paul kindman, lmft
experienced L.A. Therapist specializing in couple therapy & modern masculinity
hello,
i am in awe of the resilience of human beings.
I help individuals & couples go from feeling defective, insecure and disconnected, to capable, confident and nourished by their relationships.
About paul (he/him)
co-founder of Kindman & Co.
I co-founded Kindman & Co. to help spread the message that there is nothing wrong with you. I reject the idea that we as individuals are the sole cause of our distress. Instead, your distress is an alarm calling attention to an environment that isn’t supportive of you. Humaning is hard! We live; we stumble, we hurt, we heal. My purpose is to help human beings who are struggling to better understand themselves and the world around them and to access the resilience that we all need to navigate the challenges of being social and emotional creatures.
I am particularly interested in exploring the harms of traditional stories of masculinity and cultivating new, fuller versions of masculinity that adopt a feminist stance and invite more authenticity. In this vein, I am especially passionate about working with male-identified clients and couples who are interested in deconstructing gender norms, deepening their emotional experience(s), and building more vulnerability and intimacy in their relationships. I am also excited to work with individuals and partners navigating experiences of immigration and acculturation, as well as other therapists and helping professionals who are building their careers and wanting to bring social awareness more into their work.
I come to Kindman & Co. from a diverse background in community agency work. I provided substance-use counseling from a harm reduction approach, supported mentoring relationships for under-resourced youth, and worked with marginalized and oppressed folx at The Relational Center, where I am currently a supervisor. These experiences have profoundly shaped my therapeutic approach and inspired my commitment to providing social justice-informed therapy. These experiences support me to help my clients break down the heteropatriarchal narratives that work to separate us from our empathic & vulnerable selves and to explore coping mechanisms with the curiosity and compassion needed to build increased confidence and sustainable supports. Let’s help you to cultivate lasting relationships where you get to be your most authentic and grounded self.
couple therapy in highland park and online
As a PACT Level Two Therapist, I love working with couples and partners to increase their intimacy and relationship satisfaction. I often work with partners in multicultural relationships, who are navigating the unique challenges of honoring many belief systems and traditions within their relationship, as well as with their families.
As an immigrant myself, I know firsthand the difficulty of coming from a collectivist culture to American society—one that prioritizes the individual over community—and how these differences can impact partnerships. Together we will help you better communicate your partnership needs, make agreements to greater support your partnership and families, and foster deep, lasting connection.
Together we will walk alongside one another with curiosity, warmth, and empathy—the conditions needed to foster more authenticity. We will invite vulnerability to inspire movement. We will also celebrate joys and share laughs together, as humor offers great perspective and can help you to access your most resilient self.
career highlights & key trainings
Master of Clinical Psychology, Antioch University
Levels 1 & 2: Psychobiological Approach to Couple Therapy Institute (over 80 hours of live training)
Member of the Board of Directors at The Relational Center
Three-Year Training Intensive and Residency practicum in Relational Gestalt Therapy with a social justice orientation for healing trauma, The Relational Center
Advanced Training in Community Gestalt Therapy, The Relational Center
i am…
I am an immigrant, refugee, and acculturated American. I am a child of divorce, raised by a single mother. I am an alloparent. I am a feminist and activist. I am a former ESL kid. I am a proud sensitive, vulnerable man. I am a partner in a multi-cultural relationship. In my off hours, I’m a snapper of photos, a fan of all things Dodgers, Lakers, & Kings, a baker of crusty breads, and a devoted cat and dog parent.
california licensed marriage & family therapist #96984
We would love to connect with you.
The easiest way to get started at Kindman & Co. is to book a twenty minute complimentary information session with our Care Coordinator, Clarissa. On this call, she will ask a little about you and what’s bringing you to therapy at this time, share about our practice and our relational therapy approach to make sure it’s a good fit, and pair you with the therapist who is best suited for you.
**Please note that we are only able to work with clients physically located in the state of California at this time.