Image of Therapist Elizabeth Yoshonis for Women and Mothers in Pasadena

01/03

Elizabeth Yoshonis, AMFT

registered associate 157277 / working under supervision

I’m an associate marriage and family therapist #157277 and Phase 2 Brainspotting practitioner, under the supervision of Hanna Byeon, LMFT #126398. I offer in-person sessions in Pasadena and Highland Park, as well as virtual therapy throughout California. My clinical experience includes working with individuals, children, mothers, couples, and families across the lifespan in community mental health. Before becoming a therapist, I worked as a special education teacher—a role that shaped my sensitivity to neurodiversity, developmental needs, and the power of patience and presence. I often draw on this background in my work, especially when supporting clients with ADHD, Autism, or sensory and emotional regulation challenges.

I currently work with individuals, couples, and families who feel emotionally drained, stuck in old patterns, or unsure of who they are beyond the roles they play. Many of my clients are the dependable ones—the caretakers who quietly carry resentment, self-doubt, or a lingering sense of loneliness. I particularly have a special passion for supporting mothers through the often-overwhelming journey of motherhood - infertility, pregnancy, miscarriage, postpartum depression and anxiety, birth trauma, or stress. If you feel stretched thin, lost in the demands of daily life, or unsure who you are anymore, you’re not alone—and you don’t have to navigate it alone. As a therapist, wife, and mom of three, I bring both clinical training and lived experience to help you reclaim parts of yourself, manage daily stress, and create sustainable ways to care for yourself while still showing up for your family.

I also support children and parents as they navigate the complexities of their world, whether that involves neurodivergence or family challenges. I help children understand and work with their neurodivergence rather than against it, while guiding parents in supporting their child along the way.

As a white therapist, I’m committed to practicing with cultural humility and honoring the unique identities and lived experiences of each client. I continually examine how race, power, and privilege shape our lives and aim to create a space where all clients feel affirmed, respected, and safe to explore their stories.

Whether you’re struggling with boundaries, feeling disconnected in your relationships, or searching for a renewed sense of direction, I offer a space to help you reconnect—with yourself, your loved ones, and what matters most. As an Enneagram 2 (the Helper), my work is deeply relational, emotionally attuned, and grounded in compassion. I’ll meet you where you are—with warmth, respect, and a belief that healing begins when you feel truly seen and supported.

Get Started ⟶

02/03

Clinical Focus

Anxiety, Stress, & Emotional Regulation

Identity, Self‑Worth, & Life Transitions

Maternal Mental Health

Couples, Relationships, & Family Dynamics

Trauma & Intergenerational Patterns

Neurodivergence & Executive Functioning

03/03

My Approach

Collaborative
holistic
warm

Together, we’ll explore the roots of these struggles, develop tools to cope more effectively, and begin the work of reclaiming your sense of clarity, confidence, and choice.I work from an attachment-based lens, helping you explore how early relationships and past experiences may still shape your current patterns. Together, we gently uncover and tend to old wounds that might be impacting how you relate to yourself and others. I incorporate brainspotting, a somatic and brain-based therapy, to access and process deeper emotional material that may not be reachable through talk therapy alone. This can be especially helpful for trauma, anxiety, and feeling stuck. At the core of our work is a warm, collaborative relationship where you feel supported, seen, and empowered. My goal is to help you strengthen your coping skills, reconnect with your voice and identity, and move forward with greater clarity, confidence, and self-trust.

THERAPIST-CLIENT FIT IS IMPORTANT TO THE THERAPY EXPERIENCE 

I offer a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation to determine if we might be a good fit to work together. It takes courage to reach out for support. I consider it a privilege to journey alongside you toward your healing and wellness that empowers you to live out your most authentic life.

Submit an Inquiry ⟶

Frequently Asked Questions

*In-person therapy at our Highland office and the Pasadena office. Virtual therapy across California and Washington State.

  • Yes. Elizabeth specializes in maternal mental health, supporting moms through postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, and the identity shift of motherhood. She sees clients in person in Pasadena and Highland Park and online across California. As a mom of three, she knows how isolating this season can feel.

