Meet the Therapist
Donald Goodman, LCSW
Therapy should only feel as though the client and I are exchanging dialog back and forth. I want therapy to make sense to the client.
Top Five Areas of Specialty:
Understanding and Treating Childhood Trauma
Couples Counseling
Youth Sports and Parenting/Family Dynamics
Teen Issues
Substance Abuse
My Experience
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and trained mediator with over 25 years of experience providing psychotherapy and counseling services. Over my career I have helped my clients with a wide range of issues, but my specialties lie in couples counseling, children and teen issues, and all types of addictions and substance abuse. I also have extensive experience working with sexual abuse and domestic violence.
I spent over six years working with the Child’s Sexual Abuse Program where I provided group therapy to victims, siblings of victims, non-offending parents, and perpetrators.
I have spent over 25 years working in child and family welfare helping individuals, couples, and families, from intake to reunification or adoption.
I have over 25 years of experience dealing with juvenile delinquency, runaways, self-mutilations, ADHD, homicide, and suicide ideations.
Years of Experience Working with Substance Abuse and Addictions
Years of Experience Working in Mental Health
Years of Experience Working in the Child's Sexual Abuse Program
Years of Experience Working in Child and Family Welfare
Organizations
Clinical Supervisor for Associate Social Workers
Former Financial Chair for the National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
Former Field Instructor for the California State University (CSUN) Master’s in Social Work Program
Seminar Instructor at California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA) for four years
Education:
Master’s Degree in Social Work, University of Nevada (UNLV), Las Vegas, Nevada
Bachelor of Arts Degree, California State University (CSUN), Northridge, California
Working With Me
Coming from a troubled past, my path to become a therapist has been an exciting, wonderful, life changing experience. I received my undergraduate degree in Philosophy where I critically evaluated how we should treat others as well as ourselves. Ultimately, I realized that “serving man” was how I wanted to make my life meaningful.
In 1997, I obtained my first job working in the helping profession at an outpatient psychiatric hospital for children and adolescents and quickly a second job at another psychiatric hospital working with adults. In these first two places of employment to this day, I believe that I have seen man in his most painful state. What I learned was, I can handle it and this field is where I want to be.
While I pursued my Master’s degree in Social Work I worked at an outpatient drug treatment program as the lead juvenile drug and alcohol counselor. I was exposed to every aspect of drug and alcohol addiction. I evaluated and assessed new clients, conducted individual and group therapy, provided in writing and in person reports to court, and developed and implemented new material for the program. I gained experience treating anything from moderate marijuana and alcohol use to chronic, physiological dependent heroin addicts.
In 2001, after receiving my Master’s in Social Work, I accepted employment at the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) working as a Children’s Social Worker. Working in Children and Family Welfare furthered my clinical skills as I gained professional experience, assessing safety and risk, managing crisis, stabilizing family situations, and learning about the court processes whether dependency or family law.
In conjunction with my work at DCFS, I began teaching at CSULA and in 2005 I obtained my Clinical License. In 2007, I opened my own private practice in the city of Valencia. my specialties are couples counseling, teen issues, all addiction related issues, and all child trauma related problems.
What separates me from other therapists is my ability to connect to the client. I believe that it is critical that the client feels validated and understood.
I believe that through my journey, I have been through many of the painful experiences that enables me to understand others. I have also mastered the ability to separate my past from the journey of my clients.