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Find a Jewish therapist in Malibu​

I'm Dr. Jené Verchick, a Jewish psychologist with over 26 years of experience. I work with adults, teens, and couples in Malibu and throughout California via secure video sessions.

Malibu is a place people move to for space — from the city, from the noise, from the lives they were living before. But physical distance from the world doesn't create emotional distance from the things you're carrying. The anxiety follows you to the beach house. The marriage problems don't dissolve with the ocean view. And the isolation that comes with living in a community this spread out can make everything harder to face alone.

If you're looking for a Jewish therapist who understands both the cultural weight of your background and the particular pressures of life in Malibu, I can help.

How I Work

I'm active and direct. I don't do gentle, undirected therapy where you talk for an hour and leave feeling heard but unchanged.

When I see the pattern — the avoidance, the story you tell yourself to stay comfortable, the way you've been managing everyone's perception of you instead of dealing with what's actually going on — I step in. I name it. And I help you do something different, right there in the session.

With couples, I interrupt the cycle in real time. With individuals, I get underneath the surface. With teens, I treat them like the intelligent, complicated people they are.

Who I Work With

Couples. Malibu couples often come to me when the beauty of the life they've built is masking something painful underneath — emotional distance, resentment, a betrayal, or the slow realization that you've been living parallel lives. See my Malibu couples therapy page.

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Individuals. Anxiety, depression, burnout, grief, life transitions, trauma, divorce. Many of my Malibu clients are people who relocated expecting a fresh start and found that the problems they were running from came with them. 

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Teens. Malibu teens face a unique combination of privilege and isolation — top schools, high expectations, limited peer connection, and long drives to see friends. Add social media pressure and family tension and you have a recipe for anxiety and depression that parents often miss until it's acute. I hold a Master's degree in Child, Adolescent, and Family Therapy from USC. Learn more about teen therapy.

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Families. Divorce, blended families, enmeshment, caregiving, communication breakdown. When the family system is stuck. Learn more about family therapy.

Why a Jewish Therapist Matters

Malibu doesn't have a large, visible Jewish community the way Encino or Beverly Hills does. That can feel isolating if your Jewish identity is important to you — there's no built-in cultural infrastructure, no congregation down the street, no neighborhood where everyone shares your background.

Finding a therapist who understands Jewish family dynamics means you don't have to spend sessions translating:

• Why your family's love feels like a contract with conditions

• Why guilt drives your decisions even when you know it shouldn't

• Why setting a boundary with your parents feels like an act of violence

• Why success and misery coexist so comfortably in your family — and why nobody talks about it

• Why the generational anxiety your grandmother carried became the control your mother exerts became the perfectionism you can't escape

I'm culturally Jewish. I understand the architecture. That means our time is spent on change, not explanation.

Privacy in Malibu

Malibu is a small, visible community. Everyone knows everyone — at the kids' schools, at Nobu, at the farmers market, at Point Dume. Finding a therapist locally means risking overlap.

Working with me means:

• No connection to the Malibu community

• Secure video sessions from your home — no driving PCH to an office

• Complete confidentiality — nothing shared without your written consent

• A therapist who understands wealth, visibility, and the pressure of a public-facing life without being part of your world

What Clients Say

"We moved to Malibu thinking it would fix everything. New house, new start, new life. But the same fights followed us. Dr. Verchick helped us see that geography doesn't fix a marriage — honesty does. We're still in Malibu, but we're actually present with each other now instead of hiding behind the lifestyle." — Couple, Malibu

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"I'm isolated out here. My friends are all in the city. My family is on the East Coast. I thought I wanted the quiet. Turns out the quiet gave my anxiety nowhere to hide. Dr. Verchick helped me build a life in Malibu that's actually mine — not just a beautiful place to be lonely." — Malibu

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"My daughter was struggling at her Malibu school — perfect grades, perfect extracurriculars, falling apart on the inside. She'd smile at school and cry in her room every night. Dr. Verchick was the first adult who saw through the performance. She helped our daughter separate her worth from her achievements. The change has been profound." — Mother, Malibu

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"After my divorce, I couldn't function. I moved to Malibu to start over but I was just sitting in a beautiful house feeling nothing. Dr. Verchick helped me grieve the marriage, figure out who I was without it, and actually start living again — not just existing in a nicer zip code." — Malibu

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to be Jewish to work with you?

No. Many of my clients are Jewish, but not all. My approach works regardless of background. The cultural understanding is a bonus if you share that background, not a requirement.

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I live in Malibu. It's far from everything. How does this work?

That's exactly why video sessions are ideal for Malibu clients. No driving PCH for an hour to sit in a therapist's office. You do therapy from your home, on your schedule. Most clients meet weekly.

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Do you work with couples?

Yes. Couples therapy is a major part of my practice. 

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My teen seems fine at school but is falling apart at home. Should I be worried?

Yes. High-performing teens who collapse at home are often carrying more than anyone realizes. The performance at school is the mask. What's happening at home is the truth. A professional evaluation can help you understand what's going on.