1986 Ph.D., Psychology, California Graduate Institute, Los Angeles, CA.
1984 M.A., Psychology, California Graduate Institute, Los Angeles, CA.
1980 B.A., Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA.
LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS
1989 : California Psychologist License # PSY 11035.
1986 : California Marriage, Family and Child Counselor License # MFC 21883.
1991 : Certified Clinical Supervisor, The American Board of Sexology.
1990 : Board Certified Diplomat Sex Therapist, The American Board of Sexology.
1990 : Certified Sex Therapist, University of California, Los Angeles-Neuropsychiatric Institute, Los Angeles, California.
1987 : Certified Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist # PP87225, National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis and the American Boards of Accreditation and Certification.
CLINICAL EXPERIENCE
1998 – 2009 : Altamed Medical Group: Provided Psychological Services to a wide patients at Clinic on East Los Angeles and at the Whittier Clinic, El Monte Clinic and Pico Rivera Clinic, Bell Clinic.
1986 – Present : Options Counseling Center, A Psychological Corporation,Beverly Hills, California. Founder, Clinical Director, Bi-Cultural Therapist and Supervisor of Interns, in group private practice. Practice specialties include assessment and psychological testing, sexual dysfunctions, pain management, Prenatal and Postnatal Care which includes individual assessment and treatment on individual basis, or couple basis as necessary for depression, impairment of woman’s capacity to make decisions regarding
her own health and wellbeing as well as that of her fetus, couples ability to support each other, risks of postnatal depression, marital disharmony, prior history of depression, History of Pre-Menstrual Mood Symptoms. Job stress and Worker’s compensation, addictions and relapse prevention, dysfunctional couple’s communications, gay/lesbian issues, and multicultural issues. Therapy is conducted in Spanish and English.
January 2011 – Present : WRadio690AM Salud y Familia con el Dr. Elmer Huerta: On going invted guest to talk about different topics of Mental Health.
January 2010 – Present : Noticias 22, Telemundo, Covers Segment “El Sexo y Usted”
January 2008 : Azteca America , Host of Doctora Corazon Pilot
1989 – 1992 : Oral Examination Commissioner Board of Behavioral Science Examiners, Sacramento, CA. Tested Marriage, Family and Child Counselor Intern candidates for state licensure.
1986 : KSCI-TV Channel 18, The Hispanic Broadcasting Network Host of “Linea Abierta” – Consulta Psicologica (Open-Line Psychological Consultation) A National
Audience Interactive TV Talk Show in Spanish language.
1986 – 1988 : Peter Adler, Ph.D., Private Practice Los Angeles, CA. Registered Psychological Assistant.
1983 – 1986 : California Graduate Institute Counseling Center Los Angeles, CA. Staff Therapist- Intern.
1981 – 1982 : Chabad Out-Patient Mental Health Clinic Los Angeles, CA.
Internship.
HOSPITAL PRIVILEGES
Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
- American Pain Society, National Chapter of the International Association for the Study of Pain, Member since 1990.
- Society of Modern Psychoanalysts, Member since 1990.
- The American Board of Sexology, Diplomate Member since 1990.
- American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists, Clinical Member since 1990.
- California Psychological Association, Member since 1989.
- American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, Clinical Member since 1987.
- California Hispanic Psychological Association, Vice President 1986-1987.
- California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, Clinical member since 1986.
PERSONAL BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Estella Sneider, was born in Mexico City to a highly successful Lithuanian Immigrant father, from humble beginnings and her Peruvian born immigrant mother. She was taught from the very beginning of her life, the value and importance of family, education, diligence of purpose, and respect for the needs of others less fortunate in Society.
The youngest and only daughter in a family of four older brothers, she had to quickly learn how to practice the values instilled in her by her loving and highly successful parents. Her father’s lesson to young Estella was to always see the glass as half full, rather than half empty; would serve her well for the rest of her life. She was provided with a loving and stable home ruled by her strong disciplinarian mother, with whom from time to time Estella would experience confrontations; while she learned to spread her wings and grow. Her mother demanded perfection in all of her children and most especially, in young Estella. However, her mother also exposed Estella to the arts, music, dance, literature, theatre, sports, and the finer points of good manners and proper social intercourse; with people from all walks of life and economic strata.
