Headshot of Robert Leeburg

Therapist in Los Angeles, California

Robert Leeburg, LCSW

Starting therapy is a big step, and finding the right therapist can make all the difference.

You deserve a space where you feel truly heard, supported, and understood.

My approach combines conventional modalities with forms of creative expression and mindfulness techniques, helping you tap into your strengths, process emotions, and build resilience in a way that feels natural and empowering.

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Why Work With Me?

Therapy isn’t a one-size-fits-all process. My background in the arts informs a unique, adaptive approach to each session. I bring who I am into the room and encourage my clients to do the same. Though I find fulfillment in working with clients from the full spectrum of sexuality and gender, my lived experience as a gay man allows me to connect deeply with LGBTQ+ clients, creating a space where you don’t have to explain your identity or specific challenges you face because of it—you can simply be yourself.

I take a relaxed, conversational approach during sessions to help make therapy feel less daunting or intimidating. While I have extensive education and clinical training, I rely just as much on instinct, creativity, and shared or parallel experiences, when pertinent to that of the client, to guide our work together.

What to Expect in a Session

Your therapy journey is unique to you. We’ll begin by exploring your current coping skills, identifying strengths, and addressing what’s worked (or hasn’t worked) for you in the past. Every session is tailored to meet you where you are, with a focus on building self-awareness and practical strategies to help you move forward.

A Safe Space to Be Yourself

Therapy should feel like a safe space where you can express yourself openly. My goal is to create an environment that is supportive and free from judgment, giving you the freedom to explore emotions, experiences, and challenges at your own pace.

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My Journey to Becoming a Therapist

Before becoming a therapist, I worked in the film industry, conducting hundreds of on-camera interviews for various documentary series. I eventually realized that the techniques I had developed and utilized to draw out people’s stories on camera were strikingly similar to those required in therapy: asking open-ended questions, practicing active listening, and forging an intimate connection that provides a safe space to encourage openness and vulnerability. The transition from storytelling through film to storytelling through therapy felt natural.

Turning Pain into Healing

My journey to becoming a therapist began with my own profound experience as a client. Over 20 years ago, I worked with a therapist who supported me through one of the most challenging times of my life. He later became a mentor, inspiring me to transform my own experiences into a way to support others currently struggling with similar issues. 

I've come to refer to this process as alchemy—the process of turning pain and struggle into something meaningful and healing. Creative expression plays a big role in this transformation, and I encourage clients to explore different ways of processing emotions beyond mere words.

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My Therapy Approach

Blending Conventional and Clinical with Arts-Based  

While I utilize evidence-based approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and trauma-informed modalities, I also integrate creative and somatic methods into my work with clients. 

Our feelings and past trauma can remain trapped in our bodies, often turning inward and leading to anxiety, depression, shame, and other emotions that can prove harmful to us and don't serve us, preventing us from achieving the goals we've set for ourselves. For this reason, I often explore approaches that can help us soothe and calm our bodies through methods that address the physical impact of our emotions (it's called a Nervous System for a reason!) like breathing techniques, yoga, and other exercises that involve the combination of breath, focus, vocalization, and movement, combined with cognitive work to explore the mind-body connection from both the inside out and outside in. 

I also believe that some form of creative expression, transforming our emotions into something that helps us externalize them and provide us with objectivity about them, is essential to good mental health. Some of us come to our particular artistic gifts naturally, but I believe we all have some form of creative expression inside us. 

Part of my job is to help you find it. Therapy is not just about talking—it’s about finding a way to engage with our emotions that gives us the ability to sit with them, process them, and move through them to the other side. This is what coping and resilience is all about.

Supporting LGBTQ+ and Multicultural Clients

Navigating identity, relationships, and cultural expectations can be complex. I specialize in helping clients address these challenges while fostering self-acceptance, confidence, and self-esteem. Whether you’re coming out, dealing with internalized shame, or navigating family and cultural dynamics, therapy offers a space to work through these experiences in a way that feels empowering.

Specialties & Areas of Focus

  • LGBTQ+ Therapy

    Identity exploration, coming out, internalized shame, self-acceptance.

  • Multicultural Counseling

    Navigating identity, traditions, and life transitions.

  • Couples Counseling

    Communication, intimacy, and relationship challenges.

  • Sex & Intimacy

    Addressing your concerns with openness and understanding.

  • Grief & Loss

    Processing loss and finding ways to heal.

  • Anxiety, Depression, ADHD

    Strategies for resilience, coping, and self-awareness.

  • Support for Artists

    Helping individuals in film, music, theater, and other creative endeavors navigate emotional and professional challenges.

  • History of Abuse & PTSD

    Processing trauma of sexual and physical assault, domestic violence, human trafficking, and refugee status

  • Autism

    Support for the unique challenges faced by those on the spectrum or with other forms of neurodivergence.

Qualifications & Certifications

  • Licensed Clinical Social Worker with the CA Board of Behavioral Sciences

  • Certificate in Motivational Interviewing

  • Certificate in Seeking Safety

  • Certificate in Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)

  • Certificate in Problem Solving Therapy

  • Certificate of L.A. County Conservatorship Training

  • Specialization in Human Sexuality and Intimacy

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Find Strength in Your Vulnerability

Whether you’re looking for a space to explore your emotions, strengthen relationships, or embrace your authentic self, therapy can help you move forward. Therapy is about storytelling. I'm here to help you express yourself and feel heard and accepted for who you are.