About David
Dr. David Talavera
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Dr. David Talavera is a licensed clinical psychologist who works with adults seeking growth, connection, and resilience. Whether you’re facing burnout, stress, anxiety, communication issues, comparisons and self-esteem challenges, grief, depression, or trauma, Dr. Talavera is here to guide you through it with warmth and compassion.
Dr. Talavera’s approach to therapy is all about you. He has a client-centered approach where he’ll work with you to have a deeper understanding of complex emotions, thoughts, and behaviors to better navigate life’s challenges and work towards a future aligned with your goals and values. Together, you'll develop strategies to cope with hardships, promote healing, and ultimately be your own therapist.
He also appreciates understanding the various aspects of who you are, including your racial/ethnic, cultural, gender, and personal values. As a Spanish-speaking Latino with immigrant parents he understands how one’s background and self-identity can shape experiences, relationships, and overall mental health. He is open to holding space for these conversations in therapy to help clients feel empowered and live a more authentic and fulfilling life.
Dr. Talavera also has specialized training and expertise in treating chronic pain and chronic medical illness. He offers gold-standard psychological treatments for chronic pain based on pain neuroscience that focus on retraining the nervous system to manage pain in effective and sustainable ways. Along with that, he also conducts pain-related pre-surgical evaluations, ensuring you have the support you need to manage your chronic condition before, during, and after medical interventions. He’s passionate about helping those struggling with pain not just get by, but thrive.
Throughout his career, Dr. Talavera has published several articles in scientific journals, presented at professional conferences, contributed to book chapters, and given several invited talks and lectures. Dr. Talavera takes all this knowledge and turns it into real-world applications that can help you maneuver through tough situations and take steps towards personal growth.
Dr. Talavera formally held academic medical positions as a Clinical Assistant Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine and the Keck School of Medicine of USC. His prior training includes a Postdoctoral fellowship in pain psychology at Stanford University School of Medicine and a Predoctoral internship in behavioral medicine at Harvard Medical School/Cambridge Health Alliance. He earned his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Houston and his B.A. in Psychology from UC Berkeley.
When he’s not in the office, you’ll find Dr. Talavera reading sci-fi books, running, and playing fetch with his dog, "Houston."
Dr. Talavera is excited to support you on your journey toward better health and well-being!
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