We had the good fortune of connecting with Carissa Gustafson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Carissa, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I see risk, which brings up fear, as inextricably linked to our values or the things we care about most. In this way, I use fear as an indication of what I care about and try to move towards it as opposed to away from it knowing that I do not control the outcome and that it is ok to fail!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I knew early on in life that I wanted to become a psychologist when it became apparent to me how ubiquitous suffering is to the human experience. I pursued this dream single mindedly until getting licensed in 2018.

During my education and training, I developed a strong interest in mindfulness and acceptance-based behavioral therapies, specifically acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) due to the way it embraced suffering as a part of the human experience while emphasizing the ways that a balance between acceptance and action can help us live a full and meaningful life.

I wrote a book on ACT, Reclaim Your Life: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in 7 weeks, which came out in 2020.

After becoming a mother in 2021, I developed an interest in perinatal mental health and sought advanced training and certification in this area.

Now I am marrying my two passions and specialize in providing ACT for women that are pregnant and postpartum.

I think ACT is such a power intervention for mothers because motherhood is the absolute paragon of an experience that is both immensely difficult and meaningful.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I absolutely love living in LA! One of my favorite places to go is Malibu Farm restaurant on the Malibu Pier. I am also a big fan of Disneyland. There is nothing quite like seeing the magic of Disney through the eyes of your children.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to Dr. Lauren Cook of Heartship Psychological Services who I started working with this past summer. She has been absolutely incredible to work with.

I also want to give a shoutout to Village Birth, where Dr. Cook and I see clients. It is an amazing community of perinatal providers that I am grateful to be a part of.

Website: https://www.drcarissagustafson.com

Instagram: @dr.carissagustafson

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drcarissagustafson

Other: https://www.heartshipcounseling.com

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Image Credits
Gina Pecho

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.