Banyan Therapy Group

Meet Our Team

The banyan is a sprawling tree whose roots grow down towards the ground and become new trunks to support the tree.  We chose the banyan tree as a symbol for the work that we do, as it represents a place of safety, of healing, of community, and of transformation.  And with its above-ground root structure the banyan tree brings to light what is so often hidden underground. We are committed to offering you a safe place to explore hidden parts in your life.

 

All of us here at Banyan Therapy Group have received specialized training and have years of combined expertise working with women and men to help them recover from sex addiction and the impact of sex addiction and trauma on their lives.  We look forward to meeting you!


Make an Appointment!

818-435-7847


Dan Drake

LMFT, LPCC, CCPS-S, CSAT-S

Founder & Clinical Director

Co-Author of “Letters from a Sex Addict”

He/Him/His

  • Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, LMFT #49986
  • Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, LPCC #327
  • Certified Clinical Partner Specialist Supervisor
  • Certified Sex Addiction Therapist Supervisor
  • EMDR Trained
  • M.S. in Marital and Family Therapy: Fuller Theological Seminary
  • M.A. in Theology: Fuller Theological Seminary

 

Welcome! We hope you will find support, recovery, and healing in our website and through our practice.

A little bit about some of my certifications and specialties: I’m a Certified Clinical Partner Specialist Supervisor, a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist Supervisor, and I’m EMDR trained. I also have a Masters Degree in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary, and I’m a Christian raised in the church.  Because of this, I can appreciate both the positive and negative impact faith can have on us.  I respect if you do not want to include faith, religion, or spirituality in therapy, but we can always talk about faith if you’re up for it.

I really enjoy collaborating with other professionals, and I’ve co-authored several books: Letters from a Sex Addict: My Life Exposed, Full Disclosure: How to Share the Truth After Sexual Betrayal, Full Disclosure: Seeking Truth After Sexual Betrayal, and Surviving the Holidays: A Holiday Guide for Couples in Recovery after Sexual Betrayal.

In my free time, I enjoy getting out in nature and exploring.  But more than anything, I live for the simple moments of everyday life: Spending quality time with my wife, hanging out with good friends, and playing with my dogs Ripley (a sensitive Corgi) and Edi (a tenacious dachshund).

My passion is to help my clients restore relational, mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual wholeness to their lives.  I understand that it can be overwhelming to begin this process, so my goal is to provide a safe environment where you can grow and heal.

 

dan@banyantherapy.com

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Eric Anderson

LMFT, CSAT

Intensives Director & Therapist

  • Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, LMFT #90189
  • Certified Sex Addiction Therapist
  • EMDR Trained
  • M.S. in Marital and Family Therapy: Fuller Theological Seminary

 

Hi there.  I’m Eric Anderson and I’ve been working in the field of sex and pornography addiction for over 8 years now and happy to be part of the Banyan team. 

I’ve been on board with Banyan for a few years now as the intensives director and I really enjoy helping clients get into the right levels of care for them.  I help develop and run several of our intensives including our Foundations of Recovery Intensive and our 6-week customized Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP).

I focus specifically on work with addicts to help them face and confront some of the most challenging realities that come with addiction.  I make sure to help client’s feel as comfortable as possible in session while also empowering them to address consequences of their addiction directly. As a Christian I enjoy helping clients work through issues in their faith and how it integrates into their recovery.  I have my Master’s degree from Fuller Seminary and am comfortable working thorough issues of theology and spirituality when important to my clients.

I enjoy hiking and exploring with family, playing, watching, and breaking down/analyzing sports with friends, and traveling to new places

 

eric@banyantherapy.com

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Juan Carlos Quinteros

LMFT, CSAT

Therapist

He/Him/His

  • Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, LMFT #105350
  • Certified Sex Addiction Therapist
  • M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy, specialization in Latina/no Family Studies: Pacific Oaks College
  • M.A. in Psychology: University of California, Los Angeles

 

The decision to seek help can be difficult or scary. However, there are times in life when the guidance of a therapist that makes you feel heard and understood can be one of the more powerful experiences.

I develop strong connections with my clients, provide tools, in order to help in their journey to healing, recovery, and repairing relationships with themselves and others. I strongly believe in having authentic difficult genuine conversations in which I will get real and challenge you in a supportive way.

My clinical background and experience include working for more than five years with individuals, partners, couples, and family members from different populations and cultures, including the LGBTTQQIAAP community. I’m a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist and treat issues related to sex, sexual compulsions, sex/pornography addiction, betrayal trauma, healing and recovery. My clients include both Christians and non-Christians. I understand and help Christian clients that are experiencing the positive and negative impact faith has in them. I have extensive training in Structural and Bowenian Family Systems and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy approaches.

