Charla Ruby Malamed

As a psychotherapist, coach, activist, and rites of passage guide, I provide a safe space for people to grow in their relationships with themselves, with partners and communities, and in their lives

If you work with me, you will find a warm and collaborative relational container. I strike a balance between encouraging my clients to challenge themselves to grow into areas that are uncomfortable and creating a space in which they can settle into self-acceptance and compassion. I help people look inwards to connect the dots between internal dynamics and the various layers of reality that we all inhabit. ​This means that I work with non-conscious dynamics underlying the experience of self and our relationships with others, which includes partner/s, social groups, communities, institutions, and society at large.

In psychodynamic psychotherapy, we explore personal and collective trauma, current, past, and trans-generational; we develop insight into family relationships, getting at the roots of anxiety, depression and confusion; we integrate parts of ourselves that have been split off; we learn to regulate psychosomatic distress; and we practice relational skills in real time. We learn to differentiate between ourselves and others, while simultaneously leaning more fully into those areas where there is overlap and ambiguity.

We become more skillful at finding our people. We gain insight into why our lives look the way they do, we explore what it is we want, and we learn how to make positive changes. I integrate Internal Family Systems (getting to know the parts of us that make up who we are), somatic regulation, mindfulness skills, activism, and community. Ultimate, we settle into joy, peace, courage, and community!
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I am trained to work with everyone and I love working with everyone. However, I have lived experience and expertise working with queer and trans/gender expansive folks, including transgender adolescents/emerging adults and their families. I also have experience working with people who are neurodivergent/spicy/queer. I have a history as a rites of passage guide and see psychotherapy as an important part of development and maturation, especially for those who are seeking clarity around their sense of self in the context of society.