Therapy and somatic coaching in Los Angeles for a deeper connection to yourself, your body, and your life.
About me
I’m Shari Gerstenberger, an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT) and Certified Somatic Coach.
I hold a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University Los Angeles, with specialized training in working with LGBTQIA+ clients, sex therapy, and trauma-informed care.
Before entering clinical practice, I spent years as a certified somatic sex and relationship coach, where I developed an attuned, body-based framework for understanding intimacy, attachment, and nervous-system patterns that continues to shape my therapeutic work today.
Queer theory, feminist theory, and liberation frameworks guide my approach, helping me support clients in deconstructing harmful cultural messages and building lives rooted in self-determination, pleasure, and freedom.
Therapy Services
As a Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT), I offer psychotherapy under supervision to teens, adults, couples, families, and groups in California. I draw on a blend of modalities — psychodynamic, somatic, EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP), and mindfulness — tailoring our work to your unique history, needs, and resilience.
Whether we’re exploring unconscious patterns, processing past wounds, healing the nervous system, or rebuilding trust in yourself and in relationships, I offer a space of warmth, directness, and real transformation.
I provide a trauma-informed, integrative space for clients navigating:
Depression
Anxiety
Grief
Trauma (PTSD + complex trauma)
LGBTQIA+ identities
Relationship conflicts
Intimacy and sexual issues
Neurodivergence
Life transitions
Somatic Sex & Relationship Coaching
Alongside my clinical therapy practice, I also offer somatic sex and relationship coaching, which is a non-clinical, educational, and experiential approach focused on embodiment, intimacy, communication, and personal growth. Coaching is not psychotherapy and does not diagnose or treat mental health conditions. Instead, it offers a supportive, skills-based space for individuals, couples, and people in non-traditional relationship structures who want to deepen connection, expand pleasure, or cultivate more confident and authentic expression in their relationships and sexuality.
In coaching sessions, we may work with breath, sensation, movement, and other somatic practices to help you connect with your body’s cues and cultivate greater awareness. We’ll explore communication patterns, boundaries, pleasure frameworks, and relational dynamics from an educational and experiential perspective — always in a sex-positive, identity-affirming, and shame-free space. Coaching focuses on learning, exploration, and embodiment rather than clinical treatment, and many clients choose it as a complement to therapy or as its own dedicated pathway for growth.
My approach in a few words
RELATIONAL and COLLABORATIVE: We work together as partners in your growth.
SOMATIC and EMBODIED: The body is a vital part of every session.
TRAUMA-INFORMED and COMPASSIONATE: Safety and trust come first.
AFFIRMING and STRENGTHS-BASED: I honor your identities, values, and lived experiences while helping you build on the resilience you already carry.
DIRECT and PRACTICAL: We’ll focus on what helps you move toward healing and change.
Is somatic therapy or coaching right for you?
My clients are often people who feel “stuck” in talk therapy alone and want a more embodied approach.
They might be navigating the impacts of anxiety, depression, trauma, or chronic dysregulation, and craving ways to feel safer in their body and more connected to themselves and others.
Many people come to me wanting to rebuild trust in their sensations, needs, and boundaries, or to reconnect with pleasure and aliveness after long periods of shutdown or survival mode.
If you’re longing for more calm, clarity, and a sense of being in yourself again, somatic therapy or coaching may be a good fit for you.
What is coaching vs. therapy?
Coaching and therapy are two distinct services, and I offer both depending on your needs.
Coaching is a non-clinical, growth-oriented process focused on skill-building, embodiment, and present-moment integration. It supports increased awareness, stress regulation, communication skills, and movement toward personal or relational goals. Coaching does not diagnose, treat, or address mental health disorders.
Therapy (psychotherapy) is a clinical service that involves assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental health concerns. Therapy allows us to explore past experiences, trauma, attachment patterns, and emotional or relational challenges that require clinical support. It is appropriate when symptoms of anxiety, depression, trauma, or other mental health conditions are present.
As an AMFT, I provide psychotherapy under the supervision of Dr. Shari Giti (#26369) and Cameron Holliday, LCSW (#63999).
If you’re unsure which path is the best fit, we can talk through your goals, needs, and hopes during a consultation and determine together whether therapy or coaching is most appropriate.
Let’s work together.
I offer in-person therapy in Mar Vista, Hermosa Beach, and Atwater Village, as well as telehealth throughout California, along with somatic sex and relationship coaching for clients seeking non-clinical support.
I also offer a complimentary 15-minute consultation call to discuss your needs and explore whether my approach feels like a good fit.
Rates:
$200 for 50-minute individual sessions
$225 for 50-minute partner or family sessions
Your financial support helps me give back.
A portion of my coaching income goes directly toward supporting Los Angeles–based organizations doing powerful, community-rooted work in the areas of Indigenous sovereignty, LGBTQ+ rights, and Black women’s health. These monthly donations are one way I stay accountable to the broader systems that shape our lives and healing.
The Gabrielino/Tongva Nation The original stewards of the greater Los Angeles Basin, the Tongva people were displaced, enslaved, and colonized beginning in 1771 by Spanish settlers. Though their land was taken, their culture and leadership remain vibrant and enduring.
The Northern Chumash Tribal Council Dedicated to the revitalization of Chumash culture, language, and land, the Council works to educate the public and affirm the presence and sovereignty of the Chumash people: “We have always been here, we have not gone anywhere, and we will always be here—one continuum.”
Los Angeles LGBT Center Founded in 1969, the Center provides affirming and essential services to LGBTQ+ individuals across the lifespan—including health care, housing, education, and advocacy—while working toward a more just and inclusive world.
California Black Women’s Health Project The only statewide nonprofit focused exclusively on the health and wellness of Black women and girls in California. Through education, policy, and community-based initiatives, CBWHP is building a future where Black women thrive.
