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“What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us.”
-Emerson
“Your pain is the breaking of a shell which encloses your understanding.”
-Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet
Meet Dr. Carol Hughes
I am a California-licensed Marriage, Family, and Child Therapist, EMDR therapist with advanced training, and board-certified in clinical hypnosis with over 30 years of experience. Before becoming a therapist, I was a high school foreign language teacher and the crisis intervention counselor.
As a sophomore in high school, fascinated by the power of the subconscious mind, I began studying psychoneuroimmunology, the field of mind-body healing. I continued this field of study, which eventually led me to earn a master's degree in Counseling Psychology and a doctorate in Clinical Psychology, achieving both summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa honors. I am also a two-time Fulbright Scholar.
For ten years, concurrently with my private practice, I also served as an Associate Professor of Human Services at Saddleback College, the last three years of which I was the Lead Professor for the Annual International Eating Disorders Institute.
Currently, I divide my practice between counseling, psychotherapy, collaborative divorce practice, divorce mediation, and post-divorce coparenting issues.
Freide
Perhaps the most important ancillary service in my practice is my canine co-therapist. Freide, a yellow Labrador, whose name means "Peace" in German.
Once we turn our attention to our pain, we find ourselves at a crossroads. Do we take the road of traditional Western medicine or the road of integrative medicine? Both ancient wisdom and quantum physics teach us that what we pay attention to grows stronger and becomes more "real." The path of traditional Western medicine teaches us to focus on our pain and attempt to reduce it. In contrast, integrative medicine affirms the contributions of Western medicine while recognizing the profound interconnection of mind, body, and spirit, the body's innate healing capabilities, and the role of self-responsibility in the healing process. When we focus on this interconnection, we empower our capacity to heal ourselves. Holistic psychotherapy is a branch of integrative medicine whose purpose is to help us understand that our life is out of balance.
By using treatment modalities that interweave the tough-minded science of behavioral change, the ancient wisdom of traditional healing, and the inspiration of the creative arts, I can help you achieve peace by understanding how you can heal and empower yourself.