Learn all about Bryana Kappa, LMFT | Redondo Beach, CA

“Play is the highest expression of human development, for it alone is the free expression of what is in the soul.”

Bryana “Kappa” Kappadakunnel is endorsed as an Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist. She specializes in therapy with infants, toddlers, children and their family members. Bryana is also a Board-Certified specialist in Perinatal Mental Health (PMH-C), specializing in providing therapy for new mothers experiencing postpartum depression, anxiety, and OCD. Bryana is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a private practice in Redondo Beach, CA.

Bryana owns and operates South Bay Mommy and Me, a center for new moms that provides classes and workshops for moms and their children birth to 24 months. You can visit www.southbaymommyandme.com for more information.

Bryana uses play therapy, drama therapy, and evidenced-based therapies in her work with children and families to improve the authentic connections in family relationships, address the negative effects of trauma, and to improve overall family functioning. She works with families with children as young as early infancy through 5 years old, in order to help families feel successful and live according to their unique family values. She utilizes Interpersonal Psychotherapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with newly postpartum women to address the anxiety and depression that may have surfaced upon transitioning to motherhood, following a birth trauma, or in the day-to-day challenges of raising a family.Previously, Bryana worked as a therapist for non-profit organizations, serving at-risk mothers and underserved children and families. She was committed to promoting healing from community violence and the devastating effects of postpartum depression and trauma on the child-parent relationship.

Education

Bryana received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama from New York University (2009) and a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University (2013). She became licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist in November of 2015 (LMFT90464), and was endorsed by the California Center for Early Childhood Mental Health as an Infant-Family Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist in February of 2017. She received her Board Certification in Perinatal Mental Health in 2020. Her commitment to continuing education is a testament to her work ethic, passion, and respect for families and their children.

Certifications and Trainings

Bryana earned certifications in Child Parent Psychotherapy and Reflective Parenting Program, both Evidence Based Practices. Bryana is a graduate of the Postpartum Action Institute, and has completed advanced trainings in Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders, and also specializes in the treatment of maternal mental health matters. As a Certified Educator of Infant Massage (CEIM®), she offers a unique approach to treating postpartum depression and established a healthy attachment between a mother and her infant. Bryana has trained with Dr. Connie Lillas using the Neurorelational Framework for working with infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and their parents. Bryana is a Registered Drama Therapist (RDT662). Finally, Bryana has trained in Parent Child Interaction Therapy through UC Davis and Children’s Institute, Inc.