Meet parisa Zivari | Psychotherapist

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

Hi parisa, any advice for those thinking about whether to keep going or to give up?
How to know to whether to keep going or give up?

This is a great question. For me, I keep going while overcoming challenges along the way. This has NOT been an easy process for me but I genuinely believe it’s the reason for my success.

My name is Parisa Zivari and I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I have a private practice in Woodland Hills and over 10 years of clinical experience helping adults, children, and families in different settings. I am trained and certified in Trauma Resiliency Model (TRM), TF-CBT ( Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral therapy), Brainspotting, Grief and Loss, Domestic Violence, and Internal Family System (IFS).

I come from an Iranian-Jewish family. My family and I migrated to The United States from Iran in 1996. Coming to America was one the hardest challenges that my family and I had to go through, from learning English, assimilating into the American culture, making friends, and adapting into a new and different lifestyle, the past 26 years had it challenges, to say the least.

I wanted to become a therapist since I was 17. I wanted to help my Iranian community by providing them with education and knowledge about mental health while at the same time minimizing the shame and stigma that is generally associated with seeking help by individuals who suffer from various mental health issues.

As an immigrant adolescent, and now as a therapist and business owner, I learned long time ago that giving up is never an option. I do not give up on my clients. I do not give up on my family. But most importantly, I do not give up on myself. To me everything is possible. There is a solution for everything. Over the years, there has been many occasions where I wanted to give up and walk away from my professional life as a therapist, but my values, ethics, dedication, my love for what I do, and support of my family kept me going. I always tell my clients: when you choose not to give up, you will face your fears, try new opportunities, meet new people, and be exposed to new things. I love what I do. I love being part of my client’s life and seeing them heal and grow. It is a privilege to be a therapist and be able to help people who face incredible challenges in their lives.

Just like every other professional, I have challenging days too. I have days that I question my abilities both as a therapist and as a business owner, however, those are the days where I reach out to my support system and ask for help. Part of having the “never give up attitude” is to have a support system that you can rely on. The support system that you can trust and be vulnerable with. A good support system should include your friends, your siblings, your mentors, your therapist, and your colleagues. This is in addition to other simple yet therapeutic measures, such as long walks, going to the beach, listening to music, journaling, spending time with your pet or simply catching up on your favorite TV shows.

Throughout my personal and professional journey, I have also learned about putting things on “hold” or place them on “pause”. I frequently talk to my clients about these concepts. As a therapist who works with children and adults who are suffering from trauma, anxiety, and depression, I understand the healing power of putting things on “hold”. Our day-to-day life or lifestyle can lead us to feel anxiety, stress, burnout, or exhaustion. Placing things on “hold” or on “pause” does not mean you are giving up and does not make you weak. It simply means you are opening yourself to “ to being kind and curious” toward self. It means you are taking the time to work on your inner world to reach your goals. It means you are taking the time to take care of yourself (mind and body). It means opening the door for self-reflection and re-evaluation of both personal and professional goals.

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?
As a business owner you need to understand and accept the fact that you must take risks, be open to learn, and try new things when you fail. I learned long time ago that as business owners I can’t have the “know it all” mindset. What helped me grow my business at the beginning was a lot of asking questions from old friends and colleagues. I asked questions and listened to their experiences. When I started this field, I was surrounded and loved by many supportive colleagues. This made it easy for me to start my private practice. Their support gave me hope and strength. My advice to all new business owners is to surround yourself with people are willing to share their experiences and allow yourself to ride the waves by taking risks.

Over the past 10 years, I have serviced 0-21 high risk age population and worked with teens coming out of the probation system with severe history of trauma. One of my most proud moments as a therapist was when, as part of The Lanterman-Petris-Short Act (“LPS”), I would go to the client and first-hand experience their lives by meeting their families and circumstances in order to assess them and determine whether they would meet the 5150 psychiatric hospitalizations requirements. As a LPS, you would have to meet the client anywhere and at any time. As a result, you would be exposed to a lot of unexpected things. In these circumstances, your safety as a therapist and safety of the others is always the number one propriety. But the experience of being exposed to the clients’ circumstances made the job very satisfying and rewarding.

What sets me apart from other therapists is my cultural background. I am a female, Iranian American, Jewish therapist (MFT) who specializes in trauma. I have considerable experience treating young children and adolescents with history of trauma, anxiety and depression. As an Iranian woman who immigrated to the United States at a young age, I understand how challenging it can be to balance the old and new cultures. I believe that culture plays a significant role in our relationships and our day-to-day life. I have had a privilege of working with diverse group of clients over the years in different settings and my cultural background allowed me to understand them better and therefore treat them better. Like many cultures, seeking help for mental health issues is a stigma in the Iranian American community. I hope that my familiarity with the culture can result in reducing this stigma and allow families to seek professional help when they need it.

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.
If I had to take a friend out while visiting LA, I will take them to my favorite restaurants such as Dukes or Moonshadow in Malibu where they can enjoy ocean view dinning. Then, we will go to Sadaf restaurant in Encino for some great Persian food. At some point I will take them to Javier’s restaurant in Newport Beach for some great Mexican food. One of my favorite places in LA is the Grove.

I will also make sure they get to see at least one Laker’s game or attend a concert at Hollywood Bowl (depending on the weather). LA has a lot to offer, especially hiking places. So, I will make sure, they will get to see Hollywood sign or Venice Beach. Lastly, one of my favorite places in LA is Descanso Gardens. Depending on the season, this garden is filled with beautiful flowers. I love this place. It is always decorated for high holidays such as Christmas and Halloween. Flowers starts to bloom around June. You can spend the entire day exploring gardens and the trails and take some amazing pictures.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I wouldn’t be here as a therapist & business owner without the support of my professional colleagues, previous supervisors, my amazing friends and the love of my family including my beautiful pug, Bella. It is because of them that I am here and do what I do. It is through the love, support, guidance, commitment, directions, leadership, dedication, and care, of these individuals that the past 10 years has been possible. Also, I am thankful to my clients who have trusted me in their journey over the years. Finding a therapist and coming to therapy can be challenging and scary. So, thank you for trusting me!

Website: https://www.parisazivari.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisa_zivari_therapy_/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parisa-zivari-m-a-lmft-416b8621/

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

Image Credits
Mahsa Malekmohammadi (info@commaphotographystudio.com) All photos were taken by Mahsa.