I also focus in treating trauma in a non-profit agency working with children, adolescents, and families dealing with multiple layers of symptoms and impairments. As well as, mentoring other clinicians there. In addition, I am an adjunct faculty professor currently teaching future therapists in a master’s degree program.

I am a bilingual therapist that provide therapy in English, Spanish or both depending on the need of the client or family.

I enjoy traveling and enriching myself with new places and cultures. As a family guy, I love to spend time with family and loved ones creating new experiences together.

One of my biggest passions is to be part of and to be witness to my clients’ transformation and evolution. I know that making the decision to start therapy is not an easy one. My goal is to work with you from a strength base approach in a non-judgmental safe environment where you can be your authentic self in your journey to restoring and healing.

 

juancarlos@banyantherapy.com

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Monifa Ellis-Addie

LMFT, CCPS

Therapist

She/Her/Hers

  • Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, LMFT #99650
  • M.A. Clinical Psychology: The Chicago School of Professional Psychology

 

Congratulations on your path to wellness and the search for peace within yourself.

I would like to utilize my experience to help you be successful in that search.  In addition to being a Registered Marriage and Family Therapist Associate, I have worked as a part of the sex and wellness education team for A Touch of Romance.  I continue to sharpen my skills in sexual issues treatment through training at the Center of Healthy Sex, running my own sexual health coaching business, and teaching human sexuality workshops at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology (TCSPP) in the subjects of sex addiction, partner betrayal trauma, and male and female sexual disorders.  I will become a permanent staff member and continue to teach the human sexuality course at TCSPP in 2020.

Through all this experience, I have come to specialize in the anxiety and intimacy issues that spawn from incongruences in sexuality.  There are continuous mixed messages between sex in media, family, social experiences and what is actually happening in real time.  This can make life unnecessarily uneasy in dealing with the self and in relationships.  I assist individuals and couples in overcoming these difficulties to discovering their true sexual self.

When I am not conducting workshops or seeing clients, I enjoy relaxing and taking in the day.  I do this through eating delicious food from my husband who happens to be a chef or playing with our adorable Jack-a-Poo, Fred.

I appreciate the difficulty that comes with exploring sexual issues.  My desire is to help you find your way to enjoy life as you never have before.

 

monifa@banyantherapy.com

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Natalie Nazaryan

LMFT, CCPS-C

Therapist

She/Her/Hers

  • Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, LMFT #122266
  • M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy: Phillips Graduate University

 

It takes a great deal of courage to be willing and vulnerable to seek help and embark on the journey of self-discovery. I hope to have the opportunity in helping you navigate that process. Here is a little bit about my experience and background:

I am a Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist with a history of working with children, adolescents, adults, and families struggling with extreme trauma, relational issues, suicidality, and self-harming behaviors. I also focus my efforts on providing therapy for couples and individuals struggling with an array of relationship issues including communication problems, feelings of being misunderstood, sexual concerns, and unresolved feelings resulting from betrayal.

I understand that the decision to seek help can be difficult and possibly uncomfortable. Through therapy, I strive to provide honest, patient, and compassionate healing and invite my clients to safely explore and empower themselves so that they can lead their lives authentically.

I was born and raised in Los Angeles and I am bilingual in Armenian. My ethnic background has made me aware of the impact that culture can have on one’s mentality and outlook toward mental health. In my spare time, I enjoy playing video games with my husband, reading books, attending yoga classes, and biking outdoors. I spend quite a bit of time engrossed in documentaries about criminology, though I am also known to be glued to the screen for Big Brother and live soccer matches when the occasion calls.

 

natalie@banyantherapy.com

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David Boyajian

LMFT, APCC, CSAT

Therapist

  • Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, LMFT #141679
  • Associate Professional Clinical Counselor, APCC #7559
  • Basic trained in EMDR
  • M.S. in Counseling: California State University Fullerton

 

Welcome! The decision to seek healing, wholeness, and self-discovery through therapeutic counseling is one of the best investments you can make in yourself, and I would be happy to assist you along that path.

As a clinical therapist, I have worked with youth, adults, families and people within the LGBTQ+ community and have treated issues such as alcohol and drug addiction, anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD, gender dysphoria, psycho-somatization, and parent/child relational conflict concerns. But, my strongest passion as a therapist is treating the issues that arise from sexual addiction and helping people navigate through the challenges of recovery.

I also come from a Christian foundation and have collegiate training in theology and philosophy allowing me to address issues of faith, spirituality, and philosophy of religion, if needed.

