Today we’d like to introduce you to Menije Boduryan-Turner, Psy.D.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I am a licensed psychologist working with adults in the Los Angeles area. Like most people, I had my own share of significant life events that have shaped me as a person and as a professional. I was born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey and moved to the United States when I was 15.
While I had the support of extended family members that significantly eased the transition to a new country, I still found myself on a personal level going through the stages of acculturation. High school is a major chapter in everyone’s life and this period had its unique challenges for me since I was in a new country with a new language and culture.
So understanding people, our individual, and the collective interests and hobbies, how our families shape who we are became my best coping skill during this transition. On a personal level, paying attention to others’ stories, understanding them to form a connection became a natural and fundamental part of my adjustment. Naturally, this experience shaped my professional goals.
Looking back, I think moving to a new country played a major role in my interest in psychology. I spent the rest of my education on pursuing the study of psychology. I attended college at the University of California, San Diego where I received my B.A. degree in Psychology.
I moved back to Los Angeles in 2005 and continued my education at Pepperdine University where I completed my M.A. degree in Psychology. I went onto pursue my Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) in Clinical Psychology at the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP), Los Angeles. I have been licensed as a clinical psychologist in the state of California since 2014.
During 2018, I was a psychology professor for Pepperdine University Master’s program. I am a board member and the Chair of the Networking Committee of the Los Angeles County Psychological Association.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It is with gratitude that I look back at my journey so far and see many times of ease and challenges. I am a big believer that our understanding of our self and others are strengthening by challenging situations. Therefore, I have gratitude and acceptance for all the challenging times I had while pursuing my career as a licensed psychologist.
On a personal level, one of the biggest challenges was to find a balance between having family here in America as well as Turkey. While I was establishing my life here in America, it has always been important to stay connected to family members living in my home country. What I think made any part of my life so far “smooth” is ultimately the support of my family and friends.
My husband, Eric, our daughter, Olivia, and my parents along with many loving family members and friends, have become my source of resting place during difficult times. As I share this with all my clients, we are not meant to go through life alone, and I am utterly thankful to share my life with wonderful people who endlessly support and encourage me.
We’d love to hear more about your practice.
Ultimately, everyone is deserving of living a peaceful and fulfilling life. However, there can be personal obstacles that get in the way from living our fullest potential. Therapy can be that place for us to examine our journey with all of its ups and downs to better understand where we came from, where we are, and where we like to go. It is my most important goal in therapy to help you reach your own unique place of acceptance, self-love, and contentment.
What I am most proud of my work as a psychologist is the same thing that sets me apart from others, which is my outlook on therapy. I think our mental health needs deserve just as much attention and care as our physical health. Therefore, it is important for me that when people seek therapy with me, they feel heard and safe and treated as equals.
One other thing that I am most inspired and proud of in working in the field of mental health is the richness of the experience. While there is so much universality in what we may feel, at the same time, everyone has a unique story to tell. I have been blessed to work in a variety of settings since the start of my clinical practice in 2009. I gained extensive experience providing individual, family, and group therapy in an intensive outpatient setting to adults with mental illness and addiction.
I also obtained training experience at an acute-inpatient psychiatric unit treating adolescents and adults with diverse backgrounds and a variety of diagnostic symptoms, including self-harm behaviors, mood and anxiety disorders. For my doctoral thesis, I conducted a literature review on The Social Experiences of Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder, which was later published at the Los Angeles Psychologist March-April 2012 Edition.
My treatment approach is evidenced-based and individualized, including cognitive-behavioral, mindfulness, and dialectical behavioral therapy. I work on guiding my clients to modify maladaptive thinking and behavioral patterns and to develop well-established coping skills. Foundation of the therapy includes exploring all aspects of oneself and revisiting past experiences so as to build long-lasting self-acceptance and self-compassion.
When working with an individual, I believe that family members and support systems should be involved in therapy to create more meaningful and sustained change, to enhance growth, and to empower the family. My work uses a multicultural approach that focuses on the effects of one’s ethnic background on interpersonal interaction and patterns of behavior and development. I can offer therapy in Turkish as well.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
My ultimate goal is to continue to connect with people who are interested in bettering themselves. It is time for us to normalize therapy by ending the stigma around mental health needs, have more conversations about getting help, and ultimately make it part of our healthy lifestyle.
To make therapy more accessible, I have ventured out to online by offering therapy to residents living throughout the state of CA via HIPAA compliant online forum where we engage in video-sessions.
In addition, one of the new roles I took this year is to become Chair of the Networking Committee of a local psychological association. It is important to take part in collaborating with other therapists as well as educating our local communities on mental health services. I enjoy leadership and networking, and this role is a great combination of both!
To sum it up, for the future, I look forward to connecting, collaborating, and helping people reach their goals.
Pricing:
- $160 per 50-minute session for psychotherapy (couples or individual therapy)
- $240 per 75-minute session for psychotherapy (couples, family or individual therapy)
Contact Info:
- Address: 20300 Ventura Blvd., #330, Woodland Hills, CA 91364
- Website: www.drboduryan.com
- Phone: 818.575.6148
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.boduryan/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drmenijeboduryan/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrBoduryan?lang=en
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/menije-boduryan-psy-d-woodland-hills-2
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