My name is Dr. Manjit Walia, and I am a licensed Psychologist with the California State Board of Psychology (PSY23225). As an active, empathic and experienced psychotherapist, I strive to help patients resolve long-standing issues and achieve current goals.

I mainly use cognitive behavioral therapy (or cognitive behavioral therapies or CBT) which is a psychotherapeutic approach that aims to solve problems concerning dysfunctional emotions, behaviors and cognitions through a goal-oriented, systematic procedure. The title is used in diverse ways to designate behavior therapy, cognitive therapy, and to refer to therapy based upon a combination of basic behavioral and cognitive research.

There is empirical evidence that CBT is effective for the treatment of a variety of problems, including mood, anxiety, personality, eating, substance abuse, and psychotic disorders. Treatment is often manualized, with specific technique-driven brief, direct, and time-limited treatments for specific psychological disorders. CBT is used in individual therapy as well as group settings.

CBT was primarily developed through a merging of behavior therapy with cognitive therapy. While rooted in rather different theories, these two traditions found common ground in focusing on the "here and now", and on alleviating symptoms. My approach to therapy addresses practical issues in the "here and now," and also works to uncover and make meaning of the unconscious aspects of our lives. I emphasize the importance of relationships as fundamental to good emotional and mental health, and help my patients find a healthy balance of independence, relatedness with others, and personal freedom.

When to turn to a psychologist:

Life can present us with many challenges and difficulties that we are not prepared to deal with. Although family and friends may be supportive and desire to be helpful, they may be limited in their ability to be objective. Sometimes it is helpful to have the assistance of a trained professional , such as a psychologist, to guide you through your life’s journey with it’s challenges, obstacles, and hurdles. A psychologist can assist you in learning about yourself and help you acquire alternative coping techniques to the problems you are facing.

Seeking out therapy is an individual choice. There are many reasons why people come to therapy. Sometimes it is to deal with long-standing psychological issues, or problems with anxiety or depression. Other times it is in response to unexpected changes in one's life such as a divorce or work transition. Working with a psychologist can help provide insight, support, and new strategies for all types of life challenges. Therapy can help address many types of issues including depression, anxiety, conflict, grief, stress management, and general life transitions.
Services
Individual Therapy:

If you are experiencing
- anxiety, irritability and restlessness
- conflicting family relationships
- difficulties with interpersonal relationships
- an overwhelming and prolonged sense of sadness
- preoccupation with a loss or traumatic event
- persistent self-doubt and insecurity
- being easily rejected and hurt
- being lost in your personal and/or career path
- involvement with DCFS/court system

We can work together collaboratively in a supportive, non-judgemental environment to increase your self awareness and improve the quality of your life.

Couples Therapy:

Couples therapy helps couples learn to understand and work through conflicts addressed above to strengthen their relationships. I can help couples develop the skills to improve their communication with one another, negotiate differences, problem solve and argue in a more effective way.

Anger, infidelity, sex, finances, communication problems can contribute to distress in intimate relationships. Couples counseling can reconcile points of disagreement, and foster a more satisfying relationship.

Family Therapy:

A family’s pattern of interaction may negatively impact an individual, child, or adolescent and therefore may need to be part of the therapy. I can help the family recognize that the treatment plan is not just about the person, but also the set of relationships in which the individual is involved.

Therefore family therapy can be quite effective in helping the patient in the context of their family.

Parenting Skills & Education:

I can provide parents the developmental education and guidance needed to manage their child’s emotional and behavioral concerns. I work closely with the parent unit to set realistic short/long term goals and guide parent(s) in managing their everyday challenges.

Areas of Expertise
I received my professional education from the University of New Orleans, Louisiana (B.A. & Masters) and Doctor of Psychology from California Graduate Institute of The Chicago School of Psychology in West Los Angeles.

