Ari Kloke, LCSW

Professional Bio

Hi my name Ari and I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in California. Therapy with me tends to move a little slower than you might expect. Slowing down and showing up is where the real work happens, and unhurried time with you is the part of this I value most.

I spent my twenties and thirties living and working in Germany, where I saw both the best and the worst of what people are capable of. That’s part of why I came to this work when I did, along with my own healing from trauma. The support I received then is what I’m able to offer now. I earned my MSW at 40, practiced in a lot of different settings, and became fully licensed in 2018.

Much of my work is with people moving through significant life transitions, which I find messy-beautiful, challenging, and sacred all at once. Wherever you are in your life and your healing, I’ll meet you there rather than asking you to arrive somewhere first. We’ll work out together what you need from our time, and I’ll shape my training and experience around that. I promise to be present, listen fully, and treat you as the only true expert on yourself. There’s a Wolof proverb I keep close: Nit nitay garabam, people are medicine to one another. That’s what therapy is to me, a safe and supportive space for healing through self-knowledge.

When I’m not with clients, you’ll find me somewhere quiet outdoors getting my own balance back, or with my family. I’m a visual storyteller, so there’s usually a camera nearby and some kind of art in progress as my own way of coping. I have two guinea pigs and a cat I keep firmly away from them, and I’m very good at photographing hummingbirds in flight.

I can’t wait to meet you!

Ari Kloke, LCSW