My Approach
My approach to therapy is multifaceted. Healing and finding greater ease and connection with yourself and in the world includes integrating and knowing and feeling that there is space for all of yourself—your mind, body, and spirit, and all aspects of your identity.
I integrate talk therapy with other modalities, including mind/body easing methods like Somatic Experiencing, AEDP (Accelerated Experiential Dymanic Psychotherapy), EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), CRM (the Comprehensive Resource Model), as well as PACT (Psychobiological Approach to Couple Therapy). These modalities allow us to work with traumatic experiences, including attachment trauma that stemmed from family as well as other systems, and trauma around race/culture/ethnicity/religion/gender/sexuality; find ways to recognize safety in your body and to self-regulate and co-regulate; and approach therapy in an integrative, holistic way.
I try not to make assumptions about other people’s experiences. Instead I aim to make more space for you to show up, and just be, as you are. I will collaborate with you through your process, bringing curiosity and openness to our work together.
Mahyar Nili, LMFT, SEP (she/they)
Mahyar Nili is a trauma-informed, holistic, somatic, neurodiversity-loving, Islamo-friendly, invisible illness/disability understanding, bicultural therapist of color. They specialize in supporting first- and second-generation immigrants, SWANA, BIPOC, Neurodivergent people (AuDHD, Autistic, ADHD, sensory processing, highly sensitive, late diagnosed, self-diagnosed, exploring,….) chronically ill and disabled people, people with PMDD, people experiencing perimenopause and menopause, QTBIPOC, LGBTQQIA, non-binary people, women, and people of all genders and sexualities, cultural workers, activists, artists and other creatives, and all spiritual people.
Mahyar is a Marriage Family Therapist and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner with training in AEDP (Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy), EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), Kathy Kain’s Somatic Skills Online, Brainspotting, CRM (Comprehensive Resource Model), and PACT (Psychobiological Approach to Couple Therapy). She has an MA in Counseling Psychology, with an emphasis in Expressive Arts Therapy, from California Institute of Integral Studies, and BA’s in Art, and Gender Studies, with concentrations in intersectional and global feminisms, summa cum laude, from UCLA.
Mahyar is a conversational Farsi speaker. She is dedicated to an ongoing practice of decolonization, and ongoing learning of social justices, including a commitment to disability justice, neurodivergent affirmative care, in movement towards collective liberation. They love dancing, hanging out with trees, spending time with loved ones, resisting as well as resting and connecting.
Licenure
I am licensed under my legal name, Nina Mahyar Nili as a Marriage Family Therapist in CA (90969), and OR (T2937)
Words people have used to describe working with Mahyar:
comfortable, accepting, understanding, affirming, safe
“Mahyar brings deep compassion and wisdom to our work, and helped me tremendously to just listen to, notice and be present with what happens, allowing me to just sit with intense feelings and let them pass. I’ve been able to work gently and easily through pain and lingering traumas I wasn’t even aware of (but my body certainly was). Mahyar’s presence, thoughtfulness and willingness to show up and do the work with clients is beautiful and transformative. Anyone would be lucky (and smart) to work with her.” ~ offered by R.T. after doing Somatic Experiencing with Mahyar