Carrie Grubisic, MS, LMFT, LPCC

Hello there! I’m Carrie Grubisic and am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a

Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor. I am also an Eye Movement Desensitization and

Reprocessing (EMDR) certified therapist, meaning I have specific training and experience in   a highly effective type of trauma recovery therapy.

I’m so glad you’re here! Looking for a therapist means you are actively taking steps in seeking to understand yourself, heal, and grow. If you’re anything like most of us who have sought out therapy as a healing tool, you’re probably feeling overwhelmed and lost but willing to do just about anything to feel better. You’ve also probably tried just about everything other than therapy to feel better at this point and have come up flat. You might be coming to therapy feeling drained, frustrated, and weary. I get that and hope to offer you a soft landing space in which to heal and recover.

It can feel daunting as you look around for the right person to share your story with. I

understand that your story is sacred, and I want to share a little about my approach and myself so that you can evaluate if we seem like a good fit for each other. Finding a therapist who you feel comfortable with is actually one of the best predictors of symptom reduction in therapy.

My approach is very relational. I believe that much of the pain we experience develops due to harmful relationships. I also believe that healing from that requires experiencing healthy

relationships with others, including your relationship with your therapist. We might try to heal on our own, but the truth is we are relational beings, and we need others. I aim to partner with clients and go at a pace that is right for them. Sometimes, that requires slowing things down to really listen to what our bodies are telling us we are feeling and needing in the moment. Sometimes we need to just talk about everything we have been through and that is helpful. Sometimes we need to first learn how to regulate ourselves so that telling our story does not re-traumatize us. Other times, we don’t even need to talk about our stories but just need to retrain our brain to remain calm when a sensitive part of our story is triggered. That’s where EMDR therapy comes in and has been a total “game changer” for many people recovering from trauma. I’m also a believer that knowledge is power. I explain the techniques I’m using and current research in the field to my clients along the way. My ultimate goal is to work myself out of a job and equip you with the tools you need to essentially be your own “therapist” one day.

I truly feel like each person’s story has meaning and significance. I’ve worked with all different kinds of folks, from all different walks of life. I’ve worked with incarcerated individuals, mandated clients, people struggling with addiction, people without homes, people with multiple homes, toddlers in foster care, struggling teens with solid upbringings, whole families, young adults, aging adults, whole families, couples, and clients who feel stable but want to better understand their inner world. I’ve helped clients understand and reduce symptoms from diagnoses such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, bipolar disorder, psychosis, OCD, and more. I feel like I learn something from every client I work with and feel so fortunate to be invited to help people make sense of their stories and heal.

I was drawn to therapy as a career after therapy changed my life. I experienced a lot of

hardships and harmful relationships, particularly in my teen years. When I went to college,

those experiences really started catching up with me and I experienced horrible insomnia and a hard time regulating my emotions. Therapy has been an incredible healing tool in my life, and I wanted to help others experience how transformative it can be. When I’m not providing therapy, you can find me dancing and singing and generally acting ridiculous. Once a thespian, always a thespian! I have a boisterous husband who immigrated from Croatia, the sweetest baby boy born in December 2022, and a Westie dog named Hiccup.

I know the next hardest part is just making a phone call. I have a feeling you will be so glad you got over this hump once you do though. I’m happy to answer any questions you might have, and it would be a pleasure to walk with you on your healing journey.

** California License Numbers: LPCC12848/ LMFT132250**