Meet SĀFTY’s Team of Therapists
Alexandra Rosenberg, M.S.
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Alexandra Rosenberg (she/her) is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She works from a person-centered perspective allowing her to focus on building a strong relationship and trust with those that she works with. She is also a trauma informed therapist and is trained in EMDR. Alexandra specializes in working with folks in the LGBTQIA+ community, identity struggles, challenges in relationships, life transitions, anxiety, depression, and ADHD.
She graduated from California State University, Fullerton with a degree in Counseling. She teaches part-time at CSUF focusing on helping students grow and understand themselves. She has been working with clients since 2014 and completed her traineeship at The LGBT Center OC. Alexandra identifies as queer. In her free time, she loves camping, reading, cooking, spending time with her dog, and even watching some lite reality tv from time to time.
Caroline Carter, PsyD
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Underneath Caroline’s vocational “Psychologist” hat you will find: a cisgender, queer-femme, white, femxle identified (she/her/hers) individual who loves running, her cats, manatees, dancing to the radio, any burrito, all things creative, and going on traveling adventures with her family.
Her passion and specialty is working with transgender and gender nonbinary (TGNB) children ages 2+, with more focused expertise working with transfeminine youth ages 8–12. She also works consistently with TGNB teens and adults. Her experience comes from nine years of training and work with the LA Gender Center (LAGC), as well as through ongoing clinical practice with transgender youth and families through her private practice in South Pasadena. Over the years Caroline has also provided clinical support to Transforming Family, a local family support group for families with gender diverse children.
Cristy Mereles
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
Cristy Mereles (she/her) is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) who uses a client-centered approach with her clients, drawing from varied treatment modalities such as Motivational Interviewing, Mindfulness and Play Therapy. She works with clients of all ages and has been specializing in working exclusively with the trans community since 2018. Her focus is to support each client to be empowered to find and live the best version of themselves.
Cristy graduated with a BA in Psychology from Point Loma Nazarene University before going on to get her MSW from San Diego State University in 2004.
Although she identifies as cis/het, Cristy has had years of up close and personal experience in the trans community. When she is not busy working, Cristy loves to spend time with her family and pets.
Iordana Gaytan Gamiz, M.A.
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Iordana (she/her) is a French and Mexican citizen with Master’s degrees from the Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Italy and Antioch University in Los Angeles, California, with a certification in both countries. With this richness of backgrounds, she cultivates an authentic and complete understanding of each of her clients, creating a warm and trusting relationship that allows for a safe space for healing and visibility.
As a Latina, immigrant woman, she recognizes the importance of each individual’s intersecting identities such as race, gender identity, culture of origin, immigration status, sexual orientation, primary language and disability. Iordana provides psychotherapy for adults in individual and group settings as well as with couples and teenagers; in a safe, and calm atmosphere based on ones needs.
Her specializations include working with the LGBTQ population with a focus on Transgender and gender non-conforming individuals, their families and partners. Iordana also specialize in trauma related to domestic and family violence/abuse.
Kai Lewis
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Kai (they/he) is a queer afab transgender LGBTQIA affirming therapist focused on providing care for all members of the LGBTQIA and neurodiverse communities. Their speciality is working with the neurodiverse, transgender, nonbinary, & gender expansive communities, as well as sexuality & gender exploration, ethical non-monogamy, non-traditional relational & erotic orientations, among other queer identities (allies included!). They also offer EMDR therapy.
Kai’s areas of focus are anxiety, depression, stress, OCD, grief/loss, transitions, behavior change, neurodiversity, somatic experiencing, self image, LGBTQIA identity exploration & education, dissociation, relational conflict, religious trauma, EMDR, emotional regulation & more. Their approach is holistic, & incorporates mind, body, spirit, lifestyle, & more. They value assessing you, as a unique & complex person, in order to tailor our work to fit who you are, rather than force you to fit into plans that aren't working. They offer a client-centered & collaborative approach, allowing space for you to fully express who you are & who you want to be.
