Anger Management 818 Facilitator Biographies

Anita Avedian, M.S., MFT
Certified Anger Management Facilitator
Director, Anger Management 818

Anita Avedian was born in Beirut, Lebanon. Until age 8, she had lived in Istanbul, Turkey, and London, England. In 1981, Anita’s family decided to move to Encino, California, so that she could attend an Armenian school, and persevere with her culture. Although she did go to a public school during a few years in high school, Anita returned to Ferrahian to graduate in 1990.

In 1995, Anita graduated California State University of Northridge with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. During her undergraduate years, Anita was very involved with student organizations. She became a Director of Associated Students and a Senator for the student body at three different levels. Through her interest in organizations, Anita decided to incorporate business with psychology.

In 1998, she graduated from California State University of Northridge with her Master of Science in Educational Psychology, emphasizing in Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling. In order to integrate her interest in organizations and business, Anita had an additional emphasis in Business, Industry and Government in her counseling studies. Upon graduation, she had successfully completed two Master’s level certifications: 1) Human Resources (Consulting, and Organizational Development); and 2) Employee Assistance Program.

Anita began her first internship with Family Violence Project. She worked in a battered woman’s shelter counseling the children and teens, as well as teaching parenting to the women. Within five years, Anita headed the Children and Teen’s Program at Tamar House (a 30-day emergency shelter) and at Hope Cottage (a 6-month transitional house for battered women and their children). At Hope Cottage, Anita formulated many children and teen groups focusing on the trauma they experienced. Anita facilitated family groups where she had the opportunity to intervene with the mothers and model more effective ways of communicating with their children.

During these years, Anita also participated in an internship as an Employee Assistance Professional (EAP) at Glendale Adventist Medical Center (GAMC). Anita coordinated and facilitated workshops in Assertive Communication for the employees of GAMC. She also co-facilitated a critical incident stress debriefing for one of the departments. She was responsible for providing brief counseling for their employees, assessment, and appropriate referrals.

Another internship during these years included Guess Corporation at the Training and Development Department. There, Anita learned various ways in which a company motivates their employees. This involved teaching supervisors about leadership and management.

Anita worked at UCLA, Center for Community Health, as an Intervention Coordinator for two different research projects studying the efficacy of structured counseling programs for HIV positive teens and adults. She was also involved with an additional study focusing on group counseling for children and teens with an HIV positive parent.

In 2002, Anita began her private practice in Tarzana and Bel-Air. As her practice grew, she opened an office in Sherman Oaks. In 2003, Anita became certified in conducting Critical Incident Stress Debriefing. Through one of the conferences, she also became certified in conducting Thought Field Therapy, which enriches her practice by incorporating energy therapy.

In 2003, Anita became an EAP consultant for Dorris & Associates and provides assessment, referral and counseling services for employees who are contracted through Dorris & Associates. She currently is contracted with over 5 EAP companies.

In 2003, Anita became an Anderson-Certified Anger Management Facilitator. In 2005, Anita and her partner, Laurie Brumfield, incorporated a new company named ABC Centers for Self-Improvement which then dissolved in December or 2007. Anita continued her work with Anger Management and named her company Anger Management 818.

Anita is very involved with the professional community. She currently serves on the local chapter boards for both Employee Assistance Professional Association (EAPA) and California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT). She also is the co-founder of the Armenian International Association of Mental Health and Social Services. In addition, she is part of the steering committee for the Group List.

Anita finds her work with the various fields and populations successful and rewarding.

Molly Lyda, M.A., MFT Intern
Certified Anger Management Facilitator

Molly Lyda adds to the team of talented clinicians at Anger Management 818 with her extensive clinical training and certification in anger management. Molly is incredibly passionate about her work in the mental health field, as shown by the journey that brought her to the work.

Originally from Oregon, where she finished her undergraduate degree, Molly moved to Los Angeles and landed a career in entertainment. After 10 successful years in television production, she felt called to do something more personal. Molly identified her desire to work in a profession that assists people in overcoming emotional pain while helping them to achieve their real hopes and dreams. Being a therapist became Molly’s calling.

Her master’s degree in psychology is from Phillips Graduate Institute, with an emphasis on marriage and family therapy and post modern theory. Molly graduated with honors and, while finishing her degree, she participated in two post modern traineeships at the California Family Counseling Center.

