Today we’d like to introduce you to Sharon Arbel.
Hi Sharon, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m a Clinical Psychologist and owner of a group practice based in Encino. We see clients from all over Los Angeles but also virtually throughout California, Florida, and New York, where I am licensed as well. I completed my PhD in 2009 and soon after became licensed and opened my private practice. Working as an individual clinician quickly became unmanageable as my caseload filled up quickly and I had to start turning clients away. Given my experience as a professor for masters and doctoral level psychology students, and as a former clinical director in the agency world, I began to expand my practice by taking on interns and providing them with stellar supervision and training. My goal was to create duplicates of myself by instilling in newer clinicians all the knowledge and experience that I had gained along the way. It worked! The practice grew into something I am super proud of. A clinic that upholds the highest standards of practice and ethics. A place where incredible humans with warmth, dedication, and skill come together to support the community in all the many ways we do.
At our practice we offer wraparound services that not only support the individual, but the entire relationship or family that is struggling. We provide meaningful and transformative therapy services, top notch testing and assessment, biofeedback, group support, executive functioning coaching, as well as training and consultation for groups, schools and organizations.
I have been in this field for over 20 years. I started as a 19 year old working with children managing Autism, at a time where thorough training for such work was not available. It was sink or swim. I swam! Since then, I’ve been fortunate enough to gather great experience and training in many aspects of psychology and mental health ranging from testing to couples therapy, to domestic violence, family therapy, behavior support and more. This allows me to understand clients and families struggling with many different issues. It also allows me to train my staff on a variety of issues, symptoms, and clinical presentations.
Two years ago I expanded the virtual leg of my practice to Florida and New York by obtaining a license in those states. I have also recently launched an executive functioning training program, called Focus Forward, that is fully virtual and can be accessed from anywhere in the U.S. It is a groundbreaking program because it leverages neuroplasticity, and the brain’s ability to grow and rewire by utilizing interventions and methods that are based in neuroscience and are scientifically proven to change the brain. I am super excited to launch this program and I know that it is very much a necessity right now across age groups. We are living our lives in a manner that pulls our attention in a multitude of different directions, and actually weakens the brain over time. Focus Forward is a structured program, tailored to the individual’s specific areas of deficit. It moves completely away from the on-the-fly, ad-hoc manner in which executive functioning coaching is typically done, and into structured and empirically supported systems, that can be individualized to the client’s needs and weaknesses.
This work is my passion. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else that is nearly as meaningful and rewarding as being a Psychologist. I consider myself super blessed to be able to help people transform their lives and help new clinicians blossom into wonderful and strong professionals.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My road hasn’t been easy. For starters, I was not prepared to run a business. I received stellar training but only in psychology and not at all in the various aspects that are needed to run a business. I needed to learn quickly and efficiently about marketing, accounting, Human Resources and all the other roles and hats of being a business owner. In addition, I am a mother of three amazing boys and I love my role as a mom, which makes running a business sometimes challenging. I need to consistently put effort towards creating a delicate balance between my work and family life, and of course never to forget myself. I have too many people relying on me for me for me to neglect my own well being.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
What sets this practice apart of others is its wraparound approach and its incredibly high standard of care. As the Chief Psychologist and owner of this practice, I have spent many years meticulously studying what people actually need, what works, and what doesn’t. A large proportion of my time weekly goes towards training my staff and equipping them with top notch knowledge, education, and experience. I don’t take this work lightly and I am not interested in wasting people’s time. I think people come to us when they’re in need and to know exactly how to help them and be most efficient is a skill that I have mastered over time. I think people know that about me and about this practice. I don’t compromise on the standard of this work.
The same goes for our newest service, Focus Forward. I took 20 years of clinical experience in understanding brains and learning, behavior, attention, and so on, and integrated it all into a structured program that starts with an assessment and then targets the individual’s three biggest areas of deficit. This is very different than how executive functioning is currently approached. We are not providing this service as high level tutors, but rather as trained clinicians and experts. We are leveraging neuroscience and years of clinical experience to create real and permanent change in the brain.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
I’m a passionate human being and I bring that passion to everything I do. Beyond the fact that I have high standards for my work, I am also incredibly passionate about it. I do not take it for granted that I get to hold this role in other people’s lives. In fact, I am completely honored and humbled by it. I think people feel my passion for this work and my unwavering commitment to excellence and that is why they trust me with their families, with their marriages, with their mental health and with their well being.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.arbelassociates.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drsharonarbel/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharon-arbel-9a9a1585/
