Tarra Judson Stariell became a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) because it has always been her calling to help people heal. Now retired, she fondly reflects on how she began her career in marriage, family, and child counseling in 1994, wanted to primarily work with children and adolescents, and spent much of her time helping foster children. Her focus has always been assisting others in overcoming and accepting their traumas, especially those originating from family problems.
After earning her LMFT credential in 2001, Ms. Judson Stariell launched The Center for SELF Discovery, where she has spent more than 20 years providing therapy to her clients. Through her work, she has helped others forgive those who have hurt them, find a purpose in life, and recover from the depths of depression and hopelessness. Ms. Judson Stariell is highly qualified in her field, having graduated from Chapman University in 1997 with a Master of Arts in psychology, as well as marriage and family therapy counseling. In 2003, she completed a clinical fellowship with the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Further, she is certified in eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, a structured form of therapy that helps patients confront and process trauma. Among the numerous people she has helped, Ms. Judson Stariell is proud to have healed members of her own family, including her parents.
Throughout her decades of excellence and service to others, Ms. Judson Stariell has maintained a deep sense of commitment and gratitude toward her profession. She emphasizes that her vital work is much more than a job and compares the dedication of her colleagues to that of teachers and medical professionals, highlighting the importance of genuine care and compassion in the practice of therapy. Above all, she values integrity and service, noting that she views the opportunity to help others as a privilege and an honor. As the owner of The Center for SELF Discovery, Ms. Judson Stariell has fulfilled many responsibilities, including handling client screening, booking appointments, managing office rentals, and overseeing the business, all while holding individual therapy sessions.
After many years of working with children and adolescents, Ms. Judson Stariell realized she could be more effective in working with adults and shifted her focus. She conducted emotionally focused couples therapy, offered EMDR treatment, and continued to pursue her own education and professional development throughout her career. As a diligent and competent businesswoman and therapist, she has always made sure to keep detailed notes on clients’ progress while navigating the complicated and often tedious parts of the business, such as medical insurance billing.
To stay involved and active in her field, Ms. Judson Stariell has maintained membership in the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, and the Southern California Institute for Bioenergetic Analysis. In 2017, she authored “Sanity Lost & Found: A True Story of Brainwashing and Recovery” with Ranch House Press, which details her experience as the victim of an abusive and cult-like situation. After joining the Peace Corps in the 1970s and working with descendants of slaves in Cartagena, Colombia, Ms. Judson Stariell immersed herself in the local culture and found her worldview transformed by many mystical beliefs, which, she recalled, ultimately led her to be taken advantage of by “an unstable and controlling individual.” Through her own strength and resilience, she says she found her way out of the abusive situation and rediscovered her sense of individuality and self-worth.
In 2023, Ms. Judson Stariell published her next book, “Flashpoints of Awareness: Lessons Learned from a Life.” Above all, she feels privileged to have found her professional purpose, as she believes it helped to change her life. Looking ahead, she plans to write another book on the nature of belief systems.