ABOUT DR. RYAN THOMAS
Therapy That Helps You Understand The Whole Picture
I am a licensed clinical psychologist practicing in Pasadena, California. I specialize in working with teens, adults, couples, and families, often with concerns more complex than one condition or diagnosis can explain on its own.
My approach is warm, collaborative, and depth-oriented. Together, we will make sense of how your emotions, relationships, developmental history, nervous system, and individual differences have shaped your experience, and use that understanding to create meaningful change.
Deeper Understanding, Lasting Change
Rather than focusing only on reducing symptoms, I am interested in understanding why a problem started, what keeps it going, and what might need to develop or change. This broader perspective helps us move beyond quick fixes and towards meaningful, lasting growth.
Development
We'll look at where you've been, what you're still growing toward, and the capacities that can support that growth.
Individual Differences
Your nervous system, neurotype, temperament, and life experiences all shape how therapy works. I tailor the work to you.
Relationships
We'll explore how your relationships—including the one between us—influence your experience and become a space for new possibilities.
"The goal of therapy isn't to turn you into a different person. It is to help you grow more fully into being yourself."
What Therapy With Me Actually Feels Like
Warm, But Not Passive
A supportive space for honesty, with curiosity, insight, and gentle challenge when it's helpful.
Collaborative, Not Formulaic
We work together, combining your lived experience with my clinical expertise. If something isn't helping, we'll adjust.
Deep, Without Losing Sight of Real Life
Insight and practical change go hand in hand. We'll explore patterns and also focus on what actually helps in your day-to-day life.
Comfortable With Complexity
I'm especially well suited to people whose experiences don't fit neatly into one box – including overlapping concerns like ADHD, relationship challenges, anxiety, or a history of feeling misunderstood.
An Integrative Approach for the Whole Person
I draw most heavily from relational and psychodynamic psychotherapy, attachment theory, emotion-focused approaches, developmental psychology, and neurodiversity-affirming practice. I use these ideas flexibly, always with the question: What will help us understand you more accurately, and what kind of therapeutic experience is most likely to help you grow?
RELATIONAL
DEVELOPMENTAL
ATTACHMENT-BASED
NEURODIVERSITY-AFFIRMING
PRACTICAL & REAL-WORLD
You May Feel at Home in This Work If...
You are thoughtful and self-aware, but find that insight alone hasn't fully changed the problem.
Your relationships matter deeply to you, yet certain painful patterns keep repeating.
ADHD, autism, or other individual differences shape how you experience yourself or others.
You want a deeper understanding of yourself and meaningful change without having to become someone different.
My Background
I earned my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Fuller Theological Seminary's Graduate School of Psychology and am a licensed psychologist in California. In addition to my work at Growthbound, I currently serve as Training Director at Greenhouse Therapy Center, where I oversee clinical training and provide supervision to pre- and post-doctoral psychology students. I also volunteer on the Board of Directors for California Psychological Association's Division of Clinical and Professional Practice (Division I). My work as a clinician, supervisor, and community educator continually informs my practice, helping me stay thoughtful, curious, and grounded in what actually helps people grow.