Dr. Natalie Van Dusen received her B.A. degree from Kalamazoo College, in Kalamazoo, MI. She received her M.A. and Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from Rosemead School of Psychology in La Mirada, CA. She completed an APA-approved internship and a post-doctoral year of training at Creighton University’s Center for Health and Counseling.

Dr. Van Dusen specializes in working with college/graduate students, adults, and couples. She uses the Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT) approach to facilitate safe, egalitarian relationships between couples. This effective treatment uses the power of emotions to improve understanding of one’s partner and replace destructive patterns with new emotional responses.

In individual therapy, Dr. Van Dusen’s clinical interests include mood and anxiety disorders, interpersonal problems, and personality disorders. She works well with clients who have experienced longstanding difficulties in relationships. Dr. Van Dusen also specializes in psychoeducational testing, including ADHD and Learning Disability evaluations. Getting an accurate diagnosis is often a very important step in treating or improving functioning for individuals who experience these difficulties.

 Dr. Van Dusen draws from a variety of approaches to give each client the treatment that best suits their desires and needs. She focuses on creating a strong therapeutic relationship, which gives clients the safety to explore painful feelings and the opportunity for new emotional experiences. She works with clients to understand their problems, while working toward change. Her style integrates a deep interpersonal/ psychodynamic understanding with pragmatic techniques such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to improve functioning.