Community Highlights: Meet Annie Varvaryan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Annie Varvaryan.

Hi Annie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
If I look back on many of my life experiences, the main thing that stands out to me is people’s stories. Others have always felt comfortable sitting down and telling me their story. Before I even knew I wanted to be a psychologist, people were sharing personal details of their life with me, and in each of those situations, I always found myself listening. I would provide a space for people to just talk and share their experiences with me. I actually felt honored in a sense that people “chose” me to share some of their deepest thoughts with and over time my desire to not just listen to people’s stories but actually help them do something with those stories grew. As I entered into university and graduate school, I learned more and more about how to listen for certain things in people’s stories and assist them in meeting their goals and reaching their aspirations in life. I have trained in many clinical settings throughout the course of my academic career, and ultimately, my strongest desire became to return to my community and serve the people there. Couch Conversations Psychotherapy and Counseling, Inc. was mostly remote in 2020, but we currently have a home base in Montrose, CA and are looking forward to hearing all of the stories of those in the community.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Perhaps accomplishments in life do not feel as worthwhile unless there are some challenges along the way. There is always a challenge when it comes to mental health. As we know, there is a stigma around mental health and a perception that there may be a “weakness” if someone needs assistance for their symptoms. But really, it is no different than going to see your primary care doctor for a medical condition. At the end of the day, there are a set of symptoms that someone is experiencing, and there is treatment for those symptoms usually in the form of talk therapy. Our goal is to assist people in overcoming the stigma, stereotypes and unhelpful perceptions of mental health and show people the potential of therapy. When Couch Conversations Psychotherapy and Counseling, Inc. was born, soon after we experienced the challenge of finding a way of continuing to provide our services safely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though we were already providing remote therapy, it was still difficult to help everyone get comfortable with the experience of not being in a therapy room, which is often associated with a safe, nonjudgmental space for most people. It was also difficult for us as therapists to be on a screen for several hours a day, but it was a better choice than having no other alternatives when there were so many unknowns about the pandemic. As time went on, we were able to figure out solutions for both us as therapists as well as our clients and continue to provide services remotely to ensure safety during the pandemic.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Couch Conversations Psychotherapy and Counseling, Inc.?
Couch Conversations Psychotherapy and Counseling, Inc. is a small but growing group practice of therapists. Couch Conversations was co-founded by Annie Varvaryan, Psy.D. and Gary Amirbekyan, L.M.F.T. We have one Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and two Licensed Clinical Psychologists on our team (the other psychologist being Jennifer Jameson, Psy.D.). Couch Conversations is known for quality, customized care because we believe that no two people are alike in their presentation of symptoms, and it is important for us to tailor our treatment to meet each individual person’s needs.

Our team is trained in several “evidence-based” modalities of therapy, meaning that there is science and research backing up certain strategies and interventions that have been shown to promote positive change in people. For example, Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is one of those approaches to treatment that has been found through studies to improve people’s symptoms of depression, anxiety, trauma, and many other symptoms. CBT approaches assist people in understanding their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and how to modify them to promote the changes they are looking for. Our team of therapists understands that though one modality could be very helpful for most people, we need to find the modality that best fits the person we are treating and not make the person fit the modality.

Couch Conversations provides several forms of therapy including individual therapy for both adolescents, teenagers and adults. This means the client presents alone and works on their treatment goals one-on-one with their therapist. We also work with more than one person at a time in sessions including family therapy and couples counseling. When you think about relationships, it is one of the most significant parts of a person’s existence, which is why our team believes in examining and problem-solving how a person relates to their partner, family members, and even coworkers.

The therapists at Couch Conversations have been trained to work with a range of mental health conditions but do focus on depression, anxiety, obsession and compulsions, relationship issues, work stress, and academic pressures.

We are working hard to educate people about mental health, to show them that it could worth their while to try therapy, and assist them in finding more effective ways in managing their struggles.

We hope that when people walk into our office space or meet with us remotely in their own space, that they feel a sense of calm, safety, and healing in meeting with one of our therapists.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
In my personal life, I try my best to practice what I preach to my clients all day long: the best predictors of change are a person’s willingness and commitment to change. If you have the willingness to think about something you want in your life and go for it, and you are committed to the long road, the barriers, and challenges ahead, you have the two main ingredients for finding success. It is important to remember that just because you have these two things, it does not mean the journey ahead is going to be easy; it means that you are still willing and committed to get to your end goal despite the difficulties that lay ahead (and there will be difficulties). I try to embark this message on everyone that I work with, but I also use it as a reminder for myself when I experience setbacks to my goals.

Contact Info:

• Email: contact@couchconversationstherapy.com
• Website: www.couchconversationstherapy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/couchconversationstherapy/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064292464665
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzc01IjrPv0rIBtXOdpAfKQ
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/couch-conversations-psychotherapy-and-counseling-montrose?osq=couch+conversations