Janae Borrego, LMFT #100276

“The great thing in this world is not so much where we are but in which direction we are moving.” -Oliver Wendell Holmes

Hi, My name is Janae and I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I earned my Masters of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Azusa Pacific University with an emphasis on Marriage and Family Therapy, after earning my BA in Psychology from Missouri Valley College with a minor in Drug and Alcohol Studies.

I specialize in treating adolescents and adults with trauma, anxiety, depression, and addiction. I also enjoy providing support to the LGBTQI+ community and POC and practice an open-minded sex-positive approach to individuals and couples to explore how everyone chooses to express their sexuality. I understand the importance of working to establish a trusting relationship within the therapeutic process to promote openness and change. I work to empower individuals to embrace struggle and overcome future challenges. My approach is client-centered, empowering, motivational, relational and holistic. We can work collaboratively to process difficult emotions, reduce unwanted habits & develop your skillset to live a happier life, and become your most authentic self.

During my clinical experience, I provided individual, group, and family therapies along with crisis management completed assessments and provided diagnosis in community mental, institutionalized hospital, and private sector settings. I have also provided telephonic counseling, consultation, crisis management, and referral coordination to human relations, employers, and employees as part of an EAP service. 

Trauma and PTSD

Have you ever experienced Adverse Childhood Experiences such as abuse, neglect, household dysfunctions that have had a lifelong impact on you? Have you endured a traumatic experiencing that has left you feeling out of control and scared? Or, have you experienced past, current or ongoing discrimination or prejudice as a result of your race, religion, gender, or sexual preferences that constantly leave you unsettled? 

Trauma symptoms can include intrusive memories, nightmares, flashbacks, distress, emotional reactivity, avoidance, self-blame, negative beliefs, fear/anger/guilt/shame, detachment, inability to experience positive emotions, irritability, self-destructive behavior, hypervigilance, startled response, concentration, repeated negative patterns/habits and sleep disturbances.

I utilize culturally sensitive, trauma-informed care approaches to my work along with evidence-based practices and positive psychology strategies in order to empower those I work with to promote healing as well as build their resiliency and distress tolerance in order to process the trauma. 

LGBTQIA+ Affirming Therapy

Individuals who identify with the LGBTQI+ communities endure many challenges in today’s cisgender heterosexual-oriented society. As a member of the LGBTQI+ community, have you had challenges with discrimination, lack of education by a provider or others in your life, family/relationship issues, self-esteem issues, coming out concerns, substance use, grief, gender identity concerns or traumatic experiences? I work to support individuals in an affirming, creative way that promotes acceptance, understanding, and a renewed commitment to pursuing your life goals. Together, we can resolve life's upsets and challenges. 

Depression, Anxiety, & Mood Disorders:

Experiencing emotional dysregulation, feelings of out of control, and relational struggles? Do you feel like you lack the skills to better manage these concerns?

Depression, anxiety, and stress can result in struggles in feeling pleasure, poor self-esteem, lethargy, poor motivation, sleep disturbance, intense sadness, irritability, appetite issues, slowed thinking, poor concentration, physical symptoms, negative thinking, thoughts of death, or wanting to harm yourself, panic, racing thoughts, nervousness, restlessness, rapid heart rate/breathing, excessive worrying, digestive/gastrointestinal issues, avoidance, obsessions, and faulty thinking. 

These symptoms can impact our ability to function in various areas of our life thus interfering with an individual’s ability to achieve their personal goals. I utilize Psychodynamic therapy, a form of depth psychology involving the interpretation of mental and emotional processes rather than focusing on behaviors alone. In practice, I seek to help clients find patterns in their emotions, thoughts, and beliefs in order to gain insight and overcome personal struggles with depression, anxiety, and mood disorders.

Evidence-Based Practices:

I utilize a variety of evidence-based practices as well as implement an eclectic approach that best supports you individually in meeting your treatment goals. A few listed here below.  

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: CBT is an effective way to help with identifying negative thought patterns and irrational beliefs. By identifying these negative patterns and core beliefs, we can reframe these thoughts into more positive ones, therefore changing our feelings and behaviors.

Mindfulness practice: Mindfulness is a skill that helps us stay in the present, without interpretation or judgment. It helps to relax the body and mind, decreasing stress and anxiety. Mindfulness may include imagery, guided meditation, and deep breathing exercises.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): EMDR is a modality that helps to alleviate traumatic or blocked memories. It uses bilateral stimulation (BLS-eye movements or tapping) to stimulate both the left and right hemispheres of the brain, for the purpose of helping the brain heal and connect to new information.

Solution Focused Therapy (SFT): Solution Focused Therapy encourages solution-building, focusing on current resources and future hopes in order to utilize own strengths to achieve true potential in resolving current stressors. 

Dialectical Behavior Therapy: There is evidence that DBT can be useful in treating mood disorders, suicidal ideation, and for change in behavioral patterns such as self-harm, and substance abuse. Some individuals who have a history of trauma can experience intense emotions leading to unhealthy behaviors, which can be processed through DBT. DBT involves working on mindfulness practices, distress tolerance and emotional regulation as well as interpersonal effectiveness.

I provide individual therapy sessions for 50 minutes/$150 per session and couples therapy sessions for 50 minutes/$170 per session.

Feel free to contact me for a free 20-minute consultation.