Dr. Mechelle Jungsten, LMFT - Therapist in California

About Mechelle

Dr. Mechelle Jungsten helps people facing stress, anxiety, parenting challenges, depression, and struggles with substance use or eating. She also supports those dealing with grief, relationship and intimacy concerns, sleep and anger problems, and life transitions.

Mechelle is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with 12 years of clinical experience and practices from California. Her style is direct and practical. She draws on tools from cognitive behavioral work and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help people spot unhelpful thoughts and try small changes.

Background and approach

She also uses attachment-based ideas to look at how early relationship patterns affect current behavior. Clients can expect short-term, goal-focused work that mixes skills practice with talk. Sessions often include noticing thinking patterns, trying new actions, and building clearer communication habits.

Mechelle combines motivation-focused techniques to support change and to help people stay engaged with goals. Her background includes a doctorate in behavioral health and a Master of Arts in counseling psychology. She holds the California LMFT license, CA LMFT 102668, and has worked in mental health settings for over a decade.

Mechelle emphasizes collaboration. She helps people find what fits their life and values, and she works with clients to make steady progress. If someone needs practical coaching alongside therapy, she brings that experience into sessions.

How therapeutic approaches translate to online care

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people clarify what matters most to them and take small committed steps toward those values while learning to sit with difficult feelings. It can be useful for anxiety, depression, and life changes where someone wants more purpose-driven action. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at patterns that began in early relationships and how those patterns show up now in trust, communication, and closeness; this work helps people shift long-standing interaction habits.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to decide which methods fit their goals and preferences. That choice can change over time and sessions are used to test what helps most in day-to-day life.

Online therapy makes those approaches flexible. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and skill practice, phone sessions offer a simpler option when video is not possible, and live chat or text messaging supports brief check-ins and coaching between sessions. These formats let people work on thinking patterns, try behavioral experiments, and receive motivational support without traveling, which can help sustain steady progress.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Less about arguing with difficult thoughts, more about loosening their grip and acting on what matters to you anyway. Values and committed action carry the work, which suits conversation at a distance.

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.

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 kinds of concerns does this therapist address?

She works with stress, anxiety, parenting challenges, depression, addictions, relationship and intimacy issues, grief, sleep and eating problems, bipolar symptoms, ADHD, and life transitions, as well as many related concerns.

What is the general approach in sessions?

Sessions mix cognitive behavioral techniques, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, attachment-informed work, emotionally-focused ideas, and motivational interviewing to set goals and practice new habits.

How much clinical experience does the therapist have?

She has 12 years of experience working in mental health and behavioral health settings.

What credentials and location are listed?

She is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, CA LMFT 102668, and practices from California.

Are sessions offered in other languages or to international clients?

Sessions are offered in English, and international clients are accepted.

What session formats are available?

Work can take place via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging.

How is cost handled for therapy sessions?

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

How do I begin if I want to work together?

To start, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to therapist availability.

Specialties and expertise

Top specialties

Stress, Anxiety
Parenting issues
Self esteem

Also works with

Therapeutic approaches

Experience: 12 years
Licensed: California
Languages: English

Next step

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