Meet Elana Lev, Laura Twersky, and Lindsay Rickel of TLA Therapy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Elana Lev, Laura Twersky, and Lindsay Rickel.

Elana, Laura, and Lindsay met while working at the Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA. Elana and Laura began by working as inpatient social workers, and Lindsay worked in the Partial Hospitalization Program. Through our work at these different levels of care, we became familiar with the resources for mental health services in the community.

We quickly identified gaps in services that our patients so desperately needed. We were particularly struck by the fact that unless a patient was in a program (such as partial hospitalization or intensive outpatient treatment), there were very few options available other than individual therapy and psychiatry upon discharge.

In addition, finding an outpatient provider often proved to be a struggle as many are either at capacity and/or do not feel comfortable taking high-risk patients (i.e., those with a history of hospitalization or history of suicidal thoughts and behaviors) in their private practices. Given our backgrounds with this level of care, we had the expertise and motivation to offer services to these individuals.

In addition, we understood that while weekly therapy and monthly psychiatric check-ins were helpful, patients often craved more. The mission of TLA is to provide accessible and affordable care to help de-stigmatize mental illness and provide tools and strategies for a better life.

Therefore, we offer our clients not only individual therapy tailored to their personal needs through evidenced-based techniques including DBT, CBT, MBT and more, but we also offer group therapy which often helps to cut down the cost of treatment and help build community among our clients. We have found that the combination of group and individual therapy is incredibly valuable to our clients.

Has it been a smooth road?
We feel so fortunate that our clients, the professionals who refer to us, and our team of clinicians have all been outstanding. We are proud of the work we have done and are excited about how many people continue to be interested in joining our groups.

The main struggle in this field of work is understanding that mental illness is a non-linear journey. Our clients go through highs and lows, and we are there to ride the waves with them. It can be difficult to see symptoms return, and at the same time, we know that getting through those moments will only serve to help our clients moving forward.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
What sets TLA apart is our focus on group therapy and our belief that the skills and community it provides to our clients can lead to improved resilience and recovery. We believe there is a gap in care, specifically when clients are discharged from an intensive outpatient program or partial hospitalization program to general outpatient care. TLA really strives to bridge this gap, and we are in the process of expanding our group offerings.

Our TLA staff is also exceptional. We have extensive training in several evidence-based practices ranging from DBT to CBT, to MBT. The three founders, Elana, Laura, and Lindsay, also have an extensive understanding of the levels of care within the mental health system as well as an expansive knowledge of the resources within LA County and beyond. We are more than equipped to assess whether a client needs a higher or lower level of care based on their symptom presentation.

In addition, we feel very strongly about taking a multi-disciplinary approach to mental health; we prioritize working with each clients’ treatment team to collaborate on care and address the specific needs of each client.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Since mental health does not discriminate between gender, race, socioeconomic status, religion or any other specific trait, people all around the world can benefit from therapy services. Therefore, Los Angeles is as good a place as any to open this type of business. One of the benefits of operating in a large city like Los Angeles is access to treatment which can be hard to find in more remote locations.

Furthermore, being a large city in a progressive state helps with de-stigmatizing treatment in general. It seems like each week a Hollywood celebrity comes out talking about their therapist, psychiatrist, diagnosis or treatment for mental illness which is great in terms of normalizing mental health treatment.

Pricing:

• Individual Therapy $150-200 per hour (depending on pre-licensed vs licensed clinician)
• Group Therapy $40-60 per hour (depending on group)

Contact Info:

• Address: 2001 S. Barrington Ave, suite 215, Los Angeles CA 90024
• Website: www.tlatherapy.com
• Phone: 424-256-3810
• Email: info@tlatherapy.com

Image Credit:
Les Dishman Photography

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