Rae Amirian
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Rae (they/them) is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and received a Master of Social Work with a concentration in Mental Health from the University of Southern California. They work with children, teens, and adults struggling with depression, anxiety, substance use, trauma, and those wanting to further explore their sexual orientation and gender identity. Prior to private practice, they worked in outpatient community mental health where they provided psychological evaluations and therapy for foster youth, most of whom came from immigrant families or were part of the LGBTQ+ community. This work has been meaningful for them as a non-binary first generation Iranian American individual.
Rae is fully trained in Compassionate Inquiry, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), TF-CBT (Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), and SPARCS (Structured Psychotherapy for Adolescents Responding to Chronic Stress). They believe that in order to feel at ease and live authentically, we need to heal our wounds. Sometimes this can be scary and together you can unearth your full potential and help you move forward. They want to help you feel comfortable with yourself and the life you envision living. Through mindfulness and somatic therapy techniques, you can work together to bring awareness to your mind, body, and spirit. Together, you can change thought patterns that may be holding you back from feeling joy and continue the healing process.
Sam Weiss
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Sam (he/him) is the kind of therapist that will lovingly validate your experience AND give you skills to move through the challenges that you’re facing. He sees your strength and knows the self-trust, confidence, and vibrancy on the other side of what you’re going through. Whether your goal is to get to know yourself better, heal your trauma, uncover what’s getting in your own way, or process events that have impacted your relationship with yourself or others - Sam will be in the trenches with you you every step of the way. You are not alone or broken and you deserve to THRIVE.
Sam is a trans-man and is also an LGBT-affirmative therapist. Sam uses his experience with his own gender journey to help individuals make stronger connections to their own sense of gender and sexuality.
Sam received his Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Southern California in 2015. Sam’s primary approaches to therapy include EMDR, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Motivational Interviewing, and solution-focused therapy. Sam believes that everyone should feel empowered with the conceptual and contextual knowledge to cultivate self-awareness, as well as practical skills that you can use on the daily.
Sam truly believes that therapy works and that acceptance, peace, and strength are possible, even in the most painful of circumstances.
Toni Collard, M.A.
Associate Marriage and Family Therapist
Toni (They/He) is an associate marital and family therapist (AMFT). They received their master's degree in Marital and Family Therapy (MFT) in 2023 from California State Dominguez Hills where they specialized in providing therapy to marginalized populations. They work with children, teens, and young adults struggling with depression, anxiety, transitional issues, gender identity, and sexual orientation exploration. They also have knowledge and experience working with neurodivergent individuals and their families. They have worked with the LGBTQIA+ population for over two years for a non-profit organization called Radiant Health Centers in Irvine. As a therapist, Toni likes to use mediums such as art, mindfulness, music, and games to engage clients in the therapeutic process. Toni Identifies as non-binary, pansexual, and poly. As a person who holds multiple identities, he understands the importance of holding space for each one and allowing no one to put him into a box. In his free time, he likes to be outdoors with loved ones, go kayaking and camping, and being at the beach.
Thomas Blake, M.A.
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Thomas Blake (he/him/his) is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, holding licenses in California and New Jersey, working with adolescents and adults of all ages. Thomas is trained in IFS (Internal Family Systems), EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing), Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy and Psychedelic Integration/Harm Reduction, all of which he integrates into his process as a psychotherapist practicing through a Humanistic-Existential lens.
In addition to his work in private practice, Thomas received his clinical training from The LGBTQ Center in Orange County, California and dedicates his time in working as a crisis consultant to The Trevor Project, a national suicide prevention service supporting LGBTQ+ youth ages 13 to 24.
Thomas passionately works with trauma survivors suffering from complex post traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD). As a trauma therapist, Thomas confidently navigates a wide range of presenting issues while working to minimize distress in the lives of others in an effort to help them regain stability. Additionally, Thomas specializes in working with the LGBTQ+ community, their families, and allies, creating a safe and affirmative space throughout the therapeutic process.
