Welcome to

therapy that honors every part of you

My approach welcomes your whole being-- the unique mix of all parts of your identity, experiences, and feelings. I bring a deep regard for your perspective and the strengths and struggles that have brought you to this point in life.

I work with people who have felt a bit different their whole lives. It may take you a tremendous amount of effort to function the way others seem to effortlessly. Or, you may be in a state of burnout, finding it harder and harder to keep up, but scared of what will fall apart if you stop.

I'm here to guide you into the kind of loving self-discovery that leads to shedding beliefs about the way you "should" be (often internalized from oppressive systems) so that you can learn to trust your body, mind, and soul to create a life and relationships that care for you.
Photo by Shannon Gilliam

SERVICES & offerings

Therapy that honors all of you

My approach is trauma-focused, systems-aware, strengths-based, antiracist, gender inclusive, neurodiverse, attachment-oriented, Jungian, and welcomes the intelligence of the body.
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coaching for the life you long for

Focused on specific areas of life such as relationships, creativity, and finding direction. I'll guide you in self-discovery and learning that helps you steer your life with more confidence.
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Consultation for therapists

I help therapists deepen their client conceptualization, work compassionately with reluctance, build practical skills and plans, and apply a liberatory lens to therapy.
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"Deepening' - SoulCollage card by Joy
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About Joy Malek, M.S.

Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist
(She/her)
Welcome! I'm a Multiracial, second-generation Egyptian, neurodivergent, disabled, creative therapist living and working on unceded Tongva and Chumash land, known as California.

I've spent 27 years in the mental health field, and I specialize in working with trauma (including Complex PTSD), relationships, identity, gender, creativity, neurodiversity, and meeting the deep longings of our being.

I'm a liberatory trauma therapist, a somatic Jungian dream worker, a certified SoulCollage Facilitator, and trained in Emotionally Focused Therapy, a research-validated model for working with attachment (our sense of security with one another) to help people build or repair relationships to become a safe haven.

I'm an INFJ, Manifesting-Generator, and my astrological sun sign dwells in the depths of the 12th house, where I seem well-fitted to bring a loving light to dark places.
With compassion, empathy and insight, Joy gives you simple, common sense tools that enable you to navigate your relationship dynamics and change what might previously have seemed like an inevitable outcome.
Amy Mayers
On Joy's relationship course 'From Heartache to Connection'
Prior to working with Joy I did coaching with someone else, but it didn’t answer questions about how I’m wired, how my own brain works, and why I process things the way I do.

Coaching with Joy was much more intimate and super dialed in-- I didn't have to explain how my brain works to someone who couldn't possibly fathom it. This coaching was very, very refreshing, and I think it allowed a lot of deeper things to happen because we didn’t have to establish that groundwork.
Marlene Roberts
Coaching Client
I am just baffled by how accurately Joy understands my mind— the specific ways that I think as I go through life. I have never felt so at home and understood. To understand one's own thinking patterns— what a powerful gift!
Lenore Phillips
Coaching Client

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blog posts for self-discovery

"Rest in Connection" - SoulCollage card by Joy

ask a question or schedule a free phone consultation

I'm happy to offer 15-20m consultations to explore whether we might work well together in therapy, coaching, or clinical consultation.

I'm licensed to provide therapy to residents of California, and my coaching is not limited by location. I host all sessions on a secure video chat platform.
(626) 594-5654
joymalek@gmail.com

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Receive occasional emails with thoughts, news, and resources I love. Always from the heart.