freedom
and
fullness
from the inside out
Hi there, my name is Ariella (she/her), and I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Tustin, CA. I’m so glad you’re here. I began my training and experience of holding space for others in a professional setting starting in 2014, when I began working towards my MA in Spiritual Formation and Soul Care at The Institute for Spiritual Formation (ISF), under Talbot School of Theology. In this program I was educated and trained to become a spiritual director. During this time, I also began working in church ministry for 5 years in student ministries working with junior high and high school students. During my ISF degree, the desire to become a psychotherapist was solidified, so I began my MS in Clinical Psychology at Vanguard University in 2018.
My pre-licensed training was completed at The Center for Individual and Family Therapy (CIFT) from 2019-2022, where I was trained under supervisors: Holly Morris LMFT, Jaclyn Yorkey LMFT, Robyn Bettenhausen PsyD, Kevin Cram LFMT, and Shirley Liao PhD. Upon getting my therapy license in April 2022, I began my private practice at Seaside Psychotherapy, co-founded by Shirley Liao PhD and Steven Gros PsyD in Huntington Beach. I now practice therapy in an office space in Old Town Tustin, where I see clients in-person and online. I am also have experience adjunct teaching at Vanguard University’s Graduate Psychology Program, helping pre-licensed therapists learn about theology, spiritual trauma, how to ethically integrate spirituality into therapy experiences for clients who identify as spiritual.
where I started & where I am now
my journey
Ariella Baugh, LMFT #132268
MA Spiritual Formation & Soul Care, Talbot School of Theology
MS Clinical Psychology, Vanguard University
services
individual adults
I enjoy working long term with clients who want to dive deep into their inner life. I partner with my clients to grow in self-understanding, so they can connect to their full sense of self—all the parts of their life story. When we see how past experiences and relationships have shaped who we are, and how this manifests in the present, we can choose new patterns of health, and experience a richer quality of life.
teenagers
I work with teens who are experiencing anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, or relationship issues. I focus on making a safe space where teens can freely and fully be themselves, without fear of judgement. I support my teens wherever they find themselves in life and give them an unbiased sounding board where they can come to know who they are and who they long to be. My teens and I meet one-on-one each week and integrate parent sessions as needed for each family.
couples
I utilize a mixture of Emotion Focused Couples Therapy along with Psychodynamic Therapy with my couples. We work together to understand how they each connect with their partners and what might be getting in the way of safe and intimate relationship. I help my couples understand their communication styles, needs and conflict/comfort cycle. I also enjoy working with couples who are dating or engaged.
my approach
I largely provide treatment from a relational psychodynamic and attachment-based framework which focuses on connecting past relationship experiences and patterns to those in the present. I believe that the formative relationships in our childhood shape us in significant ways, and when we understand the origin of these dynamics, it allows for us to find healing and then choose new patterns in our present and future relationships.
The woundings we endure in life are experienced in the context of relationships. The hopeful news is, this means our healing can also flourish in the midst of emotionally corrective, and safe relationships. Through the therapeutic process, it is my deepest desire that my clients feel safety to acknowledge all the parts of themselves and their story, so they can begin to reintegrate these parts into their full personhood, and live with a sense freedom and wholeness.
Other therapy modalities that are integrated into my practice based on your need are: Attachment Theory, Cognitive Behavioral (CBT), Somatic Therapy, a Psychoanalysis lens, and Trauma focused therapies.
I am also passionate about neurology, which relates to helping you understand how your thoughts affect your life and how neuroplasticity can bring healing.
phone consultation
If anything I have mentioned thus far, resonates with you, please feel free to reach out for a free 15 minute phone consultation. You can do so via email, phone, or the online form linked below.
I wish you all the best in your journey of health and healing.