Meet Margaret Sigel | Margaret Sigel, LMFT, SEP | Somatic & Trauma-Informed Therapy for Adults and Couples

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

Hi Margaret, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My decision to open my private practice grew out of both personal experience and professional calling. Before becoming a therapist, I worked in fast-paced creative environments where stress and achievement often covered up deeper struggles. I knew what it was like to push through stress while ignoring what my body was telling me. Those experiences stayed with me and sparked my curiosity about how stress and past experiences live in the body.
That curiosity led me to pursue a career as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and to become a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner. Over time, I saw how powerful it can be when people reconnect with themselves, regulate their nervous systems, and begin to feel more grounded and resilient. Opening my own practice felt like the natural next step. I wanted to create a space that feels supportive and personal, a space where people feel like they don’t have to carry everything on their own. Starting this practice has been one of the most meaningful risks I’ve taken, and I’m grateful every day for the trust clients place in me.

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?
My practice is dedicated to helping adults and couples move through anxiety, trauma, stress, and relationship challenges with more resilience and ease. Many of my clients come to me after years of talk therapy that only seemed to take them so far. They may understand their past and patterns but still feel stuck, because trauma lives in the body and nervous system in ways that talking alone doesn’t always reach. I combine talk therapy with somatic approaches to help clients reconnect with themselves, manage stress, and create lasting change.
Becoming a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist takes years of study, training, and supervision. Becoming a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner is another multi-year journey in itself. I was doing both around the same time while managing a caseload of clients with weekly supervision, attending SE case consultations and personal sessions, and raising two kids as a single mom. Looking back, it was an intense but formative period that gave me the chance to learn from mentors whose guidance shaped both my professional work and my own healing.
Building my practice has been rewarding, though not without its hurdles. One lesson I’ve learned is that growth takes patience, trust, and consistency. For me, therapy is not only about addressing difficulties but also about uncovering what becomes possible on the other side: more balance, deeper connection, and a stronger sense of self.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
When friends come to town, I usually start with coffee on Montana Avenue at Caffe Luxxe or Primo Passo, followed by a walk through Palisades Park to take in the ocean views. Westward Beach in Malibu is another favorite for its quiet stretch of sand and long walks by the water. For brunch, Tartine in Santa Monica has a beautiful garden patio. The Getty Center is always on my list. In the summer, staying through golden hour is unforgettable. The Hollywood Bowl is another favorite. There is nothing like a picnic and live music under the stars.
Food is one of the best parts of LA, and some of my Westside go-tos are Giorgio Baldi, Prima Cocina, KazuNori, and The Golden Bull. Dessert is always Bacio di Latte for gelato, and to end the night, the Proper Hotel rooftop in Santa Monica has incredible views of the city lights. You can’t see all of LA in a week, but these spots capture what I love most here: ocean views, art, music, and food that leave you feeling both inspired and restored.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’m so thankful for the community of somatic and trauma-informed therapists who have cheered me on and made private practice feel less lonely and much more collaborative. The Somatic Experiencing community has also been an important part of my journey, offering mentorship, case consultations, and support that shaped both my work and my own healing.
I also want to give a special shoutout to Dr. Peter Levine, the founder of Somatic Experiencing. His book Waking the Tiger completely changed how I thought about stress, resilience, and the body’s ability to recover. The book explains how trauma doesn’t just live in the mind but is carried in the body, and how healing happens when the nervous system can safely release the survival energy it has been holding. That idea planted a seed that ultimately shaped the direction of my career. And most of all, I’m grateful for my partner and family, whose steady encouragement carried me through grad school, licensure, and the ups and downs of building a practice. I truly couldn’t have done it without them.

Website: https://www.margaretsigeltherapy.com

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/margaretsigeltherapy

Image Credits
Mark Leibowitz