Ryan Sharma, PsyD, ABPP
I am board certified in cognitive and behavioral psychology (CBT) and specialize in stress management, anxiety, panic disorders, phobias, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. I integrate mindfulness training and experiential learning from acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), all of which is strongly supported by science and research for helping people with these problems.
I also specialize in exposure therapies, which are the treatment of choice for many high-level anxiety disorders. Struggling with anxiety can be terrifying and exhausting, and I want clients to know that they don't have to deal with these issues alone.
Licensure and Certification
Licensed Psychologist
California, PSY 22160
Board Certified in Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology
American Board of Professional Psychology
Education
PsyD, Clinical Psychology (APA Accredited)
University of Denver, Denver, Co
Specialty Focus: Behavior Therapy
Specialty Focus: Multicultural Psychology
MA, Clinical Psychology with Emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy
Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA
BA, Psychology
Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
Additional Major in Religious Studies
Clinical Experience
I have worked with a wide variety of clients and psychological problems. In addition to gaining experience treating anxiety disorders, I have worked with adolescents and adults experiencing problems like depression, low self-esteem, relationship difficulties, alcohol and drug dependence, grief, trauma, and spiritual questioning. Much of my treatment approach involves integrating mindfulness and acceptance skills so that you can live in ways that are meaningful and valued.
My Work with First Responders
To be completely honest, fire service found me. Following a meeting with local firefighters seeking support for their new behavioral health program, I started becoming more involved, offering pro bono consultation, attending trainings, and going on ride outs. As I learned more about fire service, I also learned that psychology as a profession was falling short; I heard story after story of firefighters going to mental health clinicians and leaving feeling more hopeless about their problems. We simply did not understand their work, their culture, and their unique challenges.
Through ongoing networking, I learned of the same problems in law enforcement. While officers have a unique culture of their own, clinicians generally have not fully understood the complexity of their challenges and the impact of our current political climate on their morale.
I have made it my mission to increase training for mental health clinicians in these areas so that we can best help those who help us.
Teaching Experience
I currently work full-time as the Director of Clinical Training in the doctoral program at California Lutheran University. This means that I design and run the clinical training of students who are working towards becoming psychologists, including their initial experiences in the Community Counseling Center at CLU (our training clinic) and their external practicum placements in the community. I also help the students in applying for their year-long internship as they prepare to complete their final training experience before graduation.
I also teach clinically-oriented courses that focus on psychological research and treatments. Some of the courses I teach include:
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) - I train students in ACT through a year-long clinical experience, which includes an elective course that outlines the philosophical and empirical foundations of this evidence-based treatment.
History of Psychology - a class on the history of scientific psychology
Consultation and Supervision - introduces students to both clinical supervision and organizational consulting
Practicum - practicum courses are clinical in nature and designed to help students integrate their academic learning with their field experience