Our Providers | Pooja K. Sharma, PsyD, LMFT

Pooja K. Sharma, PsyD, LMFT

Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist

Unlocking your potential for happiness might mean you need to work on various aspects of your mind, body, and spirit—all at the same time. This is the power of Dr. Pooja Sharma’s integrative, holistic treatment approach. 

While trained in traditional therapeutic methods such as cognitive behavioral and solution-focused therapy, Dr. Sharma is also an integrative therapist. That means she can help you uncover never-before-seen connections between your mental well-being and your work, relationships, and physical health to create deep, lasting change. Techniques she may use include mindfulness meditation, Reiki, and creative means of expression such as music, art, and poetry.  

Dr. Sharma also employs the principles of Energy Psychology. This mode of treatment is based on the theory that your mental and physical well-being depend on the flow of energy in your body. Dr. Sharma helps her clients guide this energy in a therapeutic way, leading many of them to experience both healing and valuable insight.

While Dr. Sharma has many tools under her belt, your journey with her will be an individual one. She tailors her approach to your personal needs in order to help you grow. She works with adolescents to older adults—and often with new mothers—on a wide range of emotional and behavioral issues that include depression, PTSD, postpartum depression, anxiety, grief and loss, abuse and trauma, life developmental issues, career coaching, parenting support, and more.

Education & Experience

Dr. Sharma is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She holds both a Doctorate and a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Alliant International University in Irvine, California, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of California, Irvine. Her dissertation about South Asian American Daughter-Father Relationships in the Aftermath of Maternal Loss was published into an article for Women & Therapy’s special issue in 2018.

Dr. Sharma’s clinical experience and training include Women’s Transitional Living Center, Family Assessment Counseling and Education Services, and UC Irvine Child Development Center.  

Before becoming a therapist, Dr. Sharma worked in banking for 15 years, including positions as a Commercial Banking Relationship Associate and a Branch Manager. The combination of her corporate and psychotherapy experience allows her to provide coaching in career development, workplace stress reduction, and work-life balance.