Damian margason(he/him)

When Surviving Becomes All You Know

If you're carrying the weight of a traumatic childhood, or feeling disconnected at work, school, or home, life can feel relentless. Day to day, anxiety and frustration take their toll, leading to burnout and even depression. Over time these symptoms get masked just to keep going, but sooner or later the mask slips, risking conflict with family and friends, job loss, or relationship issues.

It can feel like this is just how life is now. I'm here to tell you that's not true.

What do you do when you feel constant unease?

If your nervous system is a car, most of us come into the world driving full throttle - no manual, and definitely no license. When we turn our awareness toward the fullness of who we are, and learn to describe ourselves authentically and accurately, life can change in real and lasting ways.

You don't have to learn this alone. I'll be with you every step of the way, teaching you the skills to regulate your nervous system, process and release stored pain, and discover who you are in the world without the constant pull toward survival mode or fawning to fit in.

Imagine:

• A nervous system that feels less like a threat and more like an ally

• Connecting to the people you love with more honesty and ease

• Anxiety and anger becoming useful signals instead of runaway forces

• Skills that stay with you long after our work together ends

You can develop a newfound ability to understand yourself, regulate intense emotion, and truly connect with and hear the people you love. Pain that once felt constant can become something you're able to meet, move through, and set down.

Taking the first step toward therapy can feel like the hardest part. Most people I work with tell me they wish they'd started sooner.

I work well with:

• Adults discovering they're autistic later in life

• Neurodivergent individuals

• Complex trauma

• Those exploring or discovering their identity

• Trans men and women

How I Work

I am an EMDR-trained Associate Marriage and Family Therapist working with teens and adults. My approach is warm, relational, and non-judgmental.

I integrate:

• Polyvagal Theory & Nervous System Regulation

• Somatic Practices

• Attachment Theory

• Trauma-Informed Therapy

• Affirmative Therapy for LGBTQ+ & Neurodivergent Clients

I'm interested in the survival strategies you've built to get through, the masks you've learned to wear, and how your nervous system carries the imprint of what you've been through. Together, we'll gently work to regulate what feels unsteady and uncover who you are underneath the coping so you can move through life with more ease, authenticity, and choice.

My sessions are collaborative and human. I'm not here to observe from a distance. I'm here with you, every step of the way.

Education & Training

M.A. in Clinical Psychology – Pepperdine Graduate School of Education and Psychology
M.Ed. in Education – Harvard Graduate School of Education
B.A. in Social Welfare, Minor in Asian American Studies – University of California, Berkeley
Clinical Training – Southern California Counseling Center (SCCC)

I look forward to connecting with you and offering a space to explore your past, understand your present, and move toward what’s possible next.

Damian is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist AMFT #138204 under the supervision of Sam Weiss Licensed Clinical Social Worker, #86590. Damian holds a Masters in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine Graduate School of Education and Psychology and a Masters of Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education.