Therapy for Pacific Palisades Residents

Blackburn Clinical Services offers one-on-one therapy for Pacific Palisades adults, adolescents and families in our office at 12326 Venice Blvd in Mar Vista, about 6 miles southeast of the Palisades in a straight line. We also offer psychiatric care. Many Palisades residents are still living with the effects of the January 2025 Palisades Fire: a home lost or damaged, months of displacement, rebuilding decisions, and a community that has changed. Whether or not the fire is the reason you are calling, call (888) 870 7405 or email info@blackburnclinical.com.

At a glance

Who we see: adults, couples, adolescents and families from Pacific Palisades, including people who are living elsewhere while their home is rebuilt.
What we help with: trauma and trauma reactions, grief, anxiety, depression, sleep problems, family strain and drinking or other substance use that increased after a loss.
Where: Therapy takes place in our office at 12326 Venice Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066, in Mar Vista near Culver City, Venice and Santa Monica.
Psychiatry: Psychiatric evaluation and medication management are provided by our board certified psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners. When you call, we explain how psychiatry appointments are arranged.
Fees: We are an out-of-network practice and provide superbills. See Fees and Insurance.
First step: call (888) 870 7405 or email info@blackburnclinical.com to schedule an assessment.

The Palisades Fire and what it left behind

The Palisades Fire started on January 7, 2025, burned more than 23,000 acres and destroyed thousands of homes and other structures in and around Pacific Palisades, according to CAL FIRE figures summarized in the Palisades Fire record. Pacific Palisades is part of the City of Los Angeles and is planned together with Brentwood in the city’s Brentwood-Pacific Palisades Community Plan, so the effects reached neighbors, schools, congregations and workplaces well beyond the burn area.

Recovery from a disaster is not only physical. A tip sheet for disaster survivors from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) lists common stress reactions, including changes in sleep, excessive worry, irritability, trouble concentrating and making decisions, pulling away from others, and using alcohol or other substances to dull distress. It notes that these feelings usually fade over time. When they do not, or when they get worse, that is a good reason to reach out. Reminders such as smoke, wind, a fire season forecast, an insurance call or the anniversary in January can bring the feelings back.

What people from the Palisades often bring to therapy

Loss of a home and a place. Grief for a house, belongings, a street and routines that are gone, including grief that does not feel allowed because others lost more.
Trauma reactions. Nightmares, being on edge when the wind picks up, avoiding the area, or replaying the evacuation. Therapy approaches such as CBT and EMDR are used for trauma. See trauma and PTSD treatment.
Decision fatigue. Rebuild, sell or move; insurance, permits and contractors; where the children go to school. Months of high stakes decisions wear people down.
Strain on couples and families. Partners who cope differently, extended family living together, teenagers who lost their friends’ houses as well as their own. See relationship counseling and family services.
Teens and young adults. Adolescents who changed schools or lost familiar places can struggle quietly. See adolescent services.
Drinking or other use that crept up. If alcohol or other substances became a way to get through, we treat that together with the stress underneath it. See dual diagnosis treatment.

Parents of a high schooler from the Palisades can also read teen therapy for Westside families, which covers teens after the fire.

Getting to our office from the Palisades

Our office is on Venice Blvd in Mar Vista. If you are temporarily living in Santa Monica, Brentwood, Venice, Culver City or elsewhere on the Westside, the office may be closer than it was before the fire. Therapy sessions take place in the office or by secure video for clients located in California. We offer flexible scheduling around work, school and rebuilding appointments within our weekday hours, Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM, and when you call we explain how psychiatry appointments are arranged. Neighbors in Brentwood can also see therapy for Brentwood residents, and all nearby neighborhoods are listed on Areas We Serve.

Free public resources for people affected by the fires

Private therapy is one option. Los Angeles County and state and federal agencies also offer free support, and some people use both. Services and hours change, so check the source for current details:

LA County Department of Mental Health fire support line: (833) 659-0600, to talk with a mental health professional about fire related concerns (LACDMH disaster resources).
LA County Help Line for Mental Health and Substance Use Services: (800) 854-7771, 24 hours a day.
SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline: call or text 1-800-985-5990, 24 hours a day.
CalHOPE Warm Line: (833) 317-4673, call or text.
LA County Recovers: the county’s recovery hub for housing, rebuilding and health resources at recovery.lacounty.gov.

In 2026 the county also opened walk-in centers for fire survivors, including a Palisades location, funded through a federal emergency response grant (LACDMH announcement). Call the fire support line to ask what is available now.

Nearby cities: we also have pages for Malibu, Calabasas and Woodland Hills.

Questions

Is it normal to still be struggling more than a year after the fire?

Yes. Many people feel steady for a while and then struggle when the pressure of rebuilding, an anniversary or another fire season arrives. If sleep, mood, worry or relationships are still affected, an assessment can help you decide what kind of support makes sense.

Do you only see people affected by the fire?

No. We see Pacific Palisades residents for the full range of concerns we treat, including anxiety, depression, ADHD, relationship problems and substance use. See conditions we treat.

We are living somewhere else while we rebuild. Can we still come?

Yes. Anyone who can get to our office at 12326 Venice Blvd can be seen for therapy there. Much of the Westside is a short drive from Mar Vista.

Can our teenager be seen too?

Yes. We see teens ages 13 to 17 as well as adults. Parents are involved in getting care started for a minor. See adolescent services.

Do you take insurance?

We are an out-of-network practice and provide superbills you can submit for out-of-network reimbursement. See Fees and Insurance.

Get started

Call (888) 870 7405, email info@blackburnclinical.com or contact us. Blackburn Clinical Services is at 12326 Venice Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066.

If you or someone you love is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or call 911 in an emergency.

Therapy for Pacific Palisades Residents and Families