Diana Dowds

Diana Dowds Quick Facts

Main Areas: Concerns include anger, stress, depression, anxiety, abuse, low self-esteem, grief/loss, marital counseling and relationship issues, sexual and communication problems, LGBTQ support, aging, parenting skills, and life transitions. Life is a journey and every journey begins with a single step in the right direction. If you're ready for the help and healing you need to begin your journey and want to welcome hope and health into your life, call now.
Best Sellers: I work with adults, teens, kids, couples, families, and groups.
Career Focus: YOU CAN DO IT, AND I CAN HELP.

Hi.  I'm a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) in private practice in downtown San Pedro.  I work with adults, teens, kids, couples, families, and groups.  With more than ten years experience as a clinician and a teacher, I’m practical, hard-working, and effective.  Competent in an eclectic base of theoretical orientations with specialization in emotionally-focused therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, crisis intervention, geropsychology, adolescents, and sexual concerns, I have a particular sensitivity to diverse populations. 

Prior to starting my practice, I planned, organized, and implemented a counseling group as an integral part of a community clinic’s healthcare mission.  With full responsibility for program startup, administrative growth, trainee/intern clerical supervision, and client management, I gained invaluable experience in providing effective therapies both within the clinic and in local schools.  For many years I also worked for Boys Town California (Father Flanagan’s Boys Town), supporting and developing direct-care residential staff in adolescent assessment and treatment.

Working with local universities, I've served as interim coordinator for a psychology graduate program, facilitated groups, collected and analyzed data for research on cognitive processing, learning disabilities, and intelligence, and taught effective communication, comprehensive integration, and metacognitive learning courses.  My teaching experience also includes training as a reading specialist, and I've taught proficiency seminars to all ages across the nation.

Currently pursuing doctorates in both Clinical and Educational Psychologies, I'm also seeking licensure as a psychologist.  I have a master's degree in Clinical Psychology/Marriage and Family Therapy, and a summa cum laude bachelor's degree in Psychology/Sociology.
 

Professional affiliations include:

• American Psychological Association [APA]
• Western Psychological Association [WPA]
• California Association of Marital and Family Therapy [CAMFT]
• American Education Research Association [AERA]
• American Association of University Women [AAUW]
• Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society
• Psi Chi National Honor Society in Psychology
• Alpha Kappa Delta Honor Society in Sociology

YOU CAN DO IT, AND I CAN HELP.