Anna “Anka” Dowd, LMFT (pronounced "Anka")

Compassionate Support Through Life’s Changes

 

Anka Dowd is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who brings empathy, cultural awareness, and clinical expertise to her work with adults navigating emotional challenges and life transitions. She specializes in helping clients move through grief, stress, anxiety, and burnout with clarity, compassion, and renewed strength.
As a first-generation Polish-American, Anka understands the complexities of cultural identity, adaptation, and resilience. Her work is especially meaningful to those experiencing personal or relational losses, identity shifts, or inner blocks that are keeping them from feeling at ease in their lives.

 

A Grounded and Inclusive Approach to Healing

 

Anka believes every person has the inner capacity for growth, healing, and self-discovery. Her sessions provide a supportive, non-judgmental space for clients to process emotions, explore limiting patterns, and reconnect with their values and personal direction.

 

Her integrative, client-centered approach draws from:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

• Narrative Therapy

• Solution-Focused Therapy

• Existential and Systemic Models

• Be Set Free Fast (BSFF)

 

Anka tailors treatment to each individual’s needs, supporting clients who are coping with grief, depression, anxiety, and major life changes—always with a respectful, collaborative style.

 

Education & Professional Background

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• M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy – University of San Diego

• B.A. in Sociology – San Diego State University

• Extensive Training – Grief & Loss, Anxiety, Depression, Life Transitions

• Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist – California (MFT #90465)

• BSFF Practitioner – Subconscious belief change work

• Member – American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT)

 

Anka remains committed to continued professional development and providing thoughtful, effective care to her clients.

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Outside the Therapy Room

 

Anka is a mother of three who enjoys photography, playing tennis, reading, and exploring the outdoors with her family. Her calm, present energy flows through both her personal life and her therapeutic work.