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 a many different psychological problems. When I work, I use my psychoanalytic training and understanding to offer the best help I can.
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. With my Psy.D. and certification, I’ve gained in-depth experience. And, as a result, I have more understanding of complicated psychological symptoms. All of this, I can use to help you.
I’m deeply involved in the psychoanalytic world of empathic insight. Consequently, I extend this commitment to teaching others. Which led me to become a Training and Supervising Analyst at the Psychoanalytic Center of California (PCC) in Los Angeles.
As a part of my investment in training, I was Dean and Chair of the Education Committee at PCC from 2008 to 2011. I now continue to teach and supervise.
Private Practice
Currently, my private practice and psychotherapy work is the heart of what I do. Specifically, my specializations include: Early trauma (with years of experience in the aftereffects of sexual abuse). Panic attacks; anxiety; and OCD. Eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, and restriction). Persistent depression. Self-injury (cutting). Bipolar disorder. Dissociation. Relationship problems. Creative blocks. And failed previous therapies.
Dr. Cohen’s Writing
I also love to write both professionally and creatively.
Professionally, I served as an associate member of the North American Editorial Board of the International Journal of Psychoanalysis (IJPA) from From 1999-200. In 2010, I published a film essay on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in the IJPA.
Also, I’ve recently written a chapter in a new volume on the work of Pedro Almodovar. Pedro Almodóvar: A Cinema of Desire, Passion and Compulsion edited by Arlene Kramer Richards, Lucille Spira with Merle Molofsky. Just published by IP Books in 2019, you can find my chapter there, on Almodovar’s 2009 film, Broken Embraces.
And, besides that. The journal, The Psychoanalytic Study Of The Child, has accepted my paper on the history of my two great-aunts, Marie H. Briehl and Rosetta Hurwitz. My aunts trained in Vienna with Anna Freud and were instrumental in bringing child analysis to the U.S.This article will be published in 2020.
Creatively, I constantly work on other writings. Take a look at my blog, Characters on the Couch (www.charactersonthecouch.com). You’ll see I use my clinical experience to analyze fictional characters in film, television and books.
Professional Memberships
I have professional memberships in the following organizations:
International Psychoanalytic Association (IPA)
Confederation of Independent Psychoanalytic Societies (CIPS)
American Psychological Association (APA)
I am a contributor to internationalpsychoanalyis.net, where I post psychoanalytically informed film pieces and reviews.
I am an expert with the following online publication: YourTango.com, a relationship and self-improvement website.
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