Registered Associate Marriage & Family Therapist, #151840
Integrative Trauma & Attachment Therapist
Supervised by Courtney Watson, MA, LPC, LPCC, LMHC
The people who find me are usually deeply capable, often the reliable anchor others rely on. They are ambitious, responsible, and consistently perform at a high level across every aspect of life. While their external world appears successful and impeccably managed, they often grapple with an underlying sense of being trapped.
Many of them already have engaged in significant self-reflection, done the ‘work,’ and learned how to persevere. However, beneath a successful exterior, they may still contend with debilitating perfectionism, persistent anxiety, chronic burnout, complex relationship challenges, or the pressure of constantly holding everything together on their own.
My Approach
I strive to provide a therapeutic environment that is relational, collaborative, and focused on your unique needs. By focusing on the present moment, we can explore shifts in your emotions, the narratives you live by, recurring life patterns, and how your body physically stores stress or protective responses.
Healing, in my view, is rooted in safety, curiosity, and compassion. My practice is grounded in a humanistic center, utilizing narrative therapy, parts work, somatic techniques, and attachment-based perspectives to support your growth without judgment.
You are the expert on your own journey; I am not here to “fix” you or dictate your path. Instead, I partner with you to deepen your self-understanding, exploring your relationships and the parts of you that may have developed survival strategies like over-functioning or staying guarded.
We move entirely at your pace, whether that requires slowing down to establish a sense of security or gently investigating the origins of deep-seated patterns. I provide a space for reflection and follow your lead to help you cultivate new ways of relating to yourself and others.
My clients often share that they value this space as one where they can finally set down the weight of performance and the pressure to have all the answers.
Background & Training
- → PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
- → EDUCATION & TRAINING
Deeply rooted in the San Gabriel Valley, Daria Kalimán finds profound meaning in giving back to the community that shaped her. She views the opportunity to support local individuals, couples, and families as a true privilege, fostering the same sense of identity, ambition, and belonging that she experienced growing up.
Daria’s previous career in the fashion industry provides her with a unique perspective on the pressures of performance-driven and high-stakes creative environments. This firsthand experience with the emotional demands of striving for excellence allows her to build strong therapeutic connections with high-achieving professionals, including those in the creative, medical, and veterinary fields.
In her practice, Daria focuses on a variety of areas including trauma, PTSD, identity, LGBTQ+ concerns, and relational issues. She also specializes in addressing perfectionism, anxiety, body image, and eating disorders. Her integrative approach incorporates attachment theory, somatic work, narrative therapy, and parts work to help clients explore emotional patterns and cultivate a sense of worthiness and safety.
Daria believes in a collaborative and human-centered therapeutic experience. To support clients in accessing experiences that may be difficult to verbalize, she utilizes art and play therapy alongside somatic experiencing interventions in addition to traditional talk therapy.
For couples and families, she employs Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) to foster stronger connections and healthier communication. Her goal is to help clients understand their attachment dynamics and achieve meaningful, long-term relational change through emotional attunement.
Daria is passionate about working with adolescents, adults, couples, and families from diverse backgrounds and life experiences. She often works alongside high-achieving professionals, first-generation individuals, creatives, physicians, veterinarians, and those navigating demanding careers while struggling with perfectionism, burnout, identity, or relationship challenges.
Her practice is especially affirming for LGBTQ+ clients, neurodivergent individuals, highly sensitive people, survivors of trauma, and clients exploring body image, eating disorders, attachment wounds, and questions surrounding identity and belonging. Daria also enjoys supporting artists, helping professionals, and individuals who are used to caring for others while finding it difficult to extend that same care to themselves. She is committed to providing an affirming and safe environment where every client feels genuinely seen and supported.
