Clinical

I am a licensed clinical psychologist and provide individual therapy to adults across the lifespan.

I’m currently practicing as a psychologist at Harbor Psychiatry and Mental Health in Newport Beach, California. I am licensed to see clients residing in Pennsylvania and California.

Approach

I have a deep appreciation for individuals who choose to seek therapy to improve themselves and their life - taking this step requires bravery and courage, and my aim is to honor these traits throughout our work. The therapeutic relationship is essential to success in therapy, and I strive to cultivate a strong, supportive, and warm working alliance with my clients.

My approach is threefold:

  • Utilize “data” to make small shifts that, over time, add up to life changing results. Becoming better able to read and understand personal data including emotions, body / sensations, thoughts, and behaviors ultimately results in shifts that allow for improved quality of life.

  • Understand the forces within self / around us that contribute to patterns & wellbeing. These include family, social, societal, and cultural dynamics and ultimately results in greater understanding of, and compassion for, oneself.

  • Recognize own power and strengths. Honesty with oneself - not just about weaknesses but also strengths - is crucial to improving our relationship with self and others, and also results in a sense of empowerment and capability to achieve goals.

Services

While I work with adults of all ages, I have a special interest in working with pregnant and postpartum patients, emerging adults, and people experiencing life transitions. I am passionate about providing services to immigrants and first generation Americans, as well as other diverse / underserved populations, and those who have never before tried therapy.

Clinically, my specialty areas are:

  • Perinatal mood disorders and adjustment

  • Eating disorders treatment and recovery

  • Acute and chronic trauma: including interpersonal, racial, cultural, and inter-generational trauma

  • Stress management and anxiety struggles

  • Depression including chronic and first time episodes

  • Relationship issues and family problems

  • Cross cultural / acculturation concerns

I work with clients in an equal partnership to best determine needs for therapy, including area of focus, length of time in therapy, and goals for treatment.

I encourage collaboration with psychiatry and medical care, if a client is receiving any concurrent services from additional providers.

Training, Employment, & Publications

My graduate training focused on evidence based treatment, and subsequent training included approaches focused on self, relationships, and culture. Prior to my shift into private practice, I was the Assistant Director of a university counseling center, where I provided individual therapy to diverse clients for short, mid, and long term therapy. Other duties included leadership of the center, assisting in our graduate training program, providing supervision, and creating and delivering outreach programs on a variety of health promotion / wellness topics. Please see below for a sample of my professional presentations and publications.

Saxena, G. (March 2019). JED Campus Webinar: Using Healthy Minds Study Data within the JED Campus Context. Webinar presented to national JED Campus universities.

Lucero, A, Saxena, G, Knoster, T. (May 2018). Kognito: Practicing the Conversations that Need to Take Place. Presentation to 2018 Higher Education Suicide Prevention Conference, State College, PA.

Divento, J, Saxena, G. (2017). Successful facilitation: Developing and implementing a group for adult children of alcoholics and parents with severe mental illness on a college campus. Journal of College Counseling, 20(2), 168-180.

Saxena, G. (March 2016). Mental Health Awareness Endeavors on Campus: The JED Foundation Campus Program at USciences. Presentation to 2016 Higher Education Suicide Prevention Conference, Philadelphia, PA.

Divento, J, Saxena, G. (September 2015). Successful Survival: A Psychoeducational Support Group for Students with Parents Suffering from Mental Illness and/or Substance Abuse. Presentation to Northern California Training Directors Conference, San Francisco, CA.

Saxena, G. (February 2015). Treating Stress & Anxiety in University Counseling Centers: Challenges and Solutions. Presentation to the 41st annual Delaware Valley Student Affairs Conference, Lafayette Hill, PA.

Saxena, G. (January 2014). Online Stress Management: SCU CAPS Stress & Relaxation Interactive Program. Presentation to Small College Counseling Center Consortium Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA.

Saxena, G, Molock, SD, Prempeh, H, Jean, D. (March 2010). Feasibility Study for Developing HIV Prevention Program in Black Churches. Poster presented at Society for Community Research and Action Northeast Conference at the Annual Meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, New York, NY.

Molock, SD, Prempeh, H, Saxena, G. (May 2008). Opportunities for Evaluating Suicide Prevention Programs In African American Churches. Presentation to the annual meeting of the 16th Society for Prevention Research, San Francisco, CA.

Krauss, B, O’Day, J, Godfrey, C, Rente, K, Freidin, L, Bratt, E, Minian, N, Knibb, K, Welch, C, Kaplan, R, Saxena, G, McGinniss, S, Gilroy, J, Nwakeze, P, Curtain, S. (2006). Who wins in the status games? Violence, sexual violence and an emerging single standard among adolescent women. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1087(November), 56- 73.

Saxena, G, Shulimovich, R, Grinfeld, L, Howland, M, Rafaeli, E. (May 2006). Relationship Satisfaction and Empathic Accuracy with Daily Diary Data. Poster presented at the 18th Annual Association for Psychological Science Convention, New York, NY.

Saxena, G. (April 2006). Reading Minds: Measuring Empathic Accuracy with Dyadic Interactions and Daily Diaries. Presented at the 14th Annual Hughes Fellow Student Research Symposium, New York, NY.

Saxena, G. (Dec 2005). First Generation South Asian-Americans and Religion: Youth in the Ganapati Temple. Paper presented at the 3rd annual Association for Research on Asian Indian Communities Conference, New London, CT.

License Information

Pennsylvania: PS017788 | California: PSY31945