Steven Bradshaw, LMFT, SEP

Somatic therapist in Brentwood, CA and online

I'm a licensed psychotherapist trained in Somatic Experiencing, IFS and EMDR. I help highly creative and highly sensitive people who feel stuck or have health issues create embodied success.

Approaches
Somatic Experiencing, Attachment-Focused EMDR, IFS, psychodynamic
Focus
Highly creative and highly sensitive people, burnout and chronic health issues, post-traumatic growth
Background
Investment banking and private equity in New York
Book a free consultation

Therapy with me

I use a mind-body approach that engages your inner healer to move from anxiety, burnout, disconnection and pain into goodness, flow and a deep sense of belonging in your own body.

When your nervous system is online and flowing, your creativity naturally emerges and your problems lose their hold over you. Many of my clients are business leaders, writers, musicians and creative professionals. I work with individuals on:

  • Anxiety and mood

    • Anxiety and insecurity
    • Depression

  • Trauma and the body

    • Developmental trauma
    • Chronic pain and health

  • Relationships and sexuality

    • Relationship struggles
    • ED, arousal and sexual issues
    • LGBTQ+

  • Purpose and career

    • Purpose and meaning
    • Career development and team building
Steven Bradshaw smiling, seated in his therapy office
Steven Bradshaw, somatic therapist

My background

I have master's degrees in clinical psychology and in business science, and completed the three-year specialization as a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner.

Before becoming a therapist, I worked on Wall Street as an investment banker and in private equity. I then spent eight years traveling the world rock climbing, sailing and creating visual art, a journey that led me to become a therapist.

I'm originally from Africa, and I now live in Santa Monica with my wife and daughter.

Training and credentials

  • Steven Bradshaw with Kristin Neff and Caverly Morgan
    With Kristin Neff (Mindful Self-Compassion) and Caverly Morgan
  • Steven Bradshaw with Richard Schwartz
    With Richard Schwartz (Internal Family Systems)
  • Steven Bradshaw with Peter Levine
    With Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing)
  • Steven Bradshaw with Bessel van der Kolk
    With Bessel van der Kolk (The Body Keeps the Score)

Trained personally with

  • Bessel van der KolkAuthor of The Body Keeps the Score
  • Peter LevineFounder of Somatic Experiencing
  • Laurel ParnellFounder of Attachment-Focused EMDR
  • Dick SchwartzFounder of Internal Family Systems
  • Thomas HüblAuthor of Healing Collective Trauma
  • Nancy McWilliamsAuthor of the Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual
  • Kristin NeffResearcher on mindful self-compassion

Training

  • Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist #136584Board of Behavioral Sciences
  • MA, Clinical PsychologyAntioch University, Los Angeles
  • MA, Business ScienceUniversity of Cape Town
  • Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP)Completed the three-year specialization
  • Attachment-Focused EMDRCompleted basic training, parts 1 to 3
  • Certified Group Psychotherapist (CGP)Member, American Group Psychotherapy Association
  • Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
  • Pain Reprocessing TherapyWith Alan Gordon
  • Internal Family SystemsOne-week in-person masterclass with Richard Schwartz
  • Chronic PainOne-week in-person masterclass with Peter Levine
  • Trauma and RestorationOne-week in-person masterclass with Bessel van der Kolk
  • Psychodynamic and Attachment-Based TherapyThree years of applied training at Maple Counseling and Community West
  • Acceptance and Commitment TherapyApplied training at Community West
  • Ancestral Healing JourneyFive months with Thomas Hübl
  • Supervision and Mystical Principles of HealingSix months with Thomas Hübl
  • Psychodynamics of Diagnosis with Dr. Nancy McWilliamsIn-person masterclass
  • Reclaiming Who We Are with Self-CompassionIn-person masterclass with Kristin Neff
  • Mindful Awareness Practices 1University of California, Los Angeles

How the work unfolds

Regulate your nervous system

I teach practices that help your nervous system move toward regulation. You learn to be with challenging sensations without bracing, so energy can shift and release instead of building up in your body. Over time, your window of tolerance expands and your system spends more time in "rest and digest," even as you move through the world.

Unburden old trauma

Original traumas often live on as hypersensitivity to threat. Together we meet and befriend the protective parts that overreact or underreact to present situations. With understanding and acceptance, these parts calm down and start working as a team, helping you become more responsive and vital.

Build your own tool kit

I help you build a personalized tool kit to manage symptoms going forward. When you stop fearing your symptoms, they lose power over you and begin to fade. Clients can report forgetting about symptoms as their life comes back into the foreground.

Sessions and fees

I offer sessions in person in Brentwood and online.

Individuals

$500

50-minute session

Book a free consultation
See how insurance works

We accept insurance as an out-of-network provider for all PPO plans, including Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Blue Card, HealthNet, United Healthcare, Cigna, Optum, Magellan, Value Plus and many others.

You pay the full fee upfront, we submit a claim on your behalf after each session, and your insurance company reimburses you directly. As a complimentary service, we check your eligibility and get an estimate of your coverage. Your annual deductible needs to be met before any reimbursement, and coverage is often partial, depending on your plan.

What does out-of-network mean?

We aren't contracted in-network with your insurance company, so you can't use your insurance directly as payment, and in-network benefits don't apply. Most PPO plans include separate out-of-network benefits that reimburse a portion of the cost of seeing providers outside their network. We don't participate with Medicare, Medi-Cal, Medicaid or HMO plans.

What is a deductible?

Your deductible is the amount you first need to reach in out-of-pocket costs before your insurance begins to cover services. Some plans have separate in-network and out-of-network deductibles, so check carefully.

What is an allowed amount?

Most insurance companies cap the rate their coverage is based on for each service in each zip code. This is the allowed amount. It isn't public and can usually only be confirmed once your first claim is processed, when your insurance company sends an Explanation of Benefits (EOB), typically within 4 to 6 weeks. Depending on your insurance company, we may be able to estimate it upfront.

What are coverage, coinsurance and copay?

Coverage is the percentage of the allowed amount your insurance reimburses after your deductible is met. Coinsurance is the percentage you are responsible for. A copay is a fixed dollar amount that reduces what your insurance reimburses. Plans typically have either a copay or coinsurance, not both.

Can you give an example?

Say the session rate is $200, your plan has 50% coinsurance, the allowed amount is $150, and you've already met your deductible. You pay $200 upfront and are reimbursed $75 (50% of $150), so your out-of-pocket cost is $125. If you hadn't met your deductible, you would be responsible for the full $200.

Steven Bradshaw smiling