Kim Kabar, LMFT
My name is Kim Kabar (she/her).
I am a LGBTQ+ affirming counselor. I help LGBTQ+ individuals overcome the obstacles keeping them stuck in life and in love.
Whether you identify as queer, transgender, gay, lesbian, intersex, asexual, ally, non-binary, straight, polyamorous or gender fluid, I celebrate and honor your identity
I have been an ally and advocate of the LGBTQ+ community since the 1980s when I served as a member on the board of the Pomona San Gabriel Gay and Lesbian Coalition.
Following a decade-long career as a writer for the Los Angeles Times, I returned to school in 2014 to earn a graduate degree in counseling. I completed my clinical training, including earning the required 3,000 pre-licensure hours, at the LGBTQ+ Center in Santa Ana, CA. I am a currently licensed in California as a marriage and family therapist. Arizona LMFT licensure is expected by end of 2020. I provide life coaching services worldwide via video conferencing.
My Approach
Many of my LGBTQ+ clients learned at a young age to hide their feelings and adopt the norms of a heteronormative binary system as a means of survival and as a means of advancing and navigating through the world. Can you relate to being a child or young adult and continuously being taught, nudged, prodded and constrained during childhood to fit as closely as possible to the expectations of the sex assigned you at birth, including loving the opposite sex? Fear of rejection has often forced many of my clients to make daily contextual calculations to optimize their sense of safety and wellbeing, to fit in and to meet the expectations of their family, friends, classmates, significant others and community.
Therapy with me is where the old performance gets to loosen its grip.
No pleasing. No shrinking. No managing other people’s comfort.
Here, we slow down together and explore:
- What parts of you have been hidden or muted to stay safe
- What you’ve been told you should want versus what you actually want
- How early survival strategies are still influencing your present life
Exploring one’s gender identity and affectional orientation within the safe, non-judgmental framework of psychotherapy can provide a vital opportunity for self-knowledge and self-acceptance.
Therapy with me is a place where that mask can finally come off. This work is about reclaiming agency, self-respect and the right to take up space. It’s about learning to fight for joy—not as a fleeting emotion, but as a way of living.
Weekly Sessions
Duration of sessions is typically 50 minutes.
⦁ In-network provider for Aetna, Optum, and United HealthCare.
I am an in-network provider for: Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross, Carelon Behavioral Health, Magellan, Optum, Oscar, Quest Behavioral Health, and United Healthcare.
Please note: The above insurance companies all use third-party platforms to process claims. I use Alma and Headway specifically because they allow me to maintain full clinical autonomy and keep all therapeutic records private and under my control. I do not partner with tech-driven therapy platforms such as Grow Therapy, Rula, or BetterHelp. Their business models often prioritize efficiency, data capture, and corporate needs over the wellbeing of clients and the professional judgment of therapists — and that is not compatible with how I practice.
YES! I AM INTERESTED IN SCHEDULING A FREE CONSULT!
Kim Kabar, LMFT
Licensed marriage and family therapist
Education
Master of Science in Counseling
California State University, Fullerton
Bachelor of Science in Communications
California Polytechnic University, Pomona
My Specialties
- Relationship Dependency
- Relationship Avoidance
- Compulsive Behaviours
- Obsessive Thinking
- Low Self Esteem
- Anxiety And Depression
- Grief And Loss
Something that makes me…
GIDDY
Serendipitous moments
SMILE
Sunflowers
WINCE
Judgment
PROUD
Being an LGBTQ+ Ally
JOYFUL
Being witness to others transformations
My core values
Living in
INTEGRITY
Making a
DIFFERENCE
Living
JOYOUSLY
Being
AUTHENTIC
Celebrating
CREATIVITY
It has taken me…
Years
Months
Weeks
Days
Hours
Minutes
…To walk the path that leads to you.
Testimonials
Kim is a powerful love coach whose methods and thought-provoking questions acted as a catalyst to my healing and breaking free of unhealthy relational cycles. The way I related to others and the way I had been living and thinking had been causing me great pain. I was fortunate that in my attempt to try to “fix” myself I found Kim. What I learned with my time with Kim was more than the simple fact that I am not broken beyond repair, but that I have wounds that need attention and healing. Kim and I looked at those wounds together (a very scary thing to do) and she metaphorically held my hand through every step. Looking at my wounds allowed for a new path where I explored things such as self-validation, self-preservation, values, and root of trauma among others. In a way, Kim’s coaching was the life coaching that my own parental figures were not able to provide. I realized that what Kim was aiding me in was building my integral fabric of my being that I was never allowed to have or taught how to develop. Kim was dedicated to my personal growth and her level of patience and empathy are qualities that many of us who seek help and healing have never gotten but sure do deserve. Working with Kim as a therapist and a coach to me, were rewarding, painful, and beautiful experience. Thank you, Kim. I am still learning and growing. Thank you for the tools. Thank you for the Love.
I am so thankful for Kim and her expertise, compassion, and wisdom. I can count the number of people on just one hand who have made such a huge impact on my life … and Kim is one. My family’s rejection of me because of my transgender identity has been beyond difficult but having Kim in my corner has allowed me to not feel so alone. But more than that, through the process of working with Kim, I have come to realize and own my strengths. I come to better understand myself and others. My anxiety, which was skyrocketing when we started, has come down significantly. The best gift I received during my time working with Kim was not getting stuck in my grief. I not only got through it, I came out of it a stronger, wise and more confident woman. Couldn’t have done it without her. Eternally grateful. Highly recommend.
Coaching with Kim has helped me immensely with my recovery from low self esteem, attachment trauma and relationship anxiety. With her encouragement and helpful insights, I was able to improve the relationship with myself and others. I highly recommend Kim as a life coach. She will change your life!
Contact me
You can reach me at (562) 725-8539 by e-mail at healerofhearts@kimkabar.com or by using the form below.