Luke Rex, Psy.D.
Licensed Psychologist | California and New York
Luke Rex, Psy.D.
Licensed Psychologist | California and New York
About Dr. Rex
I am a licensed psychologist in California and New York whose work brings together clinical psychology, the performing arts, and extensive experience helping people access and express what can be difficult to put into words.
My interests in psychology and performance developed alongside one another. Before becoming a psychologist, I trained and worked in entertainment across Sydney, New York City, and Los Angeles. While earning my bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in theatre at UCLA, I began exploring how role-play, storytelling, and experiential methods could be used therapeutically.
Over the course of several years, I facilitated more than 4,000 experiential groups across residential and intensive treatment settings in Los Angeles. That work taught me that insight alone is not always enough. Meaningful change often occurs when people can feel, express, and practice something new within the therapeutic relationship.
I later earned my master’s degree and doctorate in clinical psychology from Pepperdine University. My clinical experience has included community mental health, residential treatment, private practice, and correctional mental health within a Level IV maximum-security setting.
Today, I provide depth-oriented, integrative psychotherapy for people seeking greater self-understanding, emotional freedom, and meaningful change. My style is thoughtful and collaborative, while also direct, experiential, and grounded in the belief that therapy should engage the whole person—not only the intellect.
California Licensed Psychologist: PSY 34882
New York Licensed Psychologist: 028078
WHO I WORK BEST WITH
I really enjoy working with motivated people who are ready to engage deeply in therapy and create meaningful, lasting change.
Many of my clients are young adults (late teens through early 30s), especially young men navigating university, early career, identity, purpose, relationships, and the complexities of becoming who they want to be. I also connect well with men in their 40s, 50s and beyond, as well as others exploring life’s bigger questions — grief, family dynamics, suppressed emotions, shame, self-criticism, anxiety, or that quiet feeling of being “stuck.”
I particularly thrive with clients who:
- Are open to accessing emotions they’ve struggled to reach and building greater vulnerability
- Appreciate a collaborative space where humor, honesty, new perspectives, and gentle challenges arise respectfully
- Value being fully present in the moment: sometimes sitting comfortably with silence — and exploring what’s happening right here in the room
- Function well in daily life and want more emotional freedom, autonomy, hope, direction, and meaning
I work very effectively with women, including many who identify as LGBTQ+ — who are emotionally attuned and invested in their growth. I also enjoy supporting clients from diverse backgrounds.
A note on fit
My outpatient practice is best suited for those who can engage thoughtfully between sessions and do not need crisis-level support or hospitalization. If your situation involves high interpersonal intensity or more acute needs, I’m happy to provide thoughtful referrals.
The first few sessions are our chance to see if we’re a good match. My goal is to create a safe, non-judgmental space where you can show up as you are. I’ll do the same: open, honest, direct when helpful, humorous when it lightens the moment, and fully committed to your growth.
professional philosophy and approach to therapy
My professional philosophy centers on helping you to not just understand your emotions, but to truly experience and express them in-the-moment in session. With much overlap between theoretical orientations, I offer a dynamic, eclectic perspective grounded in humanisitc/existential traditions: person-centered theory by Carl Rogers, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), emotion-focused therapy (EFT), gestalt, combined with psychodynamic therapy, cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT), psychodrama, mindfulness, and creative roleplays, creating a space that is thoughtful, grounded, and psychologically sophisticated.
