About
Dr. Anthony Owliaie
Licensed marriage and family therapist. Doctor of Social Work. Educator and creator.
My Background and Approach
I’m a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Doctor of Social Work, and educator with 19 years of experience working with children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families. Across psychotherapy, education, and community work, my focus is helping people better understand themselves and one another—and develop new ways to connect. In my clinical practice, I draw on somatic therapy, positive psychology, and solution-focused techniques to strengthen the mind-body connection and help people build practical tools for everyday life.
My career began in radio and television after earning a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications from the University of California, Berkeley. I later moved into teaching, coaching, after-school programs, and youth organizations before entering mental health as a Day Treatment Director, working with at-risk youth. That experience led me to pursue a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at the University of Phoenix. Around this same time, I began performing and teaching improvisational comedy, which would change the trajectory of my life.
My clinical training included working with adults on probation and facilitating groups focused on parenting, anger management, domestic violence, and sexual offending. I also provided in-home therapy to children on the autism spectrum and their families, and served as a speaker for Sandy Hook Promise, giving presentations on anti-bullying, suicide prevention, and gun violence awareness. These experiences shaped the clinical and educational work I do today. I later earned my Doctor of Social Work at the University of Southern California, where I developed and piloted an improv-based curriculum focused on youth development that grew into a framework available for all ages, including adults.
Developing the work
From clinical experience
to new ways of understanding.
I created the Parent-Child Relational Development Model (PCRDM) to explore how the relationship itself develops as children become adults and parents grow older. The model began in 2019 through my work with a mother and teenage daughter who were struggling to relate. What started as a way to understand their changing relationship grew into a model spanning the parent-child relationship’s full lifespan. I introduced PCRDM through training workshops in 2023 and continue to use and refine it in clinical practice.
My work also draws on a longstanding involvement in improvisation, which I’ve studied since 2005, performed since 2007, and taught since 2008. Building on my clinical experience and doctoral work, I created Improv Mind Method, a framework and curriculum offering workshops for youth with higher support needs, adults in treatment and human services, and adult professionals.
As Founder & CEO of The Humor Bridge, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, I lead work dedicated to reducing youth isolation and building well-being, community, and connection through peer engagement and improvisational play. Alongside my psychotherapy practice, I offer training, workshops, and public speaking that turn the ideas behind my work into experiences people can learn from and apply in their lives.
Explore the projects ↗