Today we’d like to introduce you to Hallie Gnatovich.
Hi Hallie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Hallie G Therapy has been in operation since 2012. I started on my own, specializing in working with actors. My office was in West Hollywood, so I naturally began seeing lots of queer clients. It didn’t take long before serving the LGBTQ+ community became a primary focus and passion of mine.
Over the course of the last five or so years, I have also become a supervisor of associate clinicians. Nurturing these relationships, supporting this next wave of therapists, and watching them build their connections with one another brings me so much joy. I’ve chosen people who take this precious work seriously, who are creative and talented, and who are committed to inclusiveness, advocacy, and authenticity, in the room and beyond. In addition, each therapist comes in with their own particular orientation on people: diversity of thought and experience is highly appreciated, which gently disturbs all our perspectives. It’s growth mindset magic, this crew.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been a smooth road! Fascinating and inspiring. The most challenging time happened during the pandemic. The team at Hallie G Therapy shifted in order to accommodate stay-at-home orders, as we all did. We switched to telehealth. This of course made for sessions where toddlers walked in, cats knocked over computers, we strained to hear clients in their cars over Zoom. We were willing to work with all those disturbances and became interested in how they impacted the treatment. Frankly, the new setup also allowed us access to people’s lives in a totally new way and also made it so we were seen differently. Now, our connections with clients are deeper in the wake of this shared experience.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Presently, my personal practice is comprised of mostly queer clients. You might know the bell hooks about queerness. “Queer is not so much who you’re sleeping with but… ‘queer’ as being about the self that is at odds with everything around it and that has to invent and create and find a place to speak and to thrive and to live.” I love that quote. If you’re a client of mine, you’ve heard it a hundred times. My clinical stance is about actively normalizing, validating, and exploring those aspects of clients (perspectives, wants, curiosities, traits, etc) that have been held back and unexpressed for whatever reason. Even with my non-queer clients, this tends to be the nature of our conversations. Honestly, I can’t think of a better way to spend 50 minutes.
Our current team is comprised of five associates: Roxanna, Janelle, Shabnam, Tai, and Nailah. They are phenomenal clinicians and compassionate, insightful humans.
Roxanna is inquisitive, perceptive and kind as a therapist and person. She offers a group for brides to process the experience of planning a wedding and getting married; topics include people pleasing, handling disappointments, navigating relationships and more. In general, she is interested in comparison culture, cool girl mentality, intergenerational trauma, social anxiety, and perfectionism. She holds her clients in capable hands; this work matters deeply to her. https://www.therapy-with-roxanna.com/
Janelle focuses on children and teenagers with Autism, Parent-child Relationships, Co-parenting, and medical trauma in children. She is also interested in working with women’s issues, depression, ADHD, and anxiety. I’ve noticed her particular creativity and willingness to address her clients’ concerns from many directions. She is wise, gentle, and deeply respectful. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/janelle-braham-north-hollywood-ca/1024123
Shab specializes in 1) depression, 2) anxiety/performance pressure–specifically in the arts, 3) first/second generation Americans, and 4) transitions (e.g. new relationships, parenthood, divorce, new career/location change). Her life experiences– growing up as the child of immigrants and work as a professional musician, and now as a psychotherapist– have strengthened the idea that a comprehensive grasp of ourselves allows us to find how we fit into our ever-changing and challenging world. https://therapywithshab.com/
Tai offers play therapy with kids of all ages, inner child work, astrology, postmodern psychology, and client advocacy work, all informed by the multiracial experience. She also runs a group for mothers of color on Wednesday evenings. Her approach is warm, validating, and direct. And really fun. She works with her people to discover new and old truths about themselves, identifying new perspectives that will help to move closer to personal goals. https://www.talkswithtai.com/
With Nailah, clients will build an authentic, trusting connection where it is safe to nurture one’s sense of self. The therapeutic relationship is bidirectional; learning from one another and growing from the work together. Her stance is curious and appreciative, applying a holistic approach, considering a person’s mind, body, and spirit. From Nailah: “sessions may not always be pretty or perfect, but they will be honest.” So true. https://www.nextlevelwithnailah.com/
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
We are taking new clients at this time. If you know anyone seeking a therapist or if you’re looking for a clinician yourself, we offer a free 30 min consultation to consider the match. After that, sessions are $125/hr. We don’t take insurance but can offer a superbill to submit to your provider for reimbursement. Don’t hesitate to reach out. We would love to hear from you.
Pricing:
- 125/50 min session
Contact Info:
- Website: www.halliegtherapy.com
- Instagram: @halliegtherapy
- Twitter: @halliegtherapy
- Other: @nextlevelwithnailah @talkingwithtai @therapywithshab @therapy.with.roxanna
