Ana Montenegro, LMFT - Therapist in California

About Ana

Ana Montenegro is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California with ten years of clinical experience. She works with people facing stress, anxiety, depression, and parenting or relationship concerns. She also supports clients dealing with grief, life changes, career questions, and issues like ADHD and low self-esteem.

Ana offers straightforward, collaborative care. She often uses cognitive behavioral techniques to help people change unhelpful thoughts and patterns. She may suggest simple homework between sessions and explains what each step of therapy is meant to accomplish.

Background and approach

Her work draws from several approaches so treatment can be shaped to each person. She balances short-term, solution-focused steps with deeper attention to patterns that developed over time. The goal is practical change plus better self-understanding.

Sessions can cover parenting topics, blended family adjustments, communication struggles, and common concerns such as guilt, isolation, body image, or midlife questions. Ana also addresses issues connected to military life and veteran-related themes when they arise. She provides care in English and Spanish and offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text messaging.

The process begins with a brief matching questionnaire and scheduling based on therapist availability. Ana aims to create an inviting space where clients feel heard and can work toward the changes they want.

Online approaches that fit family and parenting needs

Many clients benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy, which focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new ways of thinking and behaving. CBT is useful for anxiety, depression, and problem patterns that affect daily life.

Motivational interviewing focuses on a person’s own reasons for change. It is collaborative and helps when someone feels stuck or unsure about next steps, such as making changes in relationships or parenting approaches.

Ana treats the choice of approach as a team decision. She will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what feels most helpful. Together they shape a plan that can include short-term steps and deeper work depending on needs.

Online therapy offers practical benefits for busy families. Video calls let people meet face to face from home, phone sessions remove travel time, and live chat or text provide flexible check-ins between meetings. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a family schedule while still working toward clear goals.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT looks at the link between what you think, how you feel, and what you do. You work on noticing unhelpful patterns and practising steadier responses. It suits online sessions well, because much of the work happens between appointments and can be talked through from anywhere.

Motivational Interviewing

A way of working through mixed feelings about change without being pushed. The therapist helps you weigh things up and find your own reasons, which often makes a difficult decision feel less stuck.

Psychodynamic Therapy

Exploring how earlier relationships and patterns still shape the present, often over a longer stretch of time. It relies on conversation and reflection rather than exercises.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of concerns does she address?

She helps with stress, anxiety, depression, self-esteem, parenting, and relationship or intimacy issues. Additional areas include grief, ADHD, career concerns, and blended family problems.

How would you describe her therapeutic style?

She uses a practical, collaborative style that mixes cognitive behavioral work with solution-focused and psychodynamic ideas. Sessions often include clear goals and optional exercises to practice between meetings.

What is her clinical background and experience?

She has ten years of experience working in outpatient and online settings with individuals and groups facing a wide range of life adjustments and mental health concerns.

Where is she licensed and practicing?

She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, CA LMFT 50293, practicing in California.

Which languages are available for sessions?

Sessions are offered in English and Spanish.

What session formats are offered?

Sessions can be conducted via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging.

How does payment and cost work?

Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions are billed through a subscription that can be canceled at any time.

What are the first steps to begin therapy?

Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to therapist availability.

Specialties and expertise

Top specialties

Stress, Anxiety
Self esteem
Career difficulties

Also works with

Therapeutic approaches

Experience: 10 years
Licensed: California
Languages: English, Spanish

Next step

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