What are your Fees? Do you accept Insurance?

All clients are entitled to a good faith estimate of costs and services. I currently offer two payment options:

A) PRIVATE PAY (out-of-network provider) sessions are available for $250 per 55 minute session. (Extended sessions may be available and are pro-rated.) I can provide a monthly super-bill for these services, which you may submit to your insurance provider for possible reimbursement, depending upon your coverage, diagnosis, etc.

B) I also accept many INSURANCE PLANS via my Soultenders / Burbank office. Please note that provider networks require each client to meet medical necessity for treatment, and be given a specific clinical diagnosis, which will be reflected on their permanent health care record. They may also impose limits on the annual number of sessions, specify treatment modes, and / or legally request all clinical notes, which affects patient privacy. I recommend that you consult with your insurance provider directly to review your individual coverage for mental health services, and specify the copay or deductible cost, and number of annual sessions they will authorize, to help choose the payment option that best meets your needs.

Where are you located?

During these times of social distancing, I am currently offering online sessions only. Once it is safe to again meet in person, I will be located at the following address:

Soultenders c/o 245 E. Olive Ave, Suite #303, Burbank, CA 91502 (Near Disney, Warner Brothers, Nickelodeon Animation studios, Cartoon network, and over 1,000 media and entertainment companies)

How do I call or email you?:

Call (424) 354-3910 or email philipruddytherapy@gmail.com to schedule a free 20-minute phone consultation, or to book an appointment.

Education / Training / Experience:

CA Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)

Pacifica Graduate Institute, M.A. Depth Counseling Psychology

U.C. Berkeley, B.A. English

In addition, I received psychodynamic clinical training at the Maple Counseling Center in Beverly Hills, CA,  treating writers, performers and other creative professionals in the areas of Anxiety, Depression, Relationship / Career Conflicts, Creative Blocks and Stress management.  

I also served as a Staff Therapist at Almansor Clinical Services, providing Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for at-risk Teens, Adolescents and Families in Los Angeles and the greater Pasadena area.

Prior to becoming a psychotherapist, I spent over 10 years in the entertainment industry as a producer in film, television, commercials and documentaries. Credits include Coordinating Producer for "Married in America" — a 20-year longitudinal documentary study of nine American couples, used as a teaching tool by the UCLA department of Psychology. These many years of industry experience deeply inform my practice, and are the reason I am dedicated to helping creative professionals. 

What is Depth Psychology?  

DEPTH PSYCHOLOGY is founded on the psychoanalytic principle that many of our behaviors are rooted in unconscious processes. By working with a trained depth therapist to explore your past and present life choices, and the images, writing, art and dreams springing up from your creative imagination, you may gain fresh personal insights, leading to enhanced well-being, healthier relationships, and more authentic self-expression.

While no modality can guarantee results, numerous peer-reviewed meta-studies (Blagys & Hilsenroth, 2000; Leichsenring & Grabung, 2008; DeMaat, et al, 2009; Abbass, et al, 2009; Shedler, 2010) indicate that psychodynamic therapy can lead to significant healing in both short and long-term evaluation, with patients not only maintaining therapeutic gains, but continuing to improve over time,  with efficacy rates equal to and at times, surpassing those of antidepressants and pre-scripted, manualized therapies such as CBT

What is Active Imagination?

ACTIVE IMAGINATION is the process of creating a conscious dialogue with unconscious parts of our selves (i.e. our unvoiced hopes, wishes, desires and fantasies), in order to gain fresh insights into our past and present actions. Known to contemporary Western minds primarily through the writing and images of Carl Jung,  Active Imagination actually has roots in ancient Greek, Egyptian, Japanese, Sufi, Aboriginal, and Native American traditions -- cultures which prized dream incubation, waking visions and other hypnagogic states, to transmit powerful wisdom and insights.  

If you're a creative artist, you've likely experienced versions of this already on your own.  Think of that intoxicating FLOW state when a story plot, melody, song or image seemingly comes to you through the ether -- effortlessly and intuitively.  There's no greater feeling for a creator, right?  Conversely, there's no worse feeling than on those days when the images and ideas simply do not come.  As a published short fiction author who struggled greatly with writing blocks in the past, I wrote my master’s thesis on Active Imagination as a potential pathway through writer’s block, and now enjoy sharing these techniques with other creatives in my counseling practice.

Here's an interview I did with Creative Screenwriting magazine with some tips you can begin using today to try "befriending and transcending" some of your own creative blocks.  (As with any modality, Active Imagination may not be right for everyone and I invite all clients to discuss the pros and cons of this techniques in detail, based upon their personal history, creative background and therapeutic goals, prior to embarking upon the process.) 

Additional Certifications, Workshops and Trainings: 

EMDR trained practioner

TF-CBT certified practitioner (Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapist)

 DreamTending: Dream Analysis workshop by  Dr. Stephen Aizenstat, founder of Pacifica Graduate Institute

 The Way of Story: The Craft and Soul of Writing workshop by Catherine Ann Jones --  Esalen Big Sur, California.  

ACTIVELY IMAGINE...

growth