Heal Deeply & Live Fully: Therapy for Anxiety, Trauma, Identity, and Navigating Stress

In person support in Orange County, California and online throughout California and Nevada

If you’ve found yourself on this page, you might be carrying more than most people realize. Maybe you’re holding it all together for others — balancing the demands of a high-pressure, high-stress career, parenting a child who is struggling emotionally or behaviorally, or life’s expectations. Maybe you’re struggling with anxiety, questioning your identity, or living with the impact of past painful experiences. Along the way, you may have lost touch with your own needs, emotions, or sense of self-worth. Whatever brought you here—you don’t have to do it alone.

Welcome — A Place for Growth, Healing, and Support

Meet Barbara Hall, LCSW — Founder of Open Chapters Therapy and Consulting

Hi! I’m so glad you are here. I work with young children (ages 3+), young adults, and adults—including professionals, parents, toddlers, high achievers, people who have experienced severe or complex trauma, and anyone navigating life’s challenging or painful moments.

What often brings people here:

My clients come from all walks of life. Some describe themselves as high-functioning but overwhelmed—parents, perfectionists, professionals, or high achievers carrying a lot beneath the surface. Others come to me carrying the weight of anxiety, trauma, emotional pain, or childhood experiences that were never fully processed. Many are simply seeking a space where they can breathe, be real, and begin to heal.

You don’t have to hold it all alone. Here, you’re welcomed exactly as you are — and supported in creating the lasting change you deserve.

How we will work together to create real, lasting change:

My approach is warm, relational, and deeply trauma-informed. I use EMDR, play therapy, sandtray, expressive arts, parts work, and nervous system regulation work to support healing that goes beyond coping—creating real, lasting change.

Your next chapter starts here.

You don’t need to have it all figured out. If you're ready to turn the page and explore what growth and transformation might look like for you or your child, I’d be honored to walk alongside you.

Clients We See:

  • Children (ages 3+) building emotional strength, recovering from trauma, or working through big feelings and behaviors.

  • Professionals balancing high-pressure lives with invisible struggles, managing high stress, anxiety, perfectionism, emotional disconnection, or hidden overwhelm.

  • Men who need support with reconnecting with and expressing their emotions.

  • Individuals exploring identity, authenticity, and belonging.

  • Individuals healing from anxiety, trauma, and unresolved emotional wounds.

  • Parents seeking to nurture their child’s emotional growth and resilience or supporting them through their trauma.

Our Specialties:

  • Trauma can affect anyone—children, teens, and adults—and often shows up in ways that are confusing, overwhelming, or hard to talk about. It can impact your views of self, behaviors, thoughts, and create patterns in your life. You (or your child) may be struggling with intense emotions, triggers, insecurity, difficult behaviors, or a constant sense of being on edge amongst many other things. Whether the trauma was recent or happened long ago, therapy offers a space to process, feel supported, and begin to heal.

    I work with people of all ages navigating:

    • Childhood trauma and neglect

    • Emotional, physical, and sexual abuse

    • Sudden or severe trauma

    • Complex or long-term trauma

    • Relational trauma

    • Domestic violence, war, accidents, human trafficking, murder, violence, and interpersonal violence

    Using EMDR, parts work, nervous system regulation, and expressive arts, I help clients work through what’s been hidden or too overwhelming to face—so they can move toward lasting change, deeper safety, and more connection with themselves and others.

  • From the outside, you’ve done everything “right”—the career, the drive, the responsibilities. But internally, it might feel like you’re running on empty, constantly striving, and never quite arriving. You may feel pressure to hold it all together, even while dealing with stress, self-doubt, or hidden emotional wounds.

    I work with high-achieving individuals who are:

    • Struggling with burnout, perfectionism, or imposter feelings

    • Over-functioning to avoid deeper emotional pain

    • Feeling disconnected from their emotions, themselves or their relationships

    • Facing quiet anxiety, identity questions, or unresolved childhood experiences

    • Longing for meaning beyond achievement and productivity

    • Managing the demands of high-stress, high-responsibility roles

    Therapy offers a space to slow down and reconnect—with yourself, your values, and the parts of you that often get lost in the pressure to perform. Together, we’ll work toward more balance, clarity, and a deeper sense of fulfillment.

  • You might feel like you’re both too much and never enough—constantly overthinking, second-guessing yourself, and carrying the weight of other people’s emotions. Whether you’re an overachiever, perfectionist, people-pleaser, or just someone trying to hold it all together, therapy can be a place to finally exhale.

    I help children, adults, and young adults work through the following:

    • Anxiety, overthinking, and chronic self-doubt

    • Struggles with identity, direction, and self-worth

    • A harsh inner critic and negative self-talk

    • People-pleasing and fear of abandonment

    • Codependency

    • Feeling responsible for others’ feelings

    • The pressure to succeed while feeling emotionally overwhelmed

    I also work closely with men exploring identity, emotional expression, and the quiet struggle of being seen and known beyond what they do or achieve.

    Through trauma-informed approaches like EMDR, parts work, and nervous system regulation, we’ll explore what’s underneath the surface—so you can untangle old patterns, reconnect with yourself, and move forward with more confidence, clarity, and self-trust.

  • Children often express what they’re feeling through behavior—not words. Big emotions, behaviors, meltdowns, or shutdowns can be signs of something deeper: stress, grief, trauma, or unmet needs. Therapy creates a safe space where your child can feel seen, heard, and supported in ways that make sense to them.

    I specialize in working with children who are:

    • Coping with trauma, loss, or major life changes

    • Living apart from their biological parents

    • In foster care, adopted, or in kinship care

    • Showing challenging behaviors or emotional outbursts

    • Navigating anxiety, attachment wounds, or identity questions

    I also support parents and caregivers who feel triggered, overwhelmed, or unsure how to help. Using play therapy, sandtray, expressive arts, and nervous system-informed approaches, I help children and families work through the root of what’s going on—so healing can happen from the inside out.

Read more about our  therapy approaches and specialities for children and  for young adults and adults.

We offer compassionate, personalized treatment for children and adults seeking long-term change, authenticity, and support in overcoming past pain. Together, we’ll help you or your child reconnect with inner strength, move beyond challenges, release negative self-views, manage emotions, and build confidence, self-worth, and peace.

This process is about not only healing, but also rediscovering the core strengths and values that make you, you.

Let’s begin today.

Complete this form to request your complimentary consultation. Take the first step toward meaningful change. You are not alone on this journey.

01 Reach out

We’ll meet for a complimentary consultation to explore your needs, goals, and hopes for therapy. Together, we will create a personalized plan that feels right for you.

02 Connect

Attend your first therapy session and start building the foundation for deep healing, lasting growth, and transformation.

03 See change.

Let us help you process your life events, gain insight, reignite that inner spark, and open you up to new possibilities for your present and future self.