Hi, I’m Eve Arbel, MA, LMFT

I’m a licensed psychotherapist serving individuals and couples throughout California. My work is grounded in embodied, experiential, relational therapy that supports genuine self-connection and relational change. I help people slow down the protective parts of their system, explore the language of the body, and build inner and outer relationships rooted in compassion and self-love.

My background and credentials:

• Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, CA (LMFT #121154)

• Master’s in Counseling Psychology with a Somatic Specialization from John F. Kennedy University, Walnut Creek. Focus on body-based psychotherapy, trauma, interpersonal neurobiology, and movement-based approaches.

• Bachelor’s in Practice of Art from UC Berkeley. Study of creativity, expression, perception, and the human experience through visual and embodied processes.

• Clinical experience: Community mental health clinics, play therapy, school and field-based therapy; serving children, teens, families, and adults. Integrative private practice supervision and training.

Professional Training and Influences:

• Experiential & Somatic Therapy

• Attachment-focused therapy

• Brain-based, interpersonal neurobiology

• Parts work

• Trauma treatment

• Expressive Arts

• Authentic Movement

Current + recent training includes:

• “The STAIR Method is an acronym that stands for Self-Trust And Integrated Resilience.

  The therapeutic goal the STAIR Method upholds, is to increase clients’ self-trust, natural resiliency, and brain integration capacity. It does so by utilizing a carefully curated toolbox of experiential techniques and strategies. These techniques and strategies emphasize the client’s relationship with the experiences they are having in real time.

  Different from cognitive or conversational approaches, experiential therapy brings to the forefront the client’s here and now experiences, expanding client awareness and relationship to their somatic, emotional, and embodied experiences. Clinicians that are trained in the STAIR method, will build skill not only in identifying and assisting their clients in removing blocks to their brains’ natural capacities for healing and growth, they will also build skill in holding awareness of contextual and systemic blocks like oppression, grief, and marginalization.” - Juliane Taylor Shore

• The Neurobiology of Feeling Safe, Levels 1 & 2: Working with Boundaries Inside and Out by Juliane Taylor Shore

• Continuing Education courses through CAMFT (California Association of Marriage & Family Therapists). Includes couples therapy training with Terry Real, Law and Ethics trainings, and more.

A Little About Me, Personally

Before becoming a therapist, I was drawn to art, dance, and how the body expresses what words alone can’t. I’ve always been fascinated by the ways experiences live in the nervous system, shape relationships, and influence how we care for ourselves and others.

I’m a wife and mother to two young children. Like many parents, I’ve lived through the identity shifts, exhaustion, love, grief, and transformation that come with caregiving. My personal experience deepens my passion for supporting people navigating stress, anxiety, transitions, loss, and the complex inner world of parenting, relationships, and self-worth.

I value:

• honesty and compassion over perfection

• curiosity over self-judgement

• inner connection over performance

• the wisdom of the body over ‘pushing through’

I believe healing isn’t about fixing yourself— it’s about learning to relate to yourself differently, with more kindness, awareness, and agency.

Books I’ve been inspired by lately:

• Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans by Michaeleen Doucleff, PhD 

• Simplicity Parenting: Using the Power of Less to Raise Happy, Secure Children by Kim John Payne, MED

• Soul of Discipline: The Simplicity Parenting Approach to Warm, Firm, and Calm Guidance — From Toddlers to Teens by Kim John Payne, MED

• No Bad Kids: Toddler Discipline Without Shame by Janet Lansbury

• Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be by Dr. Becky

People who continue to inspire me:

• Lila Heller: The Love of Movement

• Meaghan Snider: Midwife and Guide

I enjoy playing with my daughters, living room and car dance parties, spending time in nature, gardening, visiting farmers markets, and cooking.

Why I Do This Work

I became a therapist because I’ve seen how life-changing it is when someone finally feels seen, not for who they’ve learned to be, but for who they truly are. It’s not a quick-fix— but small, caring attention to our inner world that creates profound change.

Helping people reconnect to their inner world, their bodies, and their relationships is deeply meaningful to me. Being a therapist is a calling, and I hold the responsibility with deep humility and respect.