PuttingFamilyFirst

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JL Portrait of Jilla Lavian
Online therapist

Jilla Lavian

Compassionate, practical guidance for family and parenting concerns

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Credentials
LCSW
Experience
20 years
Licensed in
California
Languages
English, Persian
Format
Online sessions

About Jilla

Jilla Lavian is a licensed clinical social worker who helps people facing stress, anxiety, parenting concerns, relationship strain, and life transitions. She speaks English and Persian and draws on about 20 years of work with diverse communities in California. Her style is straightforward and compassionate, aimed at helping someone feel clearer and more able to move forward.

She sees starting therapy as practical work. Early sessions focus on what matters most now and what the person wants to change.

Background and approach

Jilla uses listening, gentle questioning, and goal-setting to map small, doable steps. She also offers life coaching skills alongside clinical practice when that fits a person's goals. Her approach blends several methods.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, for example, helps identify thoughts that keep someone stuck and then tries different ways of behaving to see what changes. Mindfulness practices are used to notice emotions and stress without harsh self-judgment. Motivational Interviewing supports people who feel unsure about change by clarifying what matters most to them.

Jilla trained at the University of Southern California where she completed dual master degrees in Social Work and Jewish Communal Service. She holds California LCSW license number 15233 and has two decades of experience working across cultural backgrounds. This background informs a practical, culturally aware way of working.

People who reach out can expect clear conversation about goals, regular check-ins on progress, and flexible tools tailored to daily life. Sessions blend short-term problem solving with attention to deeper patterns, so changes feel useful and lasting.

Practical approaches in online therapy

Jilla often draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Mindfulness Therapy in online sessions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps people notice thoughts and patterns that contribute to stress or low mood and then try small behavior changes to test new outcomes. Mindfulness Therapy teaches simple practices to observe emotions and bodily sensations so reactions become less automatic and more manageable.

She also uses Motivational Interviewing to help clarify what a person truly wants to change and to build motivation in a nonjudgmental way. Choosing the right approach is a team effort - the therapist and client talk about goals, try methods, and adjust as needed to find what fits best.

Online formats offer flexibility for busy lives. Video calls let people have face-to-face conversation from home, phone sessions remove the need for video, and live chat or text messaging provide shorter, more frequent ways to check in. These options make it easier to keep therapy consistent while fitting sessions into work, parenting, or other routines.

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.

Mindfulness Therapy

Attention training: noticing thoughts and physical feelings as they arrive without being carried off by them. Much of it is practice you do yourself, so guidance over video or audio works much as it would in person.

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.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of concerns does she address?
She works with stress, anxiety, parenting matters, self esteem, coping with life changes, relationship issues, grief, sleep problems, anger, career questions, depression, coaching needs, and compassion fatigue. Additional focus areas include attachment and family of origin issues, caregiver stress, codependency, immigration concerns, and multicultural topics.
What is her therapeutic style like?
Her style is practical and collaborative with clear goals and steps. She uses listening, gentle questions, and tools drawn from cognitive behavioral, mindfulness, motivational interviewing, psychodynamic, and solution-focused approaches.
How much experience does she have?
She has about 20 years of professional experience working with diverse communities. That background shapes a culturally informed and experienced approach to common life challenges.
What credentials and location apply?
She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker - LCSW - in California with license number CA LCSW 15233.
Which languages are supported?
Sessions are offered in English and Persian.
What session formats are available?
She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different needs and schedules.
How are costs handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and then scheduling according to therapist availability.

Specialties and expertise

Top specialties

Also works with

Therapeutic approaches

Experience
20 years
Licensed
California
Languages
English, Persian

Next step

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