therapy to succeed, its foundation must lie upon mutual respect and curiosity.

In the initial stages of psychotherapy, I use a process known as Bowen Family Systems theory to guide the client in the exploration of the client's significant family history and to help both of us understand the contributing factors that has led to the client's problems and the client's automatic coping/response mechanism.  As psychotherapy progresses, these automatic coping mechanisms are challenged.  Among other theories, I incorporate Cognitive Behavior Therapy to examine the benefits and consequences of the client's current response mechanisms to current functioning as well as explore and challenge underlying thoughts and feelings that contribute to the maintenance of maladaptive behavior.  In therapy, alternatives are examined, and out-of-session activities are discussed, assigned and encouraged to facilitate real world practice of in-session insights.

Personal Philosophy, Existentialism:

As a way of life, Existentialism places great importance on the here and now. It requires the acknowledgment that life is passing and to attain happiness, one must stop and appreciate the beauty of one’s surroundings, to choose one’s company, to consciously participate in everything that life has to offer rather than allow the self to be lulled into a false sense of security that life is everlasting. By taking an active role in life along with all its little nuances and decision making, the person ceases to become a victim of his environment, but the ultimate person to decide of what he/she will become.

In later stages of therapy, I incorporate existentialism by challenging the client who, oftentimes has become an expert at looking only at the negative side of his/her life, to take a close look and examine life's positive aspects, including those of the client's strengths and relationships, that the client has forgotten or become blinded.

I am Franco Espeleta Santos, and I can help...