Lena Dicken, PsyD

Licensed Clinical Psychologist

From a young age Dr. Lena Dicken has been passionate about helping others grow and live more enriching lives. Her family’s holistic lifestyle and meditation practice led her to an early career as a yoga and meditation instructor in the early 2000's. She taught for several years in the US, Hawaii, Mexico, and Costa Rica. Seeking a deeper understanding of the mind and body she studied Psychology at The University of Maryland and later Integrative Medicine at The University of Hawaii. In 2009 she moved to California to pursue a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and later completed a Doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology. Lena is also certified in Ecopsychology through Pacifica Graduate Institute. Her doctoral research focused on how self compassion, nature immersion, and awe experiences positively affect wellbeing.

Lena is also the founder of Saltwater Sessions, a program based off her doctoral dissertation which combined surfing, mindfulness, and positive reappraisal. Lena’s work has been featured in GOOP, The Chalkboard Magazine, as well as numerous other articles and podcasts. She has been a speaker at the Recovery 2.0 conference along with Dr. Gabor Mate and Dr. Daniel Amen, among others.

During her graduate training Lena worked in a variety of agency settings including Beit T’Shuvah in Culver City, CLARE Foundation, and Conscious Recovery in Santa Monica. In 2016 she completed a rigorous two year Pre and Postdoctoral Fellowship at The Saturday Center for Psychotherapy. Lena is currently licensed as a psychologist with the state of California (PSY31107) and splits her time in private practice between Santa Monica and Montecito, CA. Lena is passionate about environmentalism and social justice. She enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters, hiking, and surfing in her imaginary free time.

Therapy with Dr. Lena

Dr. Lena has been seeing clients in private practice since 2012. She is active and supportive in her work to help people overcome barriers in their lives. Working from a holistic perspective, she strives to understand the whole person and not only the symptoms. Using an eclectic approach combining Psychodynamic, Cognitive Behavioral, and Mindfulness based therapy, as well as utilizing the most current and up to date neuroscience research, Dr. Lena helps her clients uncover, process, and work through whatever is blocking them from reaching their fullest potential.

Dr. Lena works with people experiencing work stress, relationship challenges, anxiety, low mood, low self-esteem, and life transitions. She strives to cultivate a comfortable atmosphere so that her clients can express themselves freely and openly. Her clients genuinely enjoy their time with her and often emerge from their therapeutic journey with a renewed sense of wellbeing and zest for life.