Meet Phil Stark | Therapist & Author

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

Hi Phil, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I drove from Texas to Los Angeles in the mid 1990s. My goal was to become a screenwriter. I worked in cafes and wrote spec scripts until I got a production assistant job on South Park, and then was able to parlay that into a shot at writing an episode. That credit got me an interview on That ’70s Show, which ran for 8 seasons. During the first season I wrote the script for Dude, Where’s My Car?, which was released in the winter of 2000. I continued to write movies and television pilots, but none were produced.

Eventually I became frustrated with my career. I was unhappy and I felt stuck. After a long period of self reflection (and therapy!), I decided to go back to school, get a degree in psychology, and become a therapist.

Nowadays I see clients as a therapist in private practice, and instead of scripts I write non fiction books about mental health and personal growth. My latest is Dude, Where’s My Car-tharsis?. It’s a friendly and engaging guide to talk therapy.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I came to the business of therapy after a career as a screenwriter. I’d always been interested in psychology but only got serious about it as a career after becoming unhappy with screenwriting. I find many similarities in the fields. In therapy we strive to learn more about ourselves, which includes developing a greater awareness about why we do or say the things we do or say.

As a screenwriter, much of my work was about developing a similar kind of awareness, only about fictional characters instead of real people. Of course, it’s the real people who create the fictional ones! I often work with clients in the entertainment industry, and the interplay between a greater awareness of ourselves and a greater awareness of the characters in the stories we tell is something that can shed light on our lives and our creative work.

I see a majority of my clients via telehealth, and this aspect of my practice has been surprisingly effective. I’m able to see people from all over the city, and in fact all over the state, with no considerations for traffic or drive time. With the onset of COVID and the resulting changes in our lifestyles many people have gotten used to doing things online that they had previously only done in person. For many people therapy is one of those things.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’d want to show my friend what my life is like in my own little slice of Los Angeles, right on the Los Feliz / Silver Lake border. This would involve hitting up one of the local farmers markets, going for a walk in the hills, grabbing some delicious tacos from a street stand (or Yuca’s), and getting outside for the sunset.

You can’t go wrong with a trip downtown to check out what’s new at MOCA or the Broad, and hopefully there would be a concert at Disney Hall or a show at the Ahmanson to check out. A stroll down Broadway is always great, with so much history packed into that stretch of the city. Then on to Little Tokyo for some izakaya snacks and draft beer.

A trip to the beach is always a nice thing to do with out of town guest, which could mean a drive up to Zuma to post up on the sand, or a trip to Venice to stroll the boardwalk and stock up on cheap sunglasses. The next level move would be to rent bikes and cruise all the way down to LAX and watch the planes take off, but walking up to the Santa Monica Pier and back should be enough cardio for the day. Then a stop on Sawtelle Blvd for some tsukemen, and maybe a movie at the Nuart if there’s something good playing.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
For my Shoutout I’d like to mention Jacob Stark, a 16 year old Marshall High School junior who is also a budding vintage clothing dealer. Jacob has been scouring local thrift stores for vintage clothing and selling at local flea markets since he was 10 years old. Jacob specializes in high end vintage T-shirts, sweatshirts, and jackets, as well as true vintage denim from as far back at the 1960s. If you’re looking for some hard to find, classic vintage clothing contact Jacob via instagram at @youngslinky.

Website: https://www.starktalk.net

Twitter: https://twitter.com/pbstarkok

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/philip.stark.98