I have over 17 years of clinical psychotherapy experience in various mental health settings. However, the majority of my professional experience (11 years), assessment and treatment of child abuse and neglect, is with Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. I successfully completed a post-doctoral fellowship in psychological testing/assessment at Child & Family Center. I am also trained in assessment and treatment of perpetrators and victims of violent crimes. I am trained in working with domestic abuse victims and my doctoral disseration focused on cultural aspects of domestic abuse. However, my vast experience is working with victims of child abuse and neglect. I received formal training in providing services to victims of sexual assault (rape, sexual assault, child sexual abuse) at Valley Trauma Center.

Office Information:

Sessions:

I normally conduct an initial evaluation that will last from 1 to 3 sessions. During this time, we can both decide if I am the best person to provide the services that you need. If we decide to work together in psychotherapy, I will typically schedule at least one 50-minute session per week at a time we agree upon. Once an appointment hour is scheduled, you will be expected to pay for it unless you provide 24 hours advance notice of cancellation.

Professional Fees:

My hourly fee is $150 for a 50 minute therapy session. In addition to regular appointments, I charge this amount for other professional services you may need, though I will break down the hourly cost if I work for periods of less than one hour. Other services may include report writing, extended telephone conversations, attendance at meetings with other professionals you have authorized, preparation of records or treatment summaries, and the time spent performing any other service you may request of me. If you become involved in legal proceedings that require my participation, you will be expected to pay for my time.

At this time I accept the following insurance plans: Blue Shield of California, Tricare, Aetna Behavioral Health, Magellan Health Services, College Health IPA (CHIPA), Behavioral Health Systems (BHS) and several Employee Assistance Program plans. Should this change I will inform my clients. I also accept victims of crime insurance if the case is approved and you have a VOC ID number. Please contact your mental health insurance plan to confirm authorization for treatment with me.

Contacting Me:

I am often not immediately available by telephone. While I am usually working Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. (I offer late hours on Wednesdays only), I will not answer the phone when I am with a patient. When I am unavailable, my telephone will roll over to a voicemail system that I monitor daily. I will make every effort to return your call as soon as possible, and typically on the same day you make it, with the exception of weekends and after hours. If I will be unavailable for an extended time, I will provide you with the name of a colleague to contact, if necessary.

If you feel that you can’t wait for a return call or if it is an emergency, go to the nearest emergency room and ask for the therapist on call. If you are in a medical emergency, call 911.


The Information In Your Record:

My policies regarding your privacy are followed by all persons associated with my practice. The laws of California and the standards of my profession require that I keep treatment records. The information in your record is utilized in a number of ways. I use it to plan your treatment and keep a record of the significant issues that we address in treatment. I also use the information to coordinate your treatment with other professionals or to provide information to significant others or family members; information is only provided to those that you have given me permission in writing to communicate with regarding your treatment.

Information in your record may also be required by your insurance company or health plan so that the treatment you receive from me can be paid for by the insurance company or health plan. For example, I may need to provide information about a service you received, or I may be required to provide information prior to treatment so that your plan will cover the treatment. In these cases, only information required for payment is provided to the insurance company or health plan. By signing the Informed Consent form, you authorize me to provide information to your insurance company as needed for payment for services.

For patients under eighteen years of age, please be aware that the law provides parents the right to examine treatment records. It is my policy to request an agreement from parents that they agree to give up access to minor patient’s records. If they agree, I will provide them only with general information about the treatment, unless I feel there is a high risk that the minor patient is facing serious jeopardy or harm. In that case, I will notify parents of my concern. I will also provide them with a summary of your treatment when it is complete. Before giving parents any information, I will discuss the matter with the minor patient, if possible, and do my best to handle any objections the minor patient may have with what I am prepared to discuss.

In general, the privacy of all communications between a patient and a psychologist is protected by law, and I can only release information about our work to others with your written permission.

Exceptions To Your Confidentiality:

There are some exceptions to your protections, and in general, I will provide information from your record when required to do so by local, state or federal law. In most legal proceedings, you have the right to prevent me from providing any information about your treatment. In some proceedings involving child custody and those in which your emotional condition is an important issue, a judge may order my testimony if he or she determines that the issues demand it.

