Meet Zainy Pirbhai of Los Angeles Family Therapy in Glendale

I was always a very artistic child and knew art was a passion very early on. In college, I chose Studio Art as my major but also fell in love with Psychology when I took it as a core requirement. I had a counselor in college ask if I had ever considered becoming an Art Therapist. I had no idea this existed and that my two passions could come together in Art Therapy!

I went to grad school and got my Masters in Psychology and emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy and a credential in Art Therapy and School Counseling. I’ve now been a therapist for over ten years and I absolutely LOVE what I do. I suppose, for the majority of my life, I ended up in the therapist-role with friends, helping them navigate challenges and problems since grade school, and I loved it! As an adult I come to work everyday and get to help, talk, create, and play with other people, is an amazing job!

Overall, I’ve been very fortunate. My biggest challenge would also probably be my biggest push, the stigma around therapy and lack of awareness. My background is Pakistani and cultural bias is a very big piece of what led me into this field. Growing up, I didn’t know that therapy existed. The concept of talking to a someone neutral about your problems seemed very foreign. As I learned about therapy, I became bothered by the fact that mental health was looked down upon, and yet the help was so badly needed. I was concerned how the field would be received but equally excited and hopeful when I explored the possibility of becoming a therapist. My parents were extremely supportive and I know that it is their unconditional love and support that allowed me to follow my path. Culturally, I’m finding that people are a lot more open minded now, but I still believe we have a very long way to go.

Currently I work at my private practice and I run Art Therapy groups at Keystone, an amazing treatment center in Los Angeles. My practice is in Glendale, and it’s called Los Angeles Family Therapy. I specialize in Art Therapy, working with children, eating disorders, post-partum, and anxiety to name a few. I also speak an additional language, Urdu. I have a fabulous team of therapists who work at the practice as well. They come from different backgrounds and offer additional specialties. Our motto is that therapy cannot be one size fits all, so we try to meet different people’s needs!

I feel that my passion for what I do helps me in my work. I have wonderful clients and am fortunate enough to feel excited about my role in their lives. I also feel that my determination and willingness to put in the hard work has greatly helped my business. It’s a long road to become a licensed therapist and not always an easy one, but definitely worth all the time and effort to get to do what I love every single day!