Dr Raphael Gunner
Psychology
I began my education as a student of literature. I earned a B.A. in English at Columbia University and a doctorate in English at Harvard University. After eight years in the private sector, I went back to school to do a doctorate in psychology at Ryokan College. This was followed by a certificate in psychoanalytic psychotherapy at the Los Angeles Institute and Society for Psychoanalytic Studies (LAISPS), by two years in the extension program at the Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis, and by a certificate in the advanced clinical technique of psychoanalytic psychotherapy at LAISPS.
I received my early clinical training at The Valley Community Clinic. Located in North Hollywood, this facility draws its supervisors from experienced therapists in Los Angeles and is known for providing insight-oriented psychotherapy. I started in private practice under the supervision of Dr. Daniel Kupper. After receiving my license in 2003, I completed a brief internship at The Monte Nido Treatment Center, a residential facility for women struggling with anorexia, bulimia, and exercise compulsion.
My early training in psychology introduced me to a wide variety of patients. They represented different races, religions, and sexual preferences. I worked with adults, adolescents, and couples who suffered from anxiety, depression, attention deficit disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders, gender dysphoria, sexual compulsion, alcoholism, HIV, schizoid personality disorder, and trichotillomania. Though the patients were diverse, they had one thing in common. All of them wanted to lead happier lives — and nothing made me happier than trying to help them.
In 2013, I began my training in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (SP) with Pat Ogden, Kekuni Minton, and their wonderful team. Unlike traditional talk therapy, SP focuses on the physical basis of emotional experience and bypasses the thinking that can interfere with feeling. SP is especially powerful in dealing with trauma and is designed to promote resolution, transformation, and peace. I completed my training in 2018 and am now a Certified Sensorimotor Psychotherapist.
Clinical Psychologist
Psy 19173
310.570.1919