Our Team

Woman with glasses and dark hair wearing a white t-shirt, yellow knitted vest, and black pants standing indoors with a black and white landscape mural in the background.

Hi, I’m Daria!

She | Her | Hers
Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist
(AMFT 151840)
Supervised by Nadia Alvarez, LMFT 106491

I work with teens, adults, and families navigating relationships, identity development, and the lasting effects of trauma. My approach is warm, collaborative, and grounded in the belief that healing happens in relationships—especially when we feel safe and seen as our full selves.

As a first-generation Colombian-American, I understand the tension of holding multiple identities and balancing cultural expectations with staying true to yourself. I bring that lived experience into the room, along with curiosity, humor, and compassion.

 My clients are teens, adults, and families navigating the weight of big feelings, identity shifts, and relational wounds, especially those shaped by trauma, cultural expectations, or early attachment dynamics. You might be feeling stuck in patterns of self-doubt, shame, or overwhelm, unsure how to break free or where to even begin.

I work with individuals navigating questions of identity, neurodivergence, body image, and the impact of lived experiences on how they relate to themselves and others. You may be trying to make peace with your body, speak your truth more freely, or create boundaries in relationships that have historically felt unsafe. You’re seeking a space where you don’t have to explain “too much” and can instead feel seen, understood, and affirmed.

I also work with couples and families who are feeling stuck in patterns of disconnection, conflict, or emotional distance. You might be struggling to communicate clearly, repair after rupture, or understand each other across cultural, generational, or personality differences.

My clients desire to feel more connected—to themselves, to their values, and to the people they love. You are ready to explore the parts of your story that still hurt and to build a life that feels more grounded, whole, and authentically yours.

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Who I work with

A woman with short brown hair, glasses, and hoop earrings, wearing a white t-shirt and a mustard yellow knitted vest, seated on a gray armchair in a room with a beige wall, artwork, a potted plant, and a small side table.

How I help

My approach to therapy is relational, trauma-informed, and grounded in curiosity. Whether you're coming in as an individual or with your partner or family, my goal is to create a space that feels safe enough to explore what hurts and strong enough to hold what’s possible.

In our work together, we’ll slow down, tune into the body’s cues, and gently explore the emotional, relational, and generational patterns that may be influencing how you feel, think, and connect with others. I believe healing happens through connection: with yourself, with others, and with the parts of you that have long been in survival mode.

My work integrates psychodynamic therapy, somatic practices, attachment-based approaches, and inner child exploration to support deep, lasting change. I also bring a culturally responsive lens, honoring the lived experiences of clients who have had to navigate oppressive systems, conflicting expectations, or identities that haven’t always been affirmed or understood.

We might explore:

  • The early experiences that shaped how you relate to others

  • The protective strategies you've developed to cope or belong

  • How to notice and interpret the body's emotional cues

  • What it could look like to relate to yourself with more softness and care

Together, we’ll build a foundation of safety and trust, so you can begin to shift long-held patterns and move toward the kind of life and relationships that feel more aligned with who you really are.

For couples and families: we will work together to understand what’s happening beneath the surface of conflict: the unmet needs, protective behaviors, and emotional cycles that keep you feeling stuck or unseen.

Through an attachment-based and trauma-informed lens, we’ll work to:

  • Interrupt painful communication patterns

  • Make space for vulnerability and emotional honesty

  • Explore how family histories and cultural narratives shape current dynamics

  • Strengthen your capacity for trust, repair, and emotional safety

Whether you’re co-parenting, navigating cultural differences, or rebuilding connection, I aim to support you in showing up with more compassion for yourself and each other.

Learn more about me here: dariakaliman.com

I am currently accepting clients and have immediate availability.

Schedule a free 15-minute consultation today!

Areas of Focus

Trauma & Complex PTSD
Eating Disorders & Body Image
Teen & Adolescent Mental Health
Neurodivergence
Family & Parent-Teen Conflict
First-Generation Experience
Perfectionism & High-Functioning
PMDD, PCOS, & Hormonal Mood Disruptions

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Advanced Training:

Eating Disorders & Trauma

Case Conceptualization and Treatment Planning in DBT for Eating Disorders – UC San Diego Health (2025)
Identification, Assessment, and Treatment of ARFID – UC San Diego Health (2025)
Targeting PTSD in Eating Disorders Treatment: Clinical Considerations and Evidence-Based Interventions – UC San Diego Health (2025)
Seeking Safety – Treatment Innovations (2022)
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) – Medical University of South Carolina (2021)
Psychological First Aid – National Child Traumatic Stress Network (2024)
Suicide Interventionist Training – Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services (2022)

Relational & Identity-Informed Practice

Emotionally Focused COuple Therapy Externship (2025)
Psychodynamic Couples Therapy
– Maple Counseling (2022)
Pregnancy and Infant Loss: Strategies to Support Grief, Trauma, and Depression – PESI (2023)
“When Racialized Ghosts Refuse to Become Ancestors” (Racial Melancholia & Mixed-Race Identity) – ICPLA, Dhwani Shah, MD (2024)
Fundamentals of Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy – Maple Counseling (2022)

Evidence-Based & Integrative Approaches

Acceptance & Commitment Therapy: 2-Day Intensive Training – PESI (2023)
Undergraduate Fieldwork & Research in Early Childhood Education – Pacific Oaks College (2019)

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Start your journey today!

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