PuttingFamilyFirst

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ER Portrait of Erika Rana
Online therapist

Erika Rana

Compassionate family-focused therapy

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Credentials
LMFT
Experience
8 years
Licensed in
California
Languages
English, Spanish
Format
Online sessions

About Erika

Erika Rana is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who focuses on family and parenting issues as well as relationship concerns. She speaks English and Spanish and brings eight years of clinical experience in California to her work. Erika aims to give practical tools and steady support so parents and partners can solve problems and feel more connected.

She uses a mix of approaches and adapts them to each family’s needs.

Background and approach

In sessions she draws on attachment-based ideas to strengthen bonds, cognitive behavioral tools to change unhelpful patterns, and client-centered listening to make people feel heard. She also integrates elements of dialectical behavior and emotionally-focused therapy when relevant. Erika has worked with people from many backgrounds, including those involved with foster care, the criminal justice system, and substance use treatment.

Her practice includes experience with domestic violence, trauma, grief, intimacy and sexual diversity topics, and body image concerns. She also has experience supporting people in the kink community and with adoption or blended family challenges. Her work often includes parenting challenges, communication problems, stress, anxiety, and life transitions.

She tailors techniques for issues such as attachment and abandonment, codependency, and anger. Erika emphasizes practical coping skills alongside deeper work about connection and meaning. Erika maintains a independent practice in California as a California Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist - CA LMFT 137717.

She offers multiple session formats and can meet people in the language they prefer when English or Spanish is needed.

How her approaches guide online family and parenting work

Erika commonly uses attachment-based therapy to focus on how family members connect and respond to one another. This approach helps identify patterns that leave people feeling distant and supports rebuilding trust and safety within relationships.

She also uses cognitive behavioral therapy, which looks at thoughts and behaviors that keep problems going. CBT offers concrete skills to manage stress, anxiety, mood, and parenting reactions so families can try new ways of responding and see different results.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. Erika will listen to your goals and concerns, explain options, and together decide which methods fit your family’s needs and preferences. She adjusts the plan as work progresses so techniques remain practical and relevant.

Online sessions can be scheduled as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. These formats make it easier for busy parents to fit therapy into their lives and to keep momentum between sessions. The different options also allow for shorter check-ins, skill coaching during stressful moments, or longer conversations when needed, offering flexibility while still focusing on real change.

Attachment-Based Therapy

Looks at how early bonds shaped what you expect from closeness, and how that plays out now with a partner, a parent, or your own children.

Client-Centered Therapy

The direction comes from you rather than from a set programme. The therapist offers a warm, non-judgemental space to think out loud and work at your own pace. Online, this rests on the relationship rather than on being in the same room.

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.

Frequently asked questions

What issues does she help with?
Erika works with relationship and family concerns, parenting struggles, stress, anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, intimacy and sexual diversity questions, eating and body image issues, addictions, and related challenges.
What is her therapeutic style?
Her style is warm and practical. She listens first, then blends attachment-based work, client-centered listening, CBT, DBT skills, and emotionally-focused methods as needed.
How long has she worked as a therapist?
She has eight years of clinical experience working with individuals, couples, children, and families in a variety of settings.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, CA LMFT 137717, and practices in California.
Which languages are available for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English and Spanish.
Can she work with people outside the country?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
What session formats does she offer?
She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to provide flexible ways to meet.
How do I begin therapy with her and what does it cost?
To start, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a session based on therapist availability. Cost varies with location and uses a subscription that can be canceled at any time.

Specialties and expertise

Top specialties

  • Relationship issues
  • Family conflicts
  • Career difficulties

Also works with

Therapeutic approaches

Experience
8 years
Licensed
California
Languages
English, Spanish

Next step

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