Today we’d like to introduce you to Leor Ram, LMFT, LPCC, NCC, CGP.
Hi Leor, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My story with psychotherapy began with my own therapeutic work during a tough time in my life. I was searching for more purpose in my day-to-day and my therapist at the time recommended I seek out some volunteer work. I joined a crisis and suicide prevention hotline for an LGBTQ youth organization, The Trevor Project, and found my training and time there to be incredibly rewarding. I loved the people I got to work with, the type of work we got to do, and particularly how I felt assisting young people who were reaching out for help. In fact, I would end up talking to the callers about so many aspects of their lives, in order to find additional resources and ways to help them, that my supervisor would have to remind me that I was “not the caller’s therapist” and needed to move on to the next caller in crisis. After hearing that several times, as well as thinking about all the benefits I was experiencing from my own therapy, I decided to go to graduate school and begin a career shift to becoming a therapist.
Since then, I have become a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC), a National Certified Counselor (NCC) and a Certified Group Psychotherapist (CGP) working with individuals, couples, families, groups, and businesses. I’ve had the opportunity to work with a wide variety of populations through The Maple Counseling Center, Early Childhood Development Associates, Teen Line at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and at Paula E. Bruce, Ph.D. & Associates. I’ve also had the pleasure of being a clinical member of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT), the Society for Sex Therapy and Research (SSTAR) and the Society for Scientific Study of Sexuality (SSSS), where I have been honored to present my research on contemporary difficulties and trends within the LGBTQ+ community.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been a long and windy road for me to get to where I am. Since this is not my first career, the journey of finding this work took a lot of searching and navigating career paths that were unfulfilling. I worked for years in the entertainment industry, in the real estate and development industry and in the property management and operations management industry. Once I made the decision to go to graduate school and start a new career path in psychotherapy, I found the process to be particularly organic and smooth. I enjoyed soaking in as much information as possible and had finally found a way to synergize my strengths into the work I was doing. Furthermore, I am able to integrate many different types of work experience into both the psychotherapy and consulting aspects of my practice. In the end, the process proved to be incredibly organic and gratifying.
We’ve been impressed with Integrative Psychotherapy Group, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I own my own group practice, Integrative Psychotherapy Group, which also has a specialized consulting arm, Integrative Consulting Group, located in Beverly Hills, CA. Integrative Psychotherapy Group is proud to provide insightful therapy to work through our clients’ concerns and guide meaningful change. We believe that therapy helps provide a sense of relief and self-awareness for those who feel overwhelmed or are having trouble finding the root of their problems.
Through comprehensive sessions, we aim to help clients find more effective ways to address and process concerns impacting their lives. To meet these goals, Integrative Psychotherapy Group utilizes ongoing training, experience and a wide range of psychotherapy techniques to propel our clients toward happier and healthier connections with themselves and others. Often, clients come to attain a clearer perspective and understanding of their lives to make more impactful, positive choices that help them reach greater emotional connectedness.
I also offer services as a media consultant and work with business executives and teams to provide coaching and workshops for specific challenges through Integrative Consulting Group. Integrative Consulting Group’s executive coaching helps an organization’s top decision-makers to move from thinking into doing in ways that allow them to see better results. Ultimately, I work to assist organizations to avoid becoming stagnant. Companies face difficulties associated with transitions including management changes, mergers, the adoption of new technologies, regulatory changes and the loss of employees, as well as fluctuations in demand for their product or service, particularly over the last two years of the pandemic. Therefore, I want these companies to maximize success for their organization as a whole, as well as for the individuals that keep the company thriving.
In my work as a psychotherapist, I am proud to specialize in LGBTQ+ affirmative therapy. I find my work with this community to be exceptionally rewarding in that I get to participate in collaboratively exploring a person’s most intimate aspects of their ever-evolving identity. After training and working for years with a certified sex diplomate of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT), I am also honored to work with many individuals on improving concerns regarding their sexuality and sexual difficulties. In combination with the consulting arm of my practice, these additional specialties are areas where I find the work to be engaging, exceptional and remarkably enjoyable.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
In my opinion, one of the most important aspects of finding the right mentor is to explore what excites and motivates you. Developing your own interests leads to a good fit for organizations and leaders who can offer guidance and support. It is when I dove with both feet into a specific aspect of this work that I found stimulating that I was more inclined to connect with others who shared my passion for this subject matter and that has led to wonderful, long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationships.
