BLOG: 

DrGwenF.blogspot.com

I welcome your comments.

EDUCATION:

       My education was and continues to be focused on psychology, counseling psychology, grief counseling, theology and interfaith counseling.  I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (Lic. #47627) and I am trained as a psychodynamic psychotherapist, which is informed by Attachment Theory and Existentialism. I practice within the scope of a marriage and family therapist (which includes invidual, couples, and group therapy), with specializations in grief counseling, hypnosis, and spiritual counseling.  I possess all the necessary certifications and 35+ years of experience to assert my expertise in these areas. 

 PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

      I discovered hypnosis when I was still in high school and it fascinated me.  Fast forward several years, while I was the Executive Director of a rape crisis center (which I co-founded,) I used hypnosis to help sexual assault victims prepare for the harrowing ordeal of prosecuting rapists.  Hooked on hypnosis, I've been using it to help clients for the past 30+ years. 

      I worked for 35+ years in the non-profit sector, variously as an executive director, a therapist, a psychiatric social worker, and a chaplain. I worked as a mental health therapist in multiple qualified settings: a foster care agency, three hospices, a locked facility for the chronically mentally ill, a domestic violence shelter, and a couple of community counseling centers. I was the director of a gang-avoidance program for at-risk middle-school girls, led a Girl Scout troop in a shelter for homeless families, and taught Values Clarification to junior high kids.  In short, my life has revolved around helping others manifest their potential.  This is the work that gives meaning and purpose to the days of my life.

LICENSES, DEGREES and CERTIFICATIONS:

• Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT #47627))
• Ph.D., Pastoral Ministry, with a Specialization in Interfaith Chaplaincy (Counseling)
• M.A., Psychology, with an Emphasis on Marital and Family Therapy
• M.S., Counseling Psychology, with a Specialization in Loss Issues and Bereavement      
• Certified Thanatologist (death, dying, and bereavement) as an educator and counselor
• Certified Consulting Hypnotist
• Certified Parent Educator (#200607210022), Specializing in difficult-to-parent children
• Ordained Interfaith Minister

FEES: 

All services are offered on a sliding scale.  I want you to be able to get the help you need, so call me.  Be honest with me and we will find a mutually acceptable amount that allows you to get the help you want.      

For verification of credentials:  (click site and type "Gwen A. Finestone, Ph.D.")

• The Therapy Directory:                                        www.PsychologyToday.com 
• Therapist Finder--Ca. Asso. of MFTs                    www.TherapistFinder.com 
• Board of Behavioral Sciences (licensing)               http://www.bbs.ca.gov
• Spiritual Directors International:                           http://SDIworld.org/home.html
• National Guild of Hypnotists:                                www.ngh.net
• Association of Death Education and Counseling:   www.adec.org
• The Parent Project:                                             www.parentproject.com
• For public profile, visit:                                         www.linkedin.com

                                     _______________________________________________

                                  Change your attitude and change your life.

Gwen A. Finestone, MFT, PhD                  (714) 658-7488                DrGwenF@yahoo.com

DrGwenF.blogspot.com