“The wound is where is the light comes in.”
Rumi
Therapy for Adults With Big Inner Lives, Complex Histories & Quiet Overwhelm — Topanga / Online CA
A steady, thoughtful space to explore what you’ve been carrying inside.
Serving Topanga in person, Los Angeles, and all of California via telehealth.
Maybe you've been moving fast for so long that you've lost touch with what you actually feel. Maybe your body holds things your mind hasn't found words for yet. Maybe you're exhausted from trying to think your way through everything, or from holding it all together on the outside while feeling fragile on the inside.
I work with adults who feel deeply and think deeply—people often shaped by complex family dynamics, childhood emotional wounds, or years of being attuned to everyone but themselves. You might not fit neatly into a diagnosis, but you know something feels tender, heavy, or quietly overwhelming. You might be capable and high-functioning in your life while simultaneously feeling lost, anxious, or disconnected from yourself.
You don't have to figure this out alone, and you don't have to keep pushing through.
This is a space to slow down and actually feel—at your own pace, without pressure to perform or be "fine." Where your body's signals matter as much as your thoughts. Where we can explore not just what happened to you, but what you're still carrying from it.”
How I Work
I practice trauma-informed, body-centered therapy that's relational and collaborative. That means a few things:
I pay attention to your whole experience—not just what you're thinking, but what you're feeling in your body, what wants to emerge naturally, and what the pacing of our work needs to be. Sometimes healing looks like talking and making connections. Sometimes it looks like slowing down enough to notice your breath, or sitting with a feeling without trying to fix it.
I trust your timing. You know, on some level, what you're ready for and what feels too much. I won't push you past your edges or rush you toward insight before you're ready. We move at a pace that respects your nervous system, not an arbitrary timeline.
The relationship between us matters. I'm not a blank screen or a distant expert. I bring my full presence—warm, steady, engaged—and I track not just what you say, but the energy between us, the moments when something shifts, and what feels alive or important to explore.
We work with parts, not against them. The inner critic, the anxious protector, the part that learned to be invisible—these aren't problems to eliminate. They're parts of you that developed for good reasons, and we can get curious about what they're trying to protect you from. As we build trust, you can begin to know what feels true for you, not just what you learned to feel or be.
My approach draws from somatic psychology, attachment theory, Internal Family Systems, and trauma-informed practices. But more than any technique, what I offer is genuine presence, attunement to what's happening in the moment, and trust in your organic process of healing.
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Who I Work With
You might find your way here if:
You've been holding a lot inside for a long time, and you're tired of carrying it alone
Your body feels tense, heavy, or numb, and you sense there are things stored there you haven't been able to access
You're navigating anxiety, old trauma, relationship struggles, or simply feeling stuck or disconnected from yourself
You grew up in a family where you had to be attuned, responsible, or invisible before you were ready
You appear capable and high-functioning on the outside, but inside you feel uncertain, overwhelmed, or like you're barely keeping up
You're sensitive to other people's emotions and energy, sometimes to the point of losing yourself
You hold yourself to impossible standards and have little room for rest, vulnerability, or imperfection
You want therapy that doesn't just help you "cope better," but actually helps you understand yourself more deeply and feel more at home in your own body
If you see yourself in these experiences, you belong here.
There's nothing wrong with the way you feel—there's meaning in it. And we can explore that meaning together, at a pace that feels right for you.
Why I Practice This Way"
I came to this work because I believe healing happens in relationship, not isolation. Because I've seen how powerful it is when someone really listens—not to fix or advise, but to witness and understand. Because I trust the body's wisdom and the organic unfolding of healing more than any protocol or timeline.
I'm trained in multiple modalities, but what guides my work most is a deep respect for your pace, your complexity, and your innate capacity to heal when the conditions are right. My job isn't to change you or fix you—it's to help create those conditions. To offer steady presence, genuine care, and a space where you can finally slow down enough to hear yourself.
If that resonates, I'd be honored to work with you.
What Therapy With Me Looks Like
We meet weekly for 50-minute sessions. Most of my work is long-term and depth-oriented, because real change—the kind that reaches into your nervous system and shifts old patterns—takes time and trust.
Some sessions might include:
Exploring childhood patterns and how they show up in your life now
Noticing what you feel in your body and what those sensations are communicating
Working with different parts of you (the anxious one, the critical one, the tired one)
Slowing down enough to actually be with difficult feelings instead of pushing past them
Understanding your relational patterns and what safety/connection means to you
Building practices that help you feel more grounded in daily life
What therapy with me won't include:
Pressure to "get better" on a timeline
Judgment about your pace, your resistance, or your complexity
One-size-fits-all techniques or homework that doesn't fit you
Me acting like I have all the answers—this is collaborative
You lead. I companion. We figure it out together..
I accept the following insurance:
Aetna, Cigna, TRICARE, and United/Optum
Sessions & Fees
Individual therapy: $170 per 50-minute session
Sliding scale: A limited number of reduced-fee spots are sometimes available. Please ask if cost is a barrier—I want therapy to be accessible when possible.
Insurance accepted: Aetna, Cigna, TRICARE, United/Optum
Where We Meet
In-person: Topanga Canyon (a quiet, grounded space surrounded by nature)
Online: Throughout California via secure telehealth
Clinical Experience
Private Practice – Nicholas O’Madden, LMFT
Individual therapy with adults and young adults; focus on anxiety, depression, self-worth, and complex family dynamics.
Southern California Counseling Center (SCCC)
Social Justice therapy with diverse adult populations in a low-cost community mental health setting.
Airport Marina Counseling Services (AMCS)
Individual and family psychodynamic psychotherapy with adults, teens, and parents in a community-based clinic.
Stepping Stones Group
Therapy and support for children, adolescents, and caregivers navigating emotional, behavioral, and developmental challenges.
Teen Line — Resource Associate & Supervisor
Crisis support, risk assessment, and supervision of teen peer counselors providing emotional support to youth across California.
Getting Started
I know reaching out can feel vulnerable. You might be wondering if therapy will actually help, if I'm the right fit, or if you even "need" it enough.
Here's what I want you to know: If something in you is saying "maybe this," that's enough. You don't have to be in crisis or have everything figured out to start. You just have to be willing to explore what you're carrying with someone who won't judge you for it.
I offer a free initial consultation where we can talk about what you're experiencing and see if working together feels right. No pressure, no performance—just a conversation.