PuttingFamilyFirst

The therapist listings are provided by BetterHelp and we will earn a commission if you use our link - at no cost to you.

LS Portrait of Lani Stoner
Online therapist

Lani Stoner

Helping families find practical progress

Book with Lani
Credentials
LMFT
Experience
27 years
Licensed in
California
Languages
English
Format
Online sessions

About Lani

Lani Stoner is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who focuses on family and parenting concerns and related life stresses. She offers straightforward help for parents and family members facing anxiety, grief, changes, or relationship problems. Her style is direct and practical, aimed at helping families find clearer steps forward and better day-to-day functioning.

She has worked in mental health since the mid-1970s and brings long experience with children, adults, couples, and older adults.

Background and approach

Her background includes agency work with chronically mentally ill adults and later independent practice with individuals, couples, and families. Lani has also supported military and first responder populations through volunteer online work. Lani trained at Chapman University, earning a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology, and completed gerontology coursework at Sacramento State University.

She holds a California Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist credential - CA LMFT 30965. Over her career she has added training in trauma-informed methods and in helping people with chronic illness and caregiving stress. In sessions she uses mainly brief, active approaches that set clear goals and steps.

She draws on techniques from client-centered work, cognitive behavioral methods, mindfulness, narrative, and solution-focused approaches. This blend helps when tackling parenting challenges, grief, mood concerns, or coping with big life changes. Lani aims to help people move toward hope and improved relationships.

She adjusts her pace and methods to fit each family’s needs and practical realities. The work is collaborative and focused on achievable change.

How Lani’s Approaches Translate to Online Work

Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and building a respectful relationship so clients feel heard and understood; it helps when families want supportive, empathetic guidance. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) teaches practical skills to spot unhelpful thoughts and change behaviors, which is useful for anxiety, mood issues, and sleep problems. Mindfulness therapy brings attention to the present moment and simple practices to reduce stress and improve emotional regulation.

Lani treats choosing an approach as a team effort. She will talk with clients about goals and preferences, and then suggest methods that match those aims. Together they adjust pacing and techniques until a workable plan is in place.

Offering video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging makes therapy more flexible for busy families. Those options let parents schedule around childcare, split sessions between caregivers, or follow up with brief messages between meetings. Online formats aim to make it easier to use practical tools in real life and to keep progress moving when schedules are tight.

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.

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.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of issues does she address?
She works with a wide range of concerns including stress, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship and parenting problems, trauma and abuse, addiction issues, sleep problems, and mood disorders such as bipolar and disruptive mood dysregulation disorder.
What is her general therapy style?
Her approach is active and goal-focused, mixing client-centered listening with practical techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, narrative, and solution-focused methods.
How long has she been practicing?
She has 27 years of professional experience and has worked in mental health settings since the mid-1970s, including agency roles and independent practice.
What credentials and where is she licensed?
She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with license CA LMFT 30965 and practices in California.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Are international sessions an option?
International clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats are available?
Sessions can be done by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to suit different needs and schedules.
How are costs and scheduling handled?
Cost varies by location and therapist availability and uses a subscription model that can be canceled at any time; to begin, select Start Therapy, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.

Specialties and expertise

Top specialties

Also works with

Therapeutic approaches

Experience
27 years
Licensed
California
Languages
English

Next step

Talk to Lani

  • Takes a few minutes
  • Nothing to set up just to look
  • Stop at any point
Book with Lani