Poorang Aurasteh, M.A., LMFT is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. He offers remote therapy through live video sessions. Some of his areas of specialty are anxiety, depression, addiction, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. For several years he was the Clinical Coordinator and Primary Therapist at Center for Discovery in the dual diagnosis and high-risk mental health residential facilities helping adolescents with drug addiction and mood disorders.    

He received his B.S. in Neuroscience from UCLA and his M.A. in Counseling Psychology with an Emphasis in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. He continued his education and training at  Pacifica Graduate Institute in their Ph.D. in Depth Psychology with an Emphasis in Psychotherapy program. 

After completing his studies in Neuroscience at UCLA, Mr. Aurasteh then became a researcher in the UCLA Neurosurgery Department conducting innovative studies for Parkinson’s Disease. His research was published in the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of Neurosurgery. With his true interest in neuroplasticity and the mind-brain connection, he then began working side by side with renowned UCLA psychiatrist Dr. Jeffrey M. Schwartz, author of best selling self-help books Brain Lock and The Mind and the Brain. He was trained directly by Dr. Schwartz in the Four Step Method. The Four Step Method combines mindfulness and wellness with cognitive behavioral therapy to help you re-train your brain so that you can nourish the true self within you. This Four Step process works without the need for medication.  

Mr. Aurasteh has trained extensively with Dr. Schwartz and is one of only three people nationally who is a recognized expert in the Four Steps.  For the past 20 years, he has worked closely with Dr. Schwartz helping people understand and utilize the Four Steps to help treat Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). He was facilitator of the Schwartz Four Step Group that meets weekly at UCLA.  Mr. Aurasteh's most recent contribution to advancing the use of the Four Steps includes assisting Dr. Schwartz and Dr. Rebecca Gladding in demonstrating that the Four Steps is not only helpful for OCD but is also successful for phobias, depression, anxiety, addiction, gambling, eating disorders and chemical dependency. His work is highlighted in Drs. Schwartz and Gladding's new book, You Are Not Your Brain.    

Mr. Aurasteh has been a practitioner and teacher of meditation and mindfulness for the past 17 years. He is dedicated to the continual development of his own personal psycho-spiritual work. He is a firm believer that a psychotherapist can only take a client as far as they have gone in their own work. He is known in his field for his gentle, compassionate and holistic approach blending clinical research with eastern wisdom.