Anchor Psychotherapy is a private psychotherapy practice founded by Bren M. Chasse, LMFT. As a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT), I provide a wide range of services for adults, children and adolescents, couples, and families. I am committed to working collaboratively with my clients, supporting them as they explore how different parts of their identity intersect and how their life experiences have shaped how they understand themselves. I view the therapeutic relationship as a powerful tool that serves as an anchor for my clients. This relational tether allows my clients to feel safe, seen, and supported as they navigate the emotional, relational, and difficult life challenges they experience.

I draw from several psychological approaches and therapeutic models. It is important that therapy be tailored to the needs of each client, meaning I may use a variety of approaches methods to address the challenges that you wish to address. These approaches are often rooted in psychodynamic, structural, and attachment-based models, as well as other trauma-informed models, such as internal family systems.

Specifically, I am interested in your earliest experiences and how they have impacted you and the way in which you experience the world. Of equal interest is your current family system, your relationships and life experiences, and your views of self and the world. Research has shown that there is no true separation between “mind” and “body,” and so I will also focus on nervous system functioning, in addition to thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, in helping clients learn to effectively self-regulate and self-soothe, recalibrate nervous system disruptions, and modulate life experiences more effectively.

It is my belief that each of our experiences incorporate four elements: emotion, thought, sensation, and behavior. Any one of these four elements will interact and impact the other three, ultimately influencing how we view our experience, ourselves, and the world. My role as therapist is to help you integrate these four elements so that you can feel “whole,” as opposed to fragmented, disconnected, disengaged, or alone. Whether you are seeing me as an individual, couple, or family, the primary goal is to help you make meaning of your experiences, process to completion any issues still unresolved, and move forward with your life.

I have expertise in complex, developmental, and intergenerational trauma. I frequently interweave Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Internal Family Systems (IFS) to help clients understand complex internal landscape of the Self and heal the unresolved trauma.

A significant part of my clinical work focuses on supporting families navigating high-conflict divorce and custody battles, relational violence, parent-child estrangement, parental alienation, and actively engaged with the family court system. My approach is

child-centered, and addresses power imbalances and relational patterns within family Systems.

I also specialize in treating Binge Eating Disorder, including work with clients who have undergone or are considering bariatric surgery. As someone who has undergone bariatric surgery myself, I bring both professional expertise and lived experience to this work, offering a deeper understanding of the complex relationship people can develop with food.

Our first few sessions will involve an assessment of your needs. By the end of the assessment, I will offer some initial impressions of what our work would include. I will be offering opinions based on my education, training, and experience; however, no one knows you better than you. You should, therefore, evaluate my impressions along with your own opinions to determine whether you agree with and feel comfortable working with me. Therapy is a significant and meaningful commitment, so it’s import you feel confident in our work together. Once I’ve given you my impressions of what our work together will include, regular sessions begin. Sessions typically take place weekly, and, in some cases more than once a week when clinically necessary. Regularity of sessions is necessary to ensure progress, and missed sessions or a lack of continuity in sessions often results in client frustration and a lack of progress.

My office is located in Pasadena, California, and I provide services both in-person and virtually based on the needs and preference of my clients. In addition to the state of California, I am licensed in Arizona, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Texas, and Washington.

Confidentiality is one of the most important aspects of therapy. State law, my professional ethics, and my personal ethics require that I keep everything you discuss with me in the strictest of confidence. This means that what you share with me stays with me. Though session material is confidential, and as such given special protection by law, there are a few exceptions which either permit or require me to disclose information.

Exceptions to confidentiality where disclosure may be required by law include, but are not limited to: circumstances where there is a reasonable suspicion of child, dependent, or elder abuse or neglect; where a client presents a danger to self, to others, to property, or is gravely disabled; when a client’s family member(s) communicate to me that a client may present a danger to self or others; or in the case of a client downloading or being in possession of child pornography or other images of sexual exploitation of minors, and/or financial exploitation. If a client discloses information that leads me to reasonably believe that abuse or neglect of a child, dependent, or elder is or has occurred, I am required by law to report such suspected abuse/neglect. While it is my legal responsibility to report any of the aforementioned incidents, it is my ethical responsibility to help clients navigate these stressful times.

Although exceedingly rare, a federal law known as The Patriot Act of 2001 requires therapists (and others) in certain circumstances, to provide FBI agents with books, records, papers, documents, and other items, and prohibits the therapist from disclosing to the patient that the FBI sought or obtained the items under said Act.

State law requires that I respond to subpoenas and court orders requesting testimony or records. In cases where I am not providing expert testimony (e.g., retained as an expert witness), if I were ever to be subpoenaed, I would assert privilege on a client’s behalf and refuse to produce records, but ultimately a judge would have final say as to what remains confidential. Unless prohibited by law, I will contact the impacted client(s) in advance of Responding.

Important to note that disclosure may be required pursuant to a legal proceeding by or against you. If you place your mental status at issue in litigation initiated by you, the defendant may have the right to obtain the psychotherapy records and/or testimony by this psychotherapist.

Therapy is most effective when a trusting relationship exists between a therapist and client, and assuring a client’s privacy is especially important in securing and maintaining that trust. While one goal of treatment is often to promote a stronger and healthier relationship between a child and parent, accomplishing this goal and others often necessitates that a child have a “zone of privacy,” whereby they feel free to discuss personal matters with greater freedom and without fear of intrusion from a parent, even if a loving and caring parent.

While it is my policy to provide parents with general information about treatment status, I will not share with you the details of what your child has disclosed to me without your child’s express consent or unless I feel it is necessary and in furtherance of treatment goals. I will, however, provide parents with regular updates. If I believe your relationship with your child is at risk and your child is willing, I may choose, depending on the circumstances, to include you in your child’s therapy, or schedule additional sessions to work on the parent-child or other family relationships.

Adolescents may reveal sensitive information regarding romantic or sexual conduct, alcohol and drug use, or other potentially problematic behaviors. Sometimes these behaviors are within the range of “normal” adolescent experimentation, but at other times, they may require parental intervention. It is, therefore, important we directly discuss your feelings and opinions regarding normal adolescent behavior, and then balance these with consideration for your child’s age, developmental stage, and relational needs in order determine when to disclose or to help the parent understand normal behavior and needs for confidentiality. If I ever believe that your child is at serious risk of harming himself, herself or another, I will inform you.

I am not currently in-network with insurance providers. However, upon request, I am happy to provide clients with a superbill that includes the necessary information for you to seek reimbursement from your insurance company, if you so choose. It is important to note, clients who carry insurance should remember that professional services are rendered and charged to a client and not to the insurance companies.

Since the scheduling of an appointment involves the reservation of time specifically for you, a minimum of 48 hours (2 days) notice is required for re-scheduling or canceling an appointment. Unless a different agreement is reached, the full fee will be charged for sessions missed without such notification.

I understand and appreciate that animals can provide meaningful comfort and support in our daily lives. However, I am unable to provide letters in support of emotional support animal applications, as this falls outside the scope of practice for psychotherapists.

If you are ready to initiate services, you can contact me through the contact form on the Anchor Psychotherapy website. Additionally, you can reach me directly at (626) 765-9944 or via e-mail at bchasse@anchorpsychotherapy.com.