Tricia Kayiatos-Smith
(she/her)

"The doors to the world of the wild Self are few but precious. If you have a deep scar, that is a door, if you have an old, old story, that is a door. If you love the sky and the water so much you almost cannot bear it, that is a door. If you yearn for a deeper life, a full life, a sane life, that is a door." -- Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Ph.D.

Gender, too, is a door to the wild Self. I often speak to the challenges associated with gender dysphoria as a backpack we carry around daily and I aim to create a space where my clients feel comfortable setting down the backpack, unzipping it, and examining what's within. My goal with my clients is to look at and honor each item inside and, ultimately, relieve them of some of that burden. In addition to gender identity and dysphoria, my other areas of work include sexuality, HIV and other chronic illnesses, PTSD and trauma, artists and creatives, relationship issues and codependency, and mood disorders. 

I am a licensed clinical social worker through the state of California (#89568) and hold a Master's degree in Social Work from the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College in New York City. My graduate studies included a concentration in individuals and families and focused on advocating for transgender women of color engaged in survival sex work. I am committed to the continuous and uncomfortable work of examining the systems, including my own role as a white, cisgender woman, in the oppressions of Black, Brown, and TGNC people. I received a Bachelor's degree in Women's Studies and Spanish Language and Literature from Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland. Additionally, I am an animal-assisted psychotherapy provider, certified through the University of Denver's Animals and Human Health Certification program. 

In addition to my work with the Los Angeles Gender Center, I have been in private practice for two years. I am contracted with the Women's Center for Creative Work as the social work consultant for the thrice-annual Emergency Health Grant for Artists, as well as serving on their 2018 Programming Board. For three years, I was employed as a medical social worker at the Los Angeles LGBT Center community health clinic, guiding TGNC people as they navigate public health and benefits systems.

I am a member of good standing of the California Society for Clinical Social Work, the National Association for Social Workers, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, and the National Organization for Women. 

I can be reached at 323-250-5330.