In my spare time, I love doing almost anything active from tennis to skateboarding and I thoroughly enjoy singing, podcasts, documentaries, discovering great music from past and present, and simply enjoying the gift of life with family and friends.

My ultimate goal with any client is to show them compassion and provide them a therapeutic space to process their challenges with the hope that I can be a conduit of healing on a mental, emotional, relational, and spiritual level.

 

david@banyantherapy.com

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Lora Kojovic

LMFT, CSAT

Therapist

She/Her/Hers

  • Licensed Marriage and Family therapist, LMFT #114066
  • Certified Sex Addiction Therapist, #2020-3198
  • EMDR Certified Therapist
  • M.A. in Clinical Psychology: Antioch University Los Angeles

 

My passion for the fields of intimacy disorders and trauma stems from my genuine desire to facilitate integrative healing and help people realize their potential in all aspects of their lives. In providing psychotherapy, I utilize
holistic, interpersonal-neurobiology and polyvagal-theory-based approaches,
in addition to attachment-focused, trauma-informed, somatic, cognitive-
behavioral, psychodynamic, and systemic approaches.

Prior to joining the team at Banyan Therapy Group, I was a primary therapist at Seeking Integrity Los Angeles, a treatment facility specializing in intimacy disorders, working with individuals impacted by sex, love, and/or porn
addictions, chemsex (fusion of maladaptive drug use and sexual behavior), as well as sexual anorexia and love avoidance. I also worked as a primary therapist at Reconnect Integrative Trauma Treatment Center in Los Angeles, working with individuals living with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), complex PTSD, and other trauma-related disorders.

In terms of my additional academic and professional background, I received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Wisconsin – Madison with a double-major in finance and French. My desire to study subjects comprehensively enabled me to graduate at the top of the class in both graduate and undergraduate studies. Prior to psychotherapy, I worked in investment banking in New York City and then in the film industry in Los Angeles.

 

lora@banyantherapy.com

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Yong Park

MA, AMFT

Associate Therapist

He/Him/His

  • AMFT #132676

 

We use the words addiction, anxiety, or depression, but sometimes it’s just a way we developed to cope with the difficult memories in our lives.

I have worked in the addiction and trauma specialty field since the day of my training. I want to invite anyone who has been struggling with these incomprehensible and glooming thoughts and emotions for many months/years. I specialize in exploring past unprocessed memories and experiences to help you process the current effects such as anxiety, addiction, depression, OCD, ADHD, panic attack, and behavioral issues. The questions of, “why am I like this”, “why can’t I stop”, “why can’t I focus”, “why is my heart feeling so heavy”, and “why can’t I let go and move on” and more, may be answered through our process of therapy. We will explore your pattern of behaviors, and past unprocessed traumas, finding the right coping techniques and reframing the negativities that interfere with our daily lives.

I started my career as a behavioral therapist, helping families and children in behavioral therapy and restructuring family dynamics. I finished my Marriage and Family therapy Masters’s program at Hope International University, which is recognized as top 10 Master of psychotherapy programs in the United States. I have training in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), which is the highest-rated treatment method for trauma, panic attacks, and high anxiety. I went on to work in many different centers in Southern California to work with the addiction specialty field, working with veterans, trauma victims, anxiety, depression, bipolar, ADHD, OCD, Personality disorder, and more. I also have worked with a medication-based program called, MAT (Medication Assisted Treatment) in clinical settings to partner up with medical doctors in treating the substance abuse populations.

Don’t worry about my availability, if what I am offering is right for you, please don’t hesitate to contact me, I will be more than happy to meet you in your time to support you in your journey.

 

caleb@banyantherapy.com

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Malia Krupin

Intake Coordinator

She/Her/Hers

 

As intake coordinator it is my goal to help you feel understood and secure sharing your story. From the moment you chose to begin your healing journey, I will provide a safe, welcoming, judgement free space to assist in finding you the best therapist for your needs. Asking for help can be the most difficult part and my desire is that I can make that first step easier.

My background working in and around family systems has helped to shape my strong interpersonal skills. I am very patient, understanding, and motivated to help others in any way that I can. I have experience working with individuals from diverse backgrounds and pride myself in the ability to provide a warm and safe environment. I have experience working as an advocate for victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault, in addition to working withindividuals in crisis.

I am currently a graduate student working towards becoming a Marriage and Family Therapist. My interest lie in all things human sexuality and working with underserved communities with the hopes of making mental health services available to all.

In my spare time I enjoy anything outdoors, from mountain biking, skiing and hiking with my dog. I am also a lover of food and travel. I plan to explore as much of this beautiful world as possible, learning about new cultures and building connections with people from all over the globe.

 

info@banyantherapy.com

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