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Meet Ivy Love Margulies, Psy.D.

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Ivy Love Margulies, Psy.D.

So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My journey to becoming a clinical psychologist, death midwife, reiki healer, mindfulness teacher and funeral director began with the suicide of my father at 15 years of age, the suicide of my best friend the following year and the tragic premature death of my husband in 1990 from a car accident.

I do not think I’d be where I am today without those life-altering events influencing my path. I began my education after high school at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising with an emphasis on graphic arts and publicity. I had several amazing jobs as a freelance graphic designer, then as the assistant publicist for Giorgio Armani corporate in Beverly Hills, and transitioned to an assistant to a film and television producer at Warner Bros. at the Burbank Studios. It was then, in 1990, I was married and widowed within two months. I decided to go back to college and finish my bachelor’s degree at Scripps College and continue to graduate school and receive my doctorate in psychology and a post-doctorate in psychoanalytic psychotherapy. My area of specialty in psychology at that time was child development, family dynamics, young widowhood, suicide and grief.

I have since expanded to specialize in trauma (PTSD), somatic healing (traumatic memories that get stuck in our bodies that need help to express and discharge themselves), perinatal and postpartum mood and anxiety disorders, pregnancy losses of all kinds, (in)fertility, traumatic birth, stillbirth and infant death. I also offer therapy for couples who need support around communication and understanding the differences between how men and women process significant emotional events, and/or just need a tune up to be better together.

I host my podcast, Shattered Conception: All Things Fertility, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Loss and Wellness. The podcast offers a range of guests from healers, medical professionals, psychics, bereaved mothers and fathers to specialists in healing trauma. The podcast always offers information on what helped them heal or expand their awareness on mental – physical – emotional – and spiritual growth.

I facilitate several support groups out of my office in Santa Monica once a month for (In)Fertility, Miscarriage, Termination for any Reason, Stillbirth, Pregnancy After Loss and Traumatic Birth Postpartum.

I also facilitate healing retreats twice a year for women and couples who have had a pregnancy loss, stillbirth or infant death.

I am passionate about presenting at conferences and hospitals as well as offering trainings to professionals. I offer tele-therapy to patients all over the world.

Has it been a smooth road?
I think some of the challenges in hindsight were I didn’t fully realize or understand the impact of the traumas I had experienced. I was widowed at 24 years old and fully in grief and trauma.

I pursued an education so I could rely on myself and find a career that was incredibly satisfying. I was disconnected from my emotions, pushed through my grief and hyper-focused on surviving by disassociating and being a high achiever. I compartmentalized my grief and trauma, subconsciously pushed it aside and carried on with life without fully realizing I wasn’t as present because of the PTSD. My training and therapy helped me to integrate the grief and trauma, and in turn, truly be able to help others with all kinds of undigested significant life events.

We’d love to hear more about your practice.
I have a private practice in Santa Monica and offer traditional psychotherapy with an emphasis on holistic wellness – what does that mean? My treatment philosophy is to treat the whole person, not just intellectually (neck up) but includes the emotional body, and spirit (non-denominational). I incorporate mindfulness exercises, trauma-informed mindfulness, HeartMath Inner Balance, guided visualizations and offer Reiki healing. I am also known for counseling women on the full spectrum of their reproductive life span. From perinatal anxiety and postpartum depression, traumatic birth, NICU experiences, miscarriage, pregnancy termination for any reason, (in)fertility treatments, pregnancy after loss, stillbirth and infant death. I provide ritual and critical information before and/or after pregnancy loss, pregnancy termination, stillbirth and infant death. I provide in home infant funerals and can come to any hospital and provide services and support needed.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I am a California native and enjoy the beautiful nature our city has, especially our hiking trails and beaches. I feel grateful everyday to live in Los Angeles near the ocean.

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