Molly has worked with diverse populations and has received special training in domestic violence, elder and dependent adult treatment, child abuse, substance use, and psychopharmacology. She also received training with Anderson and Anderson and is an Anderson-Certified Anger Management Facilitator.

Molly works from a strengths-based approach, believing that problems do not innately reside within clients, but rather that clients find themselves in circumstances or relationships that present challenges. She believes that each of her clients have all the strengths and resources needed to have a fulfilling and abundant life. Molly collaborates with her clients to envision a life aligned with their most true priorities and to strategize tangibly how to achieve that preferred life. Molly especially enjoys working with young adults and couples, as well as many diverse clientele.

(Molly Lyda is a Registered Marriage and Family Therapy Intern (IMF 51060) and works under the supervision of Anita Avedian, MFT, MFC 38403).

Rachel Raya Goukassian, M.A., MFT Intern
Psychotherapist, Marriage and Family Therapist Intern

Rachel Goukassian has always had a passion for helping those at need, as well as the community at large. This passion has driven her to become a psychotherapist who serves children, adults, couples and families seeking help to live a more satisfying life. The path she has taken has provided her with invaluable research, training and experience that have enhanced her ability to help others. Her natural empathy and talent to build meaningful relationships have helped facilitate the course of therapy with her clients.

In 2006, Rachel graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. While receiving a rigorous education, she was involved in various community and cultural organizations at UCLA. Additionally, she worked extensively as part of a cognitive psychology research team for several years.

In 2009, she graduated from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California with a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology; emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy. At Pepperdine, Rachel worked for the Boone Center for the Family as a Relationship Educator. Her work entailed researching information about healthy relationships and presenting to undergraduate students via workshops, classroom lectures and social events.

Rachel began her first internship at Valley Trauma Counseling Center (VTCC). She is trained in working with trauma, domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse. As part of the Family Preservation program at VTCC, she has gained extensive knowledge and experience in working with families, couples and children involved with the Department of Children and Family Services. As part of VTCC’s Sexual Assault program, she was an advocate, accompanying survivors of child abuse and sexual assault to their initial medical exams and interviews; additionally, she was a therapist, providing continuous treatment to trauma victims.

While working at Armenian Relief Society’s Child, Youth and Family Guidance Center, Rachel was able to provide psychotherapeutic services to people in her community that would otherwise not have access to therapy elsewhere. Her work there was primarily with monolingual Armenian clients typically struggling with acculturation issues, as well as many mood disorders and family dynamic problems. In addition, she co-facilitates behavior skills for children in public elementary schools through Coalition for Armenian Students in Public Schools (CASPS).

Rachel is currently in private practice, supervised by Anita Avedian, MFT. She runs groups for Anger Management 818, and is an Anderson-Certified Anger Management Facilitator.

Rachel helps her clients discover and build their strengths to overcome the obstacles standing in the way of their fulfillment. She finds great joy in the relationships she builds with her clients and in accompanying them on their journey of growth.

Farnaz Toutouni CAMF

Farnaz Toutouni received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and her minor in Sociology from California State University of Northridge. She is currently attending Alliant University pursing her Doctorate Degree in clinical psychology. Ms. Toutouni began her internship at the Independent Learning Center (“ILC”), wherein she assisted individuals with mental disabilities to gain the skills necessary to reach new levels of independence.  Additionally, Ms. Toutouni would study the patient’s behavioral data and administer tests relating to their emotional functioning, physical demeanor, and behavioral adjustments, and analyzed and interpreted the results.   

Currently, Ms. Toutouni is a certified anger management facilitator and her main focus is to assist the patients in developing and utilizing the tools provided by the program. Ms. Toutouni offers patients the opportunity to achieve success by teaching them how to cope with their problems and live day by day in peace. Her philosophy is that anger is a natural human emotion and is nature's way of empowering individuals to ward off their perception of an attack or threat to their well being. Her belief is that the problem is usually mismanagement of anger. Mismanaged anger and rage can possibly cause conflict in most people’s personal and professional relationships.

Ms. Toutouni provides solutions and support for mismanaged anger that can ultimately lead to significant problems with the law, at work, school and social interactions. Her goal for her clients is to develop awareness and confidence in expressing anger productively while replacing destructive behavior with constructive behavior . Working with her, individuals can learn that you can't get rid of, or avoid, the things or the people that enrage you, nor can you change them, but you can learn to control your reactions.