Dr. Pam Perez

I am a doctoral-level clinician with advanced training in neuroscience, psychophysiology, and brain-behavior relationships. My professional path has always centered around understanding how the brain works, how it changes under stress or injury, and how people heal when life becomes overwhelming after injury.

Before entering full-time clinical practice, I spent over fifteen years as a university professor teaching subjects many clinicians never have the opportunity to master, including:

  • Psychopharmacology
  • Psychophysiology
  • Biological Basis of Behavior
  • Pediatric and Biological Neuropsychology
  • Biostatics and Research

These areas shaped my approach to therapy: grounded in neuroscience, guided by compassion, and focused on helping people rebuild after deep disruption – whether physical, emotional, or neuropsychological.

I am currently licensed as an LMFT in both Nevada and California. My clinical work specialized in:

  • Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)
  • Trauma and PTSD
  • Post-hematoma recovery
  • Neuroinflammatory and neurovascular disorders
  • Cognitive fatigue and executive dysfunction
  • Complex medical-psychological presentations

I integrate brain-based science with trauma-informed psychotherapy, helping patients understand not only what they are feeling but also why their brain and body are responding in the way they are.

My goal is to create a space where science and compassion work together – where people can make sense of their symptoms, regain stability, reconnect with themselves, and move forward with clarity, confidence, and hope. No one should have to navigate the very difficult path to recovery without the help and support they need.

Many of my patients come to me after medical events, neurological diagnoses, or long experiences on not feeling heard or understood by the healthcare system. I also work to help family members and support people how to develop their owns tools for self care in the roles they are trying to fill as caregivers.

If you are navigating a brain trauma, neurological changes, or a complex recovery process, I am here to help you understand your brain, restore balance, and help you move toward healing at a pace that respects both your biology and your lived experience.

Why I Do This Work

My path has always centered on the brain—its structure, its physiology, its vast intricacies, mysteries, and its resilience. After earning my doctorate in psychology with a neuroscience emphasis, I pursued clinical work that honors both the biological and emotional realities of human experience.

My work deepened profoundly after sustaining a neurological injury myself. Walking through the fog, exhaustion, sensory overload, pain, and nonlinear recovery taught me what no textbook ever could. That lived experience didn’t pull me away from this calling—it clarified it.

Today, I serve patients with a blend of scientific clarity, clinical insight, and trauma-informed presence. I believe:

  • The brain can heal.

  • Recovery unfolds in phases.

  • No one should navigate neurological suffering alone.

Who I Work With

Appropriate referrals include individuals experiencing:

  • Cognitive fatigue or slowed processing

  • Sensory intolerance (light, sound, motion)

  • Persistent or post-traumatic headache/migraine

  • Emotional dysregulation after injury

  • Difficulty reintegrating into work, school, or complex environments

  • Trauma layered onto neurological recovery

You deserve care that is gentle, informed, and steady.

You do not have to navigate this alone.

Lifepaths exists to walk beside you—one step at a time—with compassion, presence, and hope.

I am convinced that when people invest themselves in the work of healing, change happens. Life can be lived in a higher, calmer, more grounded way. Hope can be renewed. Light can return—no matter how deep the struggle.

I love and am deeply passionate about this work. I am honored to walk alongside those rebuilding their lives after neurological and emotional adversity, and I am committed to bringing understanding and steadiness into even the darkest places.

Contact me for a free 20-minute phone consultation prior to making your first appointment. I look forward to speaking with you.

 

Education

  • Long before I pursued a degree I worked for many years as a paraprofessional in Christian Lay Counseling, principally working with survivors of trauma and abuse. During that time, I spent years speaking at conferences and retreats, teaching, and leading groups. When the time was right, I began the long journey to earning my degrees and eventually to licensure as a therapist.

    I received my first master’s degree Counseling Psychology (MFT) from California Baptist University. From there I went on to Loma Linda University where I received a second Master’s degree in Experimental Psychology and then a Doctorate in Psychology (Neuroscience emphasis). This opened the door for me to teach at several local universities. I am absolutely amazed by brain/behavior relationship and love the work I have been privileged to do in this field!

    Ph.D. Psychology – Experimental/Neuroscience Emphasis – Loma Linda University
    M.A. Experimental Psychology – Neuroscience Emphasis – Loma Linda University
    M.S. Counseling Psychology – Marriage and Family Therapy – California Baptist University
    B.A. Psychology – California Baptist University

Special Skills and Qualifications

    • Certified Clinical Trauma Professional
    • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
    • Traumatic Brain Injury
    • Conference and Retreat Speaker

    Other Languages:

    Spanish