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 choose to enter once or twice a week psychotherapy or a more in-depth psychoanalysis.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I have moved my practice to Teletherapy by either Zoom or telephone, in line with my colleagues and most psychotherapists in California. Both Zoom and telephone are HIPAA compliant and confidential. My current exclusive use of Teletherapy in this difficult time is to keep all of us safe. I look forward to continuing my office practice when we can.

You might have questions and concerns about how to make Teletherapy work for you.

Will you be able to feel my presence and form the kind of close bond with me you need to get help for 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 to talk about anything you’re feeling, including these concerns. Please bring this up in our first consultation.

If you are quarantining with family or small children, will you have the privacy 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 at either (310) 273-4827 or sandracohenphd.com. I look forward to having the opportunity to work with you in resolving your difficulties and moving forward in any of the ways you need.

When we work together, I will put my experience and training to use in a personal way 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, 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 at 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; 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 failed previous therapies.

Dr. Cohen’s Writing

I also love to write both professionally and creatively. I use my writing on this website blog, on YourTango.com, and on my charactersonthecouch.com blog to reach out to the general public with understanding of various symptoms and struggles they have.

Professionally, I served as an associate member of the North American Editorial Board of the International Journal of Psychoanalysis (IJPA) from 1999-200. In 2010, I published a film essay on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in the IJPA.

I’ve also 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.

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 2021.

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

For other writings and presentations, please see my Media page.