Dean Stahl, AMFT
Dean Stahl (they/them), M.A., Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (CA#137070)
It can be overwhelming to feel deeply.
Not to mention, navigating messages from a society that has very strong opinions about my body, what I eat, and how I live. And yet, as time goes on, my body is the thing that stays with me. Stays with each of us. It’s what connects us to nature. Connects us with each other, and literally gives us life.
My path in life is to integrate body liberation, creativity, and play in order to process trauma. I am a non-binary Associate Marriage and Family Therapist serving people with body image and food issues in California.
As a sensitive queer and non-binary person growing up in the 80s, I didn’t always feel like I belonged. I live with chronic pain, I feel deeply, and so my body can be a painful place. And yet? It's with the body where I’ve found the most liberation. Before becoming a therapist, I worked as a performer, playwright and literary associate, believing in the transformational power of embodied stories. This work informs my practice today.
My clinical training shed a light on the prevalence of disordered eating, and so I worked with Monte Nido Associates at the residential and partial hospitalization program levels as a primary therapist to dive deep into eating disorder recovery and body liberation.
My body, gender, sexuality, spirituality, and artistry reveal more about themselves every day. I see my job as both witness and co-creator of its process.
*Dean is an associate marriage and family therapist (CA #137070) supervised by Matthew Shima, LMFT (CA#113018, HI#718).
Approach to Therapy
My goal is to meet you where you’re at, and co-create a space where you feel safe enough to express yourself. Establishing our relationship, and creating a safer space for you, is my top priority as a therapist.
I come to this work as a child of meditation teachers, a working artist, and a human passionate about decoloniality and deepening our relationships within each other and nature.
I say “within” because interconnectedness is a cornerstone of my approach, both with humans and more than humans. By interconnectedness I mean we develop who we are, and our lives, based on relationships. And it’s through relationships we grow.
My passion is supporting queer and trans folx through their body shame and disordered eating recovery journeys.
It’s where the bulk of my experience and passions lie. I’m also passionate about supporting people often overlooked by the medical system, making it challenging to access food and body recovery care.
My approach comes from a compassionate, trauma-informed, LGBTQIA+ celebratory, experiential, RO-DBT, and decolonial lens. We may also incorporate expressive arts when it’s fitting.
I am playful on purpose, and I view walking with you as a sacred task as we learn to live more authentic, engaged, and nourishing lives.
Special Focus
Body Image, Body Liberation, and Eating Disorder Recovery
Trans and Gender Expansive Care
Queer populations
Depression
Trauma
Living with chronic/terminal illness
Gen Z
Select Education and Certifications
MA, Clinical Psychology with a focus on In-Depth Spirituality, Antioch University Los Angeles
Eating Disorders and Diet Culture: Inclusive Care for Trans Communities, Dr. Sand Chang, PhD
BFA, Acting, SUNY Purchase
Teaching Artist; Playwriting, Performance, and Visual Arts 2011-2021
Living Systems 2024 Cohort, Leah Garza
Services & Fees
Individual Therapy - $150 per 45 minute session
Teen Therapy - $150 per 45 minute session
Family Therapy - $150 per 45 minute session
Locations
Online therapy serving residents of California.
Languages
English
Affiliations
Member of the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles
California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists - Member
When I’m Not Doing Therapy…
When I'm not doing therapy, I might be performing with the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles, or as my drag personae Crystal Journey. The ways I rest and celebrate life include being with friends, stretching, roller skating, writing, meditation, drawing, napping, painting, reading, crafting with plants, watching TV, seeing movies in the morning, studying, sharing meals with chosen family, and sitting with my kittens Luna and Sol.
Luna and Sol
Me as Crystal Journey