  • Yes. Elizabeth helps mothers process birth trauma, NICU experiences, miscarriage, and pregnancy loss. She helps you make sense of what happened, grieve what was lost, and feel safe in your body again.

  • Yes. Birth trauma often lives in the body: a racing heart at the hospital, flashbacks, or feeling numb when you think about the birth. Brainspotting is a brain- and body-based approach that helps process those experiences when talking about them isn't enough. Elizabeth is a certified Brainspotting practitioner and uses it gently, at your pace.

  • Yes. Pregnancy can bring racing thoughts, fear about the birth or the baby's health, and worry about whether you'll be a good mom. Elizabeth helps you calm your nervous system, prepare emotionally for birth and the postpartum season, and feel more like yourself during your pregnancy.

  • Yes. Pregnancy after a miscarriage, stillbirth, or traumatic birth can bring constant fear, guilt for not feeling only joy, and difficulty bonding. Elizabeth helps you hold both grief and hope, calm the anxiety that follows each appointment, and feel more grounded as you prepare for your baby.

  • Yes. Becoming a mom reshapes your identity, a shift sometimes called matrescence, and it keeps changing as your kids grow. Many of Elizabeth's clients are the dependable ones who take care of everyone and quietly carry resentment, loneliness, or self-doubt. She helps you reconnect with who you are beyond your roles, set boundaries that don't feel selfish, and care for yourself while still showing up for your family.

  • The baby blues are very common in the first two weeks after birth: tearfulness, mood swings, and feeling overwhelmed that ease on their own. Postpartum depression and anxiety last longer than two weeks, feel more intense, and make it hard to function, sleep, or enjoy your baby. They can start anytime during pregnancy or the first year. If you're unsure, that's reason enough to reach out. Elizabeth can help you sort out what you're experiencing. If you ever have thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, call or text 988, or call the Postpartum Support International helpline at 1-800-944-4773.

  • Yes. Elizabeth supports moms through every stage, from toddler meltdowns and sleepless years to preteen pushback and teen independence. She helps with mom guilt, mom rage, overwhelm, and parenting differently than you were parented. As a mom of three and a former special education teacher, she brings both lived experience and a deep understanding of how kids develop.

  • Yes. Motherhood multiplies the demands on executive functioning: schedules, forms, meals, and a hundred small decisions a day. Elizabeth offers neurodivergent-affirming support for moms with ADHD, helping you build systems that fit how your brain works, quiet the shame of "I should be able to handle this," and find more ease in daily life.

  • Yes. A former special education teacher, Elizabeth helps children with ADHD, autism, or sensory and emotional regulation challenges work with their neurodivergence rather than against it. She also guides parents in supporting their child and caring for themselves.

  • Yes. ADHD and autism are a core part of Elizabeth's work. She helps couples where one or both partners are neurodivergent understand each other's wiring, communication styles, and sensory needs, ease recurring conflict and resentment, and share the mental load more fairly, especially once kids raise the stakes. Drawing on her years as a special education teacher, she treats neurodivergence as a difference to understand, not a problem to fix.

  • Yes. Kids change a marriage, often in ways no one talks about: less time together, uneven loads, and resentment that builds quietly. Elizabeth helps couples reconnect, share the work of family life more fairly, and remember why they chose each other.

  • Yes. Elizabeth works with clients healing from Christian religious trauma, spiritual abuse, and the effects of purity culture, especially from evangelical and nondenominational backgrounds. Many notice old messages resurfacing in marriage and motherhood: shame around their bodies or intimacy, pressure to be the "perfect" Christian wife or mom, or uncertainty about how to raise their kids with or without the faith they grew up in. She supports you in finding your own path, whether that includes faith or not. Learn more about our religious trauma therapy.

  • Yes. Elizabeth works with artists, musicians, and creatives, including moms trying to hold on to their creative identity after kids. She helps with creative blocks, guilt about making time for your work, and the pull between your art and your family, so there's room for both. Learn more about our therapy for creatives and artists.

  • Elizabeth is a white therapist who practices with cultural humility. She stays curious about your family's culture, faith, and expectations around motherhood instead of making assumptions, and makes room for how race and culture shape your experience. If you'd prefer an Asian American or BIPOC therapist, our team can help you find the right fit.