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Meet Our Team
Kayla Bunderson, Psy.D.
Clinical Psychologist & Founder
CA PSY33963 and WA PY61365838
As a licensed clinical psychologist, I specialize in working with men and adults who have experienced trauma — particularly complex, relational, and high-impact forms of trauma that continue to shape identity, relationships, and emotional regulation long after the events have passed.
For over eight years, I have worked extensively with individuals navigating personality disorders, Complex PTSD, and the psychological aftermath of cult involvement, coercive control, and high-control environments — including those actively involved and those who have escaped. Many of the individuals I treat appear strong and high-functioning externally, while internally struggling with anger, shame, dissociation, attachment wounds, or relational instability. My work focuses on helping you understand not only what is happening, but why.
I began my career working in a residential treatment center for children who had experienced severe abuse. Witnessing the long-term impact of trauma on developing minds and nervous systems shaped the direction of my professional life. I pursued both my master’s and doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Alliant International University, California School of Professional Psychology, in San Diego, with continued clinical focus in private practice, hospital, treatment center, and school settings.
In our work together, I show up grounded and authentic, offering attunement, clinical depth, and structured trauma-informed treatment through EMDR and IFS. Whether you are working through complex trauma, redefining masculinity, or seeking greater emotional clarity and stability, therapy can become a place where strength and vulnerability coexist.
I am not currently accepting new clients.
Dr. Sean Crotty, Psy.D.
Email: drsean@paradigmpsychologygroup.com
Lexa Shoar, Psy.D.
Email: drlexa@paradigmpsychologygroup.comI am currently completing my internship at Paradigm Psychology while finalizing my doctorate in both psychotherapy and Jungian psychoanalysis. My clinical work supports adults navigating complex relational and emotional challenges, including depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, grief and loss, addiction, childhood sexual assault, early relational trauma, and questions related to identity and sexual orientation. I am particularly interested in working with individuals seeking to understand deeper unconscious patterns, engage in spiritual exploration, or move through midlife and later-life transitions with greater clarity and integration.
My approach is rooted in the belief that psychological suffering often carries meaning. Where we encounter the most pain, there is frequently an opportunity for growth, transformation, and new development. Rather than focusing solely on symptom reduction, I aim to help clients uncover and work with the underlying patterns shaping their inner and relational worlds.
I hold a master’s degree in Public Health, where my research explored Indigenous medicine and altered states of consciousness in the treatment of anxiety and depression within Native American communities. My current dissertation examines the intersection of Indigenous wisdom traditions and modern psychotherapy, with attention to ethical integration and cultural context.
I strive to create a grounded, safe, and thoughtful therapeutic space where unconscious motivations can be explored and brought into conscious awareness. My work reflects a holistic, non-pathologizing orientation informed by depth psychology, with the goal of fostering integration rather than fragmentation. With two years of private practice experience, I now serve as a Registered Psychological Associate (RPA#: 94028638) under the supervision of Dr. Kayla Bunderson. I also collaborate with the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) as a contributing author and researcher examining the colonization and commodification of Indigenous practices
I am currently accepting new clients.
My passion is helping high-achieving individuals who appear successful on the outside but quietly struggle with anxiety, self-doubt, relationship difficulties, and the lasting effects of past experiences. Many of my clients have built meaningful lives but continue to wonder why confidence disappears when it comes to love, intimacy, and relationships. Together, we work to uncover the deeper patterns that keep them feeling stuck so they can develop greater confidence, emotional security, and more fulfilling relationships.
I specialize in working with adults navigating anxiety, attachment wounds, low self-esteem, relationship challenges, trauma, and PTSD. My work is particularly focused on individuals who have spent years succeeding professionally while privately carrying emotional burdens rooted in childhood experiences, family dynamics, or past relationships. My therapeutic style is warm, collaborative, and insight-oriented. I primarily practice from a psychodynamic and attachment-based perspective, helping clients explore unconscious patterns, strengthen their sense of self, and build healthier ways of relating to themselves and others. While my work is rooted in insight-oriented talk therapy, I am also trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and thoughtfully integrate trauma-focused interventions when they support each client's unique treatment goals. I have worked with individuals from diverse cultural, socioeconomic, and professional backgrounds across a variety of clinical settings. These experiences have strengthened my appreciation for how culture, family systems, identity, and lived experiences influence emotional well-being and relationships. As the daughter of immigrants, I bring a culturally sensitive perspective and strive to create a therapeutic space where clients from all backgrounds feel understood, respected, and valued.
While earning my Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.), I simultaneously worked as a high fashion model, providing me with a unique perspective on the intersection of achievement, appearance, identity, and self-worth. That experience offered firsthand insight into the pressure to maintain an image of success while privately navigating insecurity, perfectionism, and self-doubt. Today, it continues to shape my work with clients who appear accomplished on the outside yet struggle to feel confident, secure, or fulfilled within themselves and their relationships. I earned my Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Irvine, studied Human Development at Columbia University in the City of New York, earned my Master’s degree in Psychology from Pepperdine University, and received my Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) from California Southern University. My education and clinical training have prepared me to provide thoughtful, evidence-based care while remaining grounded in the belief that every person’s story deserves to be understood with curiosity, compassion, and respect.
I am a Registered Psychological Associate #PSB94029532 practicing under the supervision of Dr. Kayla Bunderson.
I am currently accepting new clients.
