Ms. Chandra E. Baylor, MS, LMFT, R-DMT, CEDS

Media Releases

Get to know Psychologist Dr. Chandra E. Baylor, who serves patients in California.

Dr. Baylor is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), Registered Dance Movement Therapist (R-DMT), and Certified Eating Disorders Specialist (CEDS). 

At her private practice, Resilient Self Holistic Therapy Services, in Laguna Hills, California, she provides a holistic approach to mental health to help her clients achieve their own sense of stability and a balance in their lives. Her specialties include treating eating disorders, relationship problems, and codependency issues. She also works with adults struggling to recover from childhood trauma.

Offering a holistic approach grounded in the idea that the mind and body work together to create optimal health, Dr. Baylor knows that taking care of the body is crucial for emotional well-being. She also knows that staying attuned to one’s mental state is necessary for keeping the body in ideal health.

“My short-term goal is for you to better manage anxiety, replace negative coping mechanisms with positive coping skills and establish a support system among friends, family members and the community. Hopeful long-term outcomes include working through past traumatic experiences, resolving personality issues, better managing anger and codependent behavior and cultivating a healthy sense of self-worth” stated Dr. Baylor.

Both in the therapy office and in her public life, she has served as an advocate for individuals suffering from mental illness and the families who care for them. Having worked in clinical settings, she has helped patients affected by the most severe forms of mental illness. She knows from experience that everyone is capable of living a healthy, productive life regardless of the challenges they face.

Pertaining to her academic career, Dr. Baylor earned her Master of Science degree in Counseling from California State University, Fullerton and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Social Behavior from the University of California, Irvine.

She trained in dance therapy with Danielle Fraenkel, Ph.D. in Greece, with Shira Musicant, M.A. in Santa Barbara, with Susan Kleinman at the Renfrew Eating Disorder Treatment Center in Coconut Creek, Florida and via the Alternate Route Dance Therapy Program at Kinections in Rochester, New York. She is also a Spanish-speaking therapist, having completed an intensive language program in Guanajuato, Mexico in association with the University of California, Berkeley.

“You could say I was born to be a therapist. Between my birth family and step-families, there were enough psychological issues to keep a team of counselors busy for years. However, growing up in the emotional minefield of a blended family came with its benefits. I developed a keen sensitivity to other people’s moods. I also discovered how to manage my own stress and stabilize myself when others’ emotions got off balance” expressed Dr. Baylor.

Having witnessed the debilitating effects of mental illness firsthand, she knows how difficult mental disorders can be for a family. She knows what it’s like to see a loved one struggle with depression and fear that he or she will never be able to live a normal, productive life. However, she also knows that it’s possible to live independently despite having a disability. 

Her commitment to advocating for families living with mental illness goes well beyond her professional career. For years, Dr. Baylor has volunteered with the National Alliance On Mental Illness where she has run support groups for families. Having served as a member of the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals and the South Bay Eating Disorder Coalition, she is also very passionate about helping people overcome anorexia and bulimia.

Psychology is the science of behavior and mind. It includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, as well as feeling and thought. It is an academic discipline of immense scope. Psychologists assess, diagnose, and treat the psychological problems and behavioral dysfunctions resulting from, or related to, physical and mental health. In addition, they play a major role in the promotion of healthy behavior, preventing diseases and improving patients’ quality of life.

Having worked as an Orange County Regional Director for Family Preservation Community Services, Dr. Baylor ran a Wraparound program whose mission was to help families gain access to mental-health and other community resources. She has also served as president of the South Bay Eating Disorder Coalition and California Chapter of the American Dance Therapy Association.

Throughout her line of work, Dr. Baylor has given presentations on the healing potential of dance therapy at CalOptima, NAMI, and in the community through the South Bay Eating Disorder Coalition. She has also facilitated dance and movement workshops for people suffering from eating disorders and chronic mental illness, for dual diagnosis adolescents and for survivors of sexual assault.

Serving as an advocate for family members, Dr. Baylor cares for individuals living with mental illness. She is also an advocate for women, striving to empower each woman to recognize and value her unique gifts and wisdom.

Recommended Articles

• Maculopapular Rash: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

  Introduction to Maculopapular RashA maculopapular rash is a lesion that can appear as flat or raised skin. The name “maculopapular” itself is a blend of two words: “macule” meaning flat, discolored skin lesions, and “papule”, which means a small, raised bump. The skin lesions can merge...

• Complications of Myocardial Infarction

  Complications can be divided according to different factors:...

• Wisconsin Woman with Lupus Participates in Second Ironman Competition

  Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease. It occurs when the body’s immune system attacks healthy tissues and organs rather than viruses. Symptoms vary greatly, which is part of why it is so hard to diagnose. 1.5 million people in the United States alone live with diagnosed Lupus.What is the Ironman...

• Why Does Sleep Apnea Happen?

  Sleep apnea may seem baffling at first. How much do you really know about the disease? What causes you to stop breathing in your sleep? Is this a natural phenomenon? Are some people more prone than others? How can you prevent it? Having many questions about a potential condition is normal. Many...

• Tips on Living with Leukemia

  Leukemia is defined as the cancer of blood or bone marrow which is responsible for the production of blood cells. A person who has leukemia generally suffers from an abnormal production of blood cells specially leukocytes, also known as white blood cells, that are responsible to protect the body...

• The Most Common Misconceptions About Multiple Sclerosis

  What is multiple sclerosis (MS)?Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex disease, which affects the central nervous system, which is made up of the brain and spinal cord along with optic nerves. Multiple sclerosis is not a terminal illness but a lifelong medical condition. Moreover, MS is neither...