Sexual Abuse Therapy in Sherman Oaks
Sexual Abuse Therapy in Sherman Oaks with Julie Klamon, LMFT
Surviving sexual abuse changes how you move through the world. It can show up as anxiety that never fully settles, sleep that will not come, relationships that feel unsafe, or a sense of disconnection from your own body. Whether what happened was recent or many years ago, the effects are real, and they are not something you are supposed to simply get over on your own.
I have spent a significant part of my more than 20 years in practice supporting survivors, including training and work with the UCLA Rape Treatment Center. I know how much courage it takes to even consider talking about this. My role is to make that as safe as possible: no pressure, no judgment, and no expectation that you share more than you are ready to.
My office in Agoura Hills is about 30 to 35 minutes from Sherman Oaks via the 101 West, and I also offer secure virtual sessions to anyone in California. We will go at the pace that feels right for you, and that is true from the first conversation onward.
How the Effects Can Show Up
There is no single way that sexual abuse affects a person, and there is no timeline that is right or wrong. Survivors often come to me carrying some mix of the following:
- Anxiety, hypervigilance, or a constant sense of being unsafe
- Flashbacks, intrusive memories, or nightmares
- Shame, self-blame, or feeling somehow responsible
- Difficulty with trust, intimacy, or relationships
- Feeling numb, detached, or disconnected from your body
- Depression, low self-worth, or thoughts that life cannot get better
If any of this is familiar, please know that these are common responses to something that should never have happened, and they can ease with the right support.
Sexual Abuse Therapy for the Sherman Oaks Community
Privacy matters to the people I see from Sherman Oaks, and I understand why. This is a visible, connected community where social and professional circles overlap, and many residents have lives that put them in the public eye. For a survivor, the idea of being recognized walking into a therapist's office in the neighborhood can be enough to put off getting help at all. My office sits a short drive away in Agoura Hills, outside that immediate circle, which many clients find quietly reassuring.
There can also be pressure in an affluent, high-functioning area to keep everything looking composed. Survivors sometimes tell me they have spent years performing as though they are fine. You do not have to perform here. What you bring into this room stays in this room, within the limits the law requires, and for some clients the privacy of virtual sessions makes starting feel possible.
How I Approach This Work
Safety comes first, always. Before we touch anything painful, we build a foundation where you feel steady enough to do the work, including grounding skills you can use whenever distress rises. From there, using trauma-informed methods, we work to process what happened so it loses some of its grip and begins to feel like part of your history rather than something happening to you all over again. You set the pace. Nothing moves faster than you are ready for. You can read more about my related approach on my trauma therapy page.
The goal is not to erase your memory or pretend the abuse did not happen. It is to help you carry it differently, to rebuild a sense of safety in your own body and relationships, and to reach a place where the past no longer runs your present. Healing is possible, and you do not have to do it alone.
Frequently Asked Questions About Sexual Abuse Therapy in Sherman Oaks
Healing from sexual abuse happens at your pace, in a safe and confidential space. I have extensive training supporting survivors, including work with the UCLA Rape Treatment Center, and I use trauma-informed methods to help you process what happened and rebuild a sense of safety. We never move faster than you are ready for. Sessions are at my Agoura Hills office or by secure video anywhere in California.
Yes. I have spent much of my career supporting children and adolescents recovering from sexual trauma, using age-appropriate approaches, alongside adult survivors. With young people I work closely with protective parents and caregivers to make sure the child feels safe both in session and at home.
Privacy is central to this work, and I take it seriously. My office in Agoura Hills is a short drive from Sherman Oaks but outside your immediate neighborhood, which many clients find reassuring. What you share in session is confidential within the limits required by law. For added discretion, secure virtual sessions are available anywhere in California.
My Agoura Hills office is about 30 to 35 minutes from Sherman Oaks via the 101 West. Secure virtual sessions are also available throughout California if traveling does not feel right for this kind of work.
Who I Work With
Children (8+)
Teens
Adults
Seniors
In-Person and Virtual Sexual Abuse Therapy Near Sherman Oaks
My office is in Agoura Hills, CA 91301, a short and private drive from Sherman Oaks on the 101. I also work with survivors from the surrounding communities, including Encino, CA, Studio City, CA, Van Nuys, CA, and Woodland Hills, CA. Virtual therapy sessions are available to anyone located anywhere within the state of California.
If you have been carrying this for a long time, you deserve support. When you are ready, schedule a complimentary phone consultation and we can talk, with no pressure and at your pace.