I’m Honored To Walk Alongside You On Your Journey Of Growth And Healing
Choosing psychology as my profession has been such a privilege for me. As a therapist, witnessing the progress my clients make is so fulfilling. However, for me, the therapeutic relationship is not one-sided—working with clients, I too am also able to grow, learn, and expand my awareness of the human experience. I’m a lifelong learner who values the personal growth my profession continues to offer me every day.
My training and experience have taught me that the human brain is adaptable—each of us has the potential to make different neural connections and forge new pathways that can move us toward health and happiness. In therapy, we rely upon neuroplasticity to shift the brain away from the patterns that get us stuck in unhealthy thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
My Background And Specialties
For 12 years of my career, I provided education, research, and treatment in the neuropsychology and neuroscience fields, with a particular focus on brain health. That knowledge and expertise have become the lens through which I approach my clients and my practice. In addition to addressing their mental health concerns, I assess my clients holistically, offering them solutions that address every aspect of their well-being, including their social health, cognitive health, sleep habits, and nutrition.
As a certified Mindfulness-Based therapist, and guided by the principles of neuroplasticity, I help teens and adults navigate the symptoms of physical illness, pain, depression, anxiety, OCD, grief, and anger. I find that pairing mindfulness strategies with therapeutic modalities—such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Psychodynamic therapy—is a highly beneficial treatment for my clients.
Moreover, there is a healing synergy between mindfulness practices and neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity offers us a way to learn new patterns of thinking and behaving that can be life-changing. And when we practice mindfulness, we lay down pathways to experience and appreciate the present moment, which in turn fosters conditions that are favorable to rewiring our brains with more positive thoughts and feelings.
Mindfulness-Based Therapy
Suffering is caused by not accepting reality when it is too painful to do so. Mindfulness is the practice of being present in the moment as it is without bringing any thoughts of judgment or criticism into our consciousness. Learning metacognition—the ability to step back and observe thoughts, emotions, and behaviors objectively rather than being controlled by them—is how we release ourselves from suffering and find paths to healing.
Research has shown that learning to accept the moment as it is through mindfulness is one of the most beneficial skills we can learn to promote psychological health. According to mindful.org, “Studies reveal that mindfulness may reduce anxiety and depression, boost your immune system, help you manage pain…and even change the structure and function of your brain in positive ways—perhaps in as little as 8 weeks of practice.”
My Practice
I view therapy as a partnership—working closely together with my clients, we determine the best path forward. Individualized treatment plans are created in collaboration because the client is the ultimate expert on themselves and should be an active participant in their healing journey.
I believe that the most powerful part of therapy lies in building rapport and developing the therapeutic relationship. Because we were created to be relational beings, establishing trust, empathy, and emotional safety with clients is just as important to me as the treatment plan we formulate.
The reason I pursued studying multiple therapy modalities was to become a well-rounded therapist who can intervene with a variety of evidence-based interventions to best support my clients. Over the years, I’ve worked with many people who started therapy feeling hopeless and stuck, believing they would never get better. Seeing how neuroplasticity and mindfulness were able to help them rediscover hope and recover from emotional pain is such a rewarding part of what I do.
A Little More About Me
Being in nature is my refuge and peaceful place. I love to take nature walks as well as sit and meditate outdoors. It’s important to me to get my daily dose of nature to remain centered and grounded because nature always reminds me of what’s important.
Tonia Vojtkofsky is a Doctor of Clinical Psychology currently based in Southern California who holds certification as a mindfulness-based therapist. With over 20 years of experience in the fields of mental health and Neuropsychology, she has a wealth of knowledge and expertise to share. She has overseen a wide range of clients and held various roles within the clinical setting, including Chief Clinical Director at Citrus Counseling Services, Psychologist at Oregon State Hospital, Cognitive Disorder Specialist at Hoag Hospital, and Project Scientist and Lecturer at University of California Irvine. She was also the Founder & President of Cognitive Care Solutions.In 2015, she published her first book Keep Your Brain Stronger for Longer.