Dr. Sandra Cohen | Psychotherapy & Psychoanalysis In Beverly Hills, CA

I’m Dr. Sandra Cohen, a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst in private practice in Beverly Hills, California. Welcome to my website.

As you explore this site, you’ll notice that I do both psychotherapy and psychoanalysis. I see adults and teenagers who come into therapy as a result of many different psychological problems.

When I work, I use my psychoanalytic training and understanding to offer the best help I can, whether you enter once or twice per week psychotherapy or more in-depth psychoanalysis.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I moved my practice to Teletherapy. I have returned to seeing vaccinated patients in my office in Beverly Hills with COVID protocol in place. I am also continuing to practice teletherapy to offer my services to those living outside greater Los Angeles and in all of California. Zoom is HIPAA compliant and confidential.

You might have questions and concerns about how to make Teletherapy work for you. I hope I can answer some of them here:

How Does Teletherapy Work?

Will you be able to feel my presence and form the kind of close bond with me you need? Will I be able to help with the things you’re struggling with if we work remotely? I assure you that you can. I do everything possible to engage with you and talk about anything you’re feeling, including these concerns. Please bring this up in our first consultation.

Maybe you’re also wondering about privacy. If you are quarantining with family or small children, will you have this ingredient that is so essential to a therapeutic relationship? Many clients go for walks during our sessions. If walking and talking won’t work for you, we’ll brainstorm other creative solutions.

We can discuss these and any other questions you have in the 25-minute complimentary consultation I offer. Call or email anytime to make an appointment. You can reach me at either (310) 273-4827 or sandracohenphd.com. I look forward to having the opportunity to work with you. We can resolve any difficulties you’re having so that you can move forward in your life.

If we work together, I will put my experience and training to use in a personal way, just for you. From the beginning of my long career, I have taken my clinical work seriously. Because of this, I made a commitment long ago to have the most effective skills possible.

Psychoanalytic Training

In 1994, I honored this commitment by going into psychoanalytic training. As a result, I’ve earned a Psy.D. and a certification in psychoanalysis, in addition to my Ph.D. Along with my Psy.D. and certification, I’ve gained an in-depth experience. And, as a result, I have more understanding of complicated psychological symptoms to use to help you.

I’m deeply involved in the psychoanalytic world of empathic insight. Consequently, I extend this commitment to teaching others. This led me to become a Training and Supervising Analyst at the Psychoanalytic Center of California (PCC) in Los Angeles. As part of my investment in training, I was Dean and Chair of the Education Committee at PCC from 2008 to 2011. I continue to teach and supervise.

Dr. Sandra Cohen’s Private Practice

My private practice and psychotherapy work are at the heart of what I do. In fact, I am devoted to helping people and have developed a number of specializations over the years. These include early trauma (I’ve had years of experience in the aftereffects of sexual abuse). Panic attacks, anxiety, and obsessive worry. Hypochondria. Borderline personality. Eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, and restriction). Persistent depression. Self-injury (cutting). Bipolar disorder. Dissociation. Difficulties moving on after a loss. Relationship challenges. Creative blocks. And, for those of you who haven’t found the right help: failed previous therapies.

Dr. Cohen’s Writing

I also love to write both professionally and creatively. So, I actively write on this website blog, on Medium.com, and on my charactersonthecouch.com blog. In these ways, I reach out to the general public with an understanding of the various symptoms and struggles they have.

Because I love to write and learn, I served as an associate member of the North American Editorial Board of the International Journal of Psychoanalysis (IJPA) from 1999-2000. And, in 2010, I published a film essay on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in the IJPA.

Recently, I’ve written a chapter in a new volume on the work of Pedro Almodovar. The book is entitled, Pedro Almodóvar: A Cinema of Desire, Passion, and Compulsion edited by Arlene Kramer Richards, Lucille Spira with Merle Molofsky. It was published by IP Books in 2019. You can find my chapter here, on Almodovar’s 2009 film, Broken Embraces.

Additionally, in March 2021, I published a paper in The Psychoanalytic Study of The Child. The focus of the article is on the history and contributions of my two great-aunts, Marie H. Briehl and Rosetta Hurwitz. My great-aunts trained in Vienna with Anna Freud and were instrumental in bringing child psychoanalysis to the United States in 1930. Marie created the first child psychoanalytic training program in Los Angeles.

Creatively, I constantly work on other writings. So, take a look at my blog, Characters on the Couch. You’ll see how I use my clinical experience to analyze fictional characters in film and television.

For more about Dr. Sandra Cohen’s writings and presentations, please see my Media page.