These disciplines would come to serve Estella well as she grew into young womanhood and began her lifelong interests and pursuits in higher education. Educated in the best schools in Mexico City, her roots were firmly entrenched in the finest traditions of the Mexican culture.
At the tender age of eighteen, she was married to Eduardo Umansky and the couple was blessed with two loving children, Mauricio and Sharon. Estella, in the tradition of her familial background and teachings, inspired her children to be the best that they could be in life and today they are both highly successful in their own professions and pursuits.
Moving to the United States with her husband and two children in 1976, Estella fulfilled her dream for higher education. While learning to speak the English language she enrolled at the University of Southern California where she graduated Cum Laude while at the same time, still fulfilling her duties as a wife and a mother. In order to meet her familial obligations, and to create an educational schedule that would allow her to meet her requirements at home, she first attended The California School of Professional Psychology and later the California Graduate Institute of Psychology.
The latter gave her an extensive course of study in the area of psychological psychotherapeutic treatment, and bestowed on her both a Masters degree and a Doctoral degree in Psychology, as well as two certifications with emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy. After completing three thousand hours of internship for Marriage and Family Therapy, she also completed an additional internship for Clinical Psychology; which culminated in her passing both Board Examinations that licensed her as both a Psychologist and a Marriage and Family Therapist. Now, as “Dr. Estella Sneider”, she then completed a postdoctoral certification in Sex Therapy at the University of California Los Angeles.
With her intensive formal education behind her, Dr. Sneider commenced her private practice in 1986. She opened a small office, ‘Options Counseling Center’, in west Los Angeles and in 1989; she opened her much expanded and highly successful practice in Beverly Hills, California.
Having attained her personal goals, she turned her attention to meeting her obligations to mankind that her parents had taught her as a child. She closed her lucrative private practice in Beverly Hills, with the exception of a few patients, and turned her practice toward the less fortunate and the youth and elderly in the Hispanic Community. She began practicing her Psychology services at AltaMed Medical Services in five of their of their many clinics for medical treatments in Los Angeles, as well as the JWCH Institute.
Never one to be lacking in energy and higher aspirations and in alliance with the immensely talented Director/Producer Flor Siquerios, Dr. Sneider launched her new career in Hispanic television, with their highly anticipated Azteca America Network Pilot, “Dra. Corazon”! Using her extensive professional experience, and in concert with her two celebrity co-hosts, Miguel Paneke and Vanessa Medina, Dr. Sneider and her irrepressible personality and joie de vivre analyzed, advised and offered her professional opinions to a myriad of callers who had need of her expertise; to cope with their problems and issues in life. The show took a light hearted but sincere approach to bring some light to the problems encountered by all of us, with the trials and tribulations of everyday living.
On December fourth of 2007, Dr. Sneider was appointed by the Los Angeles County Office of Protocol to the Vice-Presidency of LA-MEX Sister Cities Organization. Later, in ceremonies held at Los Angeles County City Hall on December eleventh, the Mayor of Mexico City, the Honorable Marcelo Ebrard, officially welcomed Dr. Sneider and her colleagues at a special breakfast held in Los Angeles. In 2009, Dr. Sneider was elected as President of LA-MEX Sister Cities, where she served for one year.
In January of 2010 Dr.Sneider appeared on a segment entitled “Sex and You”, which lasted until October 28th 2011. Dr. Sneider continues to appear on Channel 22, covering news that has a psychological component to be discussed.
Dr. Sneider continues to create new goals and aspirations for herself in her life, and if her parents were still alive today; they would be very proud of her.
The advice and suggestions I may provide for people who contact me through my page at HotSpots4Dates are not psychotherapeutic services. Rather, I provide educational advice only. Anyone seeking psycho-therapeutic interventions should contact a licensed psychotherapist in the state in which they live.