TRAINING
- 2026 | Rethinking ADHD with Gabor Maté and Terry Matlen: From Origins to Healing — Psychotherapy Networker
- 2026 | Brainspotting 2-Day Workshop with David Grand: Integrating the Neuroexperiential Model for Rapid Trauma Healing — Psychotherapy Networker
- 2025 | Case Conceptualization and Treatment Planning in DBT for Eating Disorders — UC San Diego Health
- 2025 | Identification, Assessment, and Treatment of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) — UC San Diego Health
- 2025 | Targeting PTSD in Eating Disorders Treatment: Clinical Considerations and Evidence-Based Interventions — UC San Diego Health
- 2025 | Exercise and Eating Disorders: Strategies for Safe Integration into Treatment — UC San Diego Health
- 2025 | Treatment of Eating Disorders in a Neurodivergent Population — UC San Diego Health
- 2025 | New Insights in the Neurobiology of Eating Disorders and Application to Treatment — UC San Diego Health
- 2025 | Involving Supports in Care of Transitional Age Youth — UC San Diego Health
- 2025 | Working with Dissociative Identity Disorder (Part 1) — Christina Mardirossian, Pasadena Trauma Therapy
- 2024 | Psychological First Aid — National Child Traumatic Stress Network
- 2022 | Seeking Safety — Treatment Innovations
- 2022 | Suicide Interventionist Training — Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services
- 2021 | Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) — Medical University of South Carolina
- 2026 | Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) Workshop with Leanne Campbell and George Faller: Applying the Evidence-based EFT Model with Couples, Individuals, and Families — Psychotherapy Networker
- 2025 | Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy Externship — EFTLA
- 2024 | “When Racialized Ghosts Refuse to Become Ancestors” (Racial Melancholia & Mixed-Race Identity) — ICPLA, Dhwani Shah, MD
- 2023 | Pregnancy and Infant Loss: Strategies to Support Grief, Trauma, and Depression — PESI
- 2022 | Psychodynamic Couples Therapy — Maple Counseling
- 2022 | Fundamentals of Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy — Maple Counseling
- 2023 | Acceptance & Commitment Therapy: 2-Day Intensive Training — PESI
- 2019 | Undergraduate Fieldwork & Research in Early Childhood Education — Pacific Oaks College
EDUCATION
- Master of Arts, Marriage & Family Therapy
Pacific Oaks College- Trauma Studies Specialization
- National Honors Society
- Bachelor of Arts, Human Developmen
Pacific Oaks College- Early Childhood Education & Development Concentration
Beyond Therapy
Lived experience is a cornerstone of my approach. As a first-generation eldest daughter in a Colombian family, my understanding of responsibility, cultural expectations, and the search for belonging is deeply personal. These roots, combined with growing up in Glendale and later immersing myself in the creative circles of Los Feliz and Silver Lake, have fostered a profound appreciation for individuality and human connection.
My background also includes a long history with movement and competitive athletics. Years spent playing club soccer and running varsity track provided early lessons in discipline and teamwork, while also illuminating the complex interplay between performance, body image, and self-worth.
I believe that personal history matters in the therapeutic space. Navigating life with ADHD, and recovering from an eating disorder have given me a firsthand perspective on the exhaustion of maintaining competence while in survival mode. These chapters of my life allow me to show up for my clients with genuine empathy, nuance, and compassion.
Outside of my professional life, I am fueled by curiosity and creative outlets. Whether I am hiking, camping, gardening, or building miniatures, I find joy in staying active and engaged. I’m often found with two books on the go, solving crosswords, or spending time with my pets. My time as an amateur beekeeper was particularly impactful, teaching me unexpected lessons in patience and the delicate balance of small ecosystems.
Therapy often begins with the experience of feeling seen, understood, and emotionally safe enough to begin exploring things differently. If something about Daria’s approach resonates with you, we invite you to connect for a consultation.
LINKS
LOCATION
Danielle Palomares, LMFT
Couples Therapy & Trauma Therapy
Office in Pasadena, CA
By appointment only
CONTACT
(626) 209-9055
danielle@palomarestherapy.com
