Welcome. I’m Elena Bahar, LMFT, CST
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist & AASECT-Certified Sex Therapist
I’m the founder of Mindful Desire, where I provide online therapy for individuals and partners in California, Colorado, Florida, and Maine. I earned my Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology with a specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy and have been providing therapeutic services since 2016.
My work supports the emotional, relational, and sexual parts of being human, because mental health, relationships, bodies, desire, and identity rarely fit into separate boxes.
You do not need to have a sexual concern to work with me. Many clients come to therapy for anxiety, depression, burnout, grief, life transitions, trauma, family dynamics, people-pleasing, perfectionism, boundaries, or feeling disconnected from themselves.
Others come because their relationships feel painful, stuck, distant, or hard to repair.
Some come because sexuality, intimacy, desire, body shame, or sexual communication have become difficult to talk about alone.
All of that is welcome here.
My Approach
As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, I think systemically and relationally. That means we look beyond symptoms and make sense of the patterns, relationships, histories, cultural messages, nervous system responses, and protective strategies that shape how you feel, cope, and connect.
My approach is non-pathologizing, collaborative, trauma-informed, and gently direct. I draw from attachment theory, Emotionally Focused Therapy, Internal Family Systems, DBT, mindfulness, somatic approaches, and other evidence-based frameworks based on your needs.
Some sessions are reflective and spacious. Others are more active, focused on identifying patterns, practicing communication, setting boundaries, building emotional regulation, or creating new ways of relating to yourself and others.
Therapy with me is not about judging how you have coped. It is about understanding what your coping has been trying to protect, where it may now be creating pain, and what new choices might become possible with care and support.
Individual Therapy, Relationship Therapy, and Sex Therapy
My practice includes individual therapy, relationship therapy, and specialized sex therapy.
In individual therapy, we may work on anxiety, depression, burnout, trauma, grief, life transitions, self-trust, boundaries, identity, perfectionism, or emotional overwhelm.
In relationship therapy, we may explore communication patterns, conflict cycles, emotional disconnection, trust repair, attachment needs, intimacy, resentment, major life changes, or shifting relationship agreements.
In sex therapy, we may address desire changes, sexual shame, pain or anxiety around sex, intimacy concerns, sexual communication, body image, pleasure, boundaries, erotic identity, mismatched desire, or the ways past experiences shape present-day sexuality.
These areas often overlap. Anxiety can affect intimacy. Relationship conflict can affect desire. Body shame can affect self-trust. Trauma can affect communication. Sexual disconnection can affect emotional closeness.
My role is to help you make sense of the whole picture without reducing you to a problem to be fixed.
Why Sex Therapy Training Matters
Being an AASECT-Certified Sex Therapist means I have advanced training in sexuality, intimacy, desire, sexual concerns, consent, communication, relational dynamics, and the ways culture, identity, trauma, health, and shame can shape sexual wellbeing.
It also means you do not have to edit out the parts of your life that feel private, complicated, embarrassing, or hard to name.
Whether sexuality is the main reason you are seeking therapy or one part of a larger story, you can bring it here with respect, care, and clinical grounding.
This work is not about forcing desire, performing confidence, or meeting someone else’s expectations. It is about developing a more honest, embodied, and self-trusting relationship with yourself, your intimacy, and your sexuality.
Affirming Therapy for LGBTQIA+, Neurodivergent, ENM + Kink Clients
I provide affirming therapy for LGBTQIA+ clients, neurodivergent clients, people in diverse relationship structures, including ethical non-monogamy and polyamory, and people exploring or practicing kink/BDSM.
My work is grounded in consent, autonomy, cultural humility, and respect for the many ways people create meaningful relationships, intimacy, pleasure, and belonging.
Reconnecting With Yourself and Others
Therapy may help you slow down anxious loops, understand emotional patterns, communicate more clearly, repair relational wounds, reconnect with your body, set boundaries, grieve what has been missing, or build a life that feels more aligned with who you are.
You can arrive exactly as you are: uncertain, overwhelmed, guarded, hopeful, or unsure where to begin.
Book a Free Consultation
If you are looking for online individual therapy, relationship therapy, couples therapy, or sex therapy in California, Colorado, Florida, or Maine, I’d be glad to support you.
Book a free consultation to see if working together feels like the right fit.