There are some situations in which I am legally obligated to take action to protect others from harm, even if I have to reveal some information about a patient’s treatment. For example, if I believe that a child, a person over age 65, or a disabled person is being abused or mistreated, I may be required to file a report with the appropriate state agency.

If I believe that a patient poses a serious risk to someone, I am required to take protective actions. These actions may include notifying the potential victim, contacting the police, or seeking hospitalization for the patient. If the patient threatens to harm him or herself, I may be obligated to seek hospitalization for him or her or to contact family members or others who can help provide protection.

I may occasionally find it helpful to consult other professionals about a case. During a consultation, I make every effort to avoid revealing the identity of my patient. The consultant is also legally bound to keep the information confidential.

If a situation occurs that requires that I share information without your written permission, I will make every effort to fully discuss it with you before taking any action. In order to release any information to another party, I will ask that you sign an Authorization to Release Information. You may revoke your Authorization at any time.

Your Rights Regarding Information In Your Treatment Record:

Right to Inspect and Copy: You are entitled to receive a copy of your record unless I believe that receiving that information would be emotionally damaging. Because these are professional records, they can be misinterpreted and/or upsetting to untrained readers. If you wish to see your records or receive a copy of your records, I require written notice to that effect, and I would expect to discuss your request with you in person. If I deny you access to your records, you can request to speak with an independent mental health professional about your request. Your request for independent review of your request should also be made in writing. If you are provided with a copy of your record information, I may charge a fee for any costs associated with that request.

Right to Amend: If you believe that the information I have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask me to amend that information. It is my practice to accept this sort of request in writing, and that any information you may wish to add to your record also be provided to me in written form.

Right to an Accounting of Disclosures: You have the right to request an "Accounting Of Disclosures." This is a list of the disclosures I have made of your treatment record information. That information is listed on the Authorization To Release Information, and will be provided to you at your written request.

Right to Request Restrictions: You have the right to privacy, and to request a restriction or limitation on the health information we use or disclose about you for treatment, payment or health care operations. As noted above, I will not release your confidential information without your written permission. Any restrictions to your Authorization To Release Information should be specified on the Authorization.

Right to Request Confidential Communications: You have the right to request that I communicate with you only in certain ways. For example, you can ask that I not leave a telephone message for you, or that I only contact you at work or by mail.

Complaints Regarding Privacy Rights: If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a written complaint with me, or with an independent mental health professional, or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 50 United Nations Plaza, Room 322, San Francisco, CA, 94102. You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.

You have the right to a paper copy of this document, and you will be offered one when you sign the original for your treatment record. I reserve the right to change my policies as outlined herein. If they change, you will be informed of that change and will provided with a copy of the current document if desired.

Agreement to Arbitrate: It is understood that any dispute as to psychological malpractice, that is as to whether any psychological services rendered under this contract were unnecessary or unauthorized or were improperly, negligently or incompetently rendered, will be determined by submission to arbitration as provided by California law, and not by a lawsuit or resort to court process except as California law provides for judicial review of arbitration proceedings. Both parties to this contract, by entering into it, are giving up their right to have any such dispute decided in a court of law before a jury, and instead are accepting the use of arbitration. All claims for monetary damages exceeding the jurisdictional limit of the small claims court against the psychologist and the psychologist’s partners, associates, association, corporation or partnership, and the employees, agents and estates of any of them, must be arbitrated including claims for loss of consortium, emotional distress or punitive damages.

A demand for arbitration must be communicated in writing to all parties. Each party to the arbitration shall pay such party’s pro rata share of the expenses and fees of the neutral arbitrator, together with other expenses of the arbitration incurred or approved by the neutral arbitrator, not including counsel fees or witness fees, or other expenses incurred by a party for such party’s own benefit. Either party shall have the absolute right to arbitrate separately the issues of liability and damages upon written request.

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