Isha Bhatt, LPCC, is a clinical therapist at The Guidance Center’s Compton site. There, she supports children and families through trauma-informed, relationship-based care.
“I did not choose this career. This career chose me,” Isha shares. Because of that calling, she shows up each day ready to serve both her clients and her community.
Since 2017, Isha has worked in mental health, supporting children and families through a blend of clinical training and lived experience. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Health Policy and a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, with a specialization in trauma, identity, depression, and anxiety.
Her clinical experience includes work in acute psychiatric care settings, where she provided crisis intervention and support to children, adolescents, adults, and LGBTQIA+ individuals experiencing trauma, substance use, and psychiatric disorders. She has also supported first-generation and low-income students at the University of California, Irvine, helping them navigate the challenges of higher education and identity development.
For Isha, therapy begins with relationships. By taking time to truly get to know each child and family, she meets people where they are. Through play-based, trauma-informed approaches, children can share feelings they may not yet have words for. At the same time, her Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) training and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) certification give her the tools to support clients through difficult moments.
🎥 Hear Isha share more in her own words
At the core of Isha’s work is a commitment to honoring and celebrating the diversity of human experience. Because of this, her therapeutic approach is rooted in social justice, advocacy, and deep care for the communities she serves. She believes therapy should never follow a single formula, and instead draws from a range of approaches, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), DBT, EMDR, and others, to meet each client’s unique needs through an intersectional and multicultural lens.
As a self-described “co-conspirator,” Isha works alongside clients as they discover who they are and what they want from therapy. Ultimately, her goal is to create a safe space where people can explore vulnerability, build resilience, and deepen self-understanding. From there, they can move toward meaningful, lasting change.
This work is made possible by supporters who believe every child and family deserves care. Through our Hope & Healing Club, monthly donors help provide consistent, reliable mental health support to our community.
Learn how you can be part of this community at tgclb.org.