Meet Our Therapists

Maxine Dumser, MA, MFT

We are all wonderfully and perfectly made by God and yet for some it is difficult to fully embrace that. Life is filled with challenges, distractions, and circumstances that can cloud one’s ability to recognize who God created. I believe the therapeutic process is about discovering who God made one to be, and then growing and developing to be able to fully embrace that person. God designed us to be relational beings and therefore we need one another to grow and develop. As a therapist, I hope to come alongside of my clients to explore, encourage, and support them in this process while helping them to develop skills to take with them as they continue on their own personal journey.

I work with adults, adolescents and children on issues related to grief and loss, abuse: past and present, depression, anxiety, feelings of low self worth, demands in the workplace, expected and unexpected life changes and parenting.

Specific skill sets encouraged include: establishing and maintaining practical boundaries, effective communication, restructuring self concepts to reflect truth, anger management, personalized coping skills, conflict resolution, and positive/empowering parenting. Every client has his or her unique way of relating to others and learning, which significantly impacts what kind of therapy will be effective. With this in mind, I work with the client on developing a plan to reflect their unique style. The techniques I am trained in and use most frequently are cognitive behavioral, motivational interviewing, expressive arts therapy, play therapy and solution focused therapy.

My therapeutic approach with children reflects my background in child development as well as 19 years of experience of direct interaction with children and their families. I also have extensive training and experience in developing behavior-focused plans for individual children; however, when working with children, I believe that the entire family is a part of the behavioral plan. Factors that have the greatest impact on a child’s success in therapy include: the child’s and parent’s feelings of safety and trust with the therapist; the parent’s commitment to the process; consistent and open communication about the child’s home, school and social environments. It is very important to recognize that progress with children is measured in relationship to their developmental stage. I will provide a free initial consultation session with parents to determine if I am a good fit for the family. In addition, I will work in conjunction with a child’s school including, on site visitation, if requested.

Educational Background

M.A. Marital and Family Therapy, 2004
Bethel University/Bethel Seminary, San Diego, CA

B.S. Child Development, 1978
Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL

License, Affiliations
Licensed in the State of California as a Marriage and Family Therapist
#MFC 45707
Certified facilitator Domestic Violence Recovery Program
Certified administrator/interpreter of Prepare and Enrich Inventories
Member of California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, CAMFT
Member of Association of Play Therapy, APT
Member of Christian Association of Psychological Studies CAPS

Specialized training
Bereavement / Grief counseling
Play Therapy In process of gaining certification for Registered Play Therapist
Expressive Arts Therapy
Motivational Interviewing/ Techniques and client centered approach substance abuse recovery
Trauma in children
Crisis Management/Suicide Prevention
Critical Incident Stress Management
Transitional Age Awareness Training: From Youth into Adulthood
Wrap Around Approach for Troubled Youth
Smoking Cessation
First Aid and CPR

Clinical groups/ speaking topics
Boundaries
Anger Management
Parenting
Why Do I Sound Like My Mother?
Self-Worth Comes from the Father
What Are You Modeling Through Your Marriage?
From Generation to Generation: The Passing of Values
Respectful and Effective Discipline
Self Esteem / Self Worth
The Real Me: Expressive Arts for Tweens / Teens›