PuttingFamilyFirst

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

SM Portrait of Salena Manaois
Online therapist

Salena Manaois

Compassionate, practical support for parents and caregivers

Credentials
LPC
Experience
20 years
Licensed in
Colorado
Languages
English
Format
Online sessions

About Salena

Salena Manaois is a licensed professional counselor who focuses on practical support for people facing stress, anxiety, depression, and addiction. She writes and talks plainly about coping tools so parents and caregivers can understand next steps. Salena offers an affirming, nonjudgmental style that aims to make therapy feel steady and usable rather than overwhelming.

She draws on twenty years of experience in Colorado. That background includes work with LGBTQ concerns, veteran and first responder issues, and end-of-life and hospice-related matters.

Background and approach

Salena blends straightforward skill-building with attention to how identity, loss, and life transitions affect daily functioning. Her in-room approach borrows from several evidence-based methods. She uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help people identify values and take workable steps toward them.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps with spotting thought patterns that fuel anxiety and low mood. Motivational Interviewing supports change when motivation feels stuck. Sessions emphasize collaboration.

Salena helps clients set clear, achievable goals and practices to use between meetings. She also addresses intimacy, relationship stress, and parenting topics in ways that translate to everyday routines. Beyond clinical techniques, she brings practical experience with process and sex addictions, gender dysphoria, and grief.

Salena aims to help people build stability, regain confidence, and find clearer direction amid difficult circumstances.

Practical therapy methods for online care

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps people notice what matters to them and take small, meaningful steps toward those values even when feelings are hard. It’s useful for anxiety, low mood, and making life changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing them with real-life practices to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. Motivational Interviewing is a collaborative way to resolve mixed feelings about change and to build personal motivation for recovery or behavior shifts.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Salena collaborates with clients to choose or combine techniques that match their needs, goals, and comfort level. She checks in regularly and adjusts methods so sessions stay relevant to what a person is trying to accomplish.

Online therapy offers flexible ways to meet. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation when schedules or travel make in-person meetings hard. Phone sessions can be a simpler option on busy days. Live chat and text-based messaging let people use short check-ins or get support between longer appointments. These formats make it easier to fit therapy into parenting routines, work schedules, and other life demands.

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.

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 concerns does Salena address?
She focuses on stress, anxiety, depression, addiction, grief, intimacy-related issues, parenting, family matters, and LGBTQ topics among other concerns.
What is her therapeutic style like?
The style is collaborative and practical, using clear tools and step-by-step practices drawn from several proven approaches.
How much clinical experience does she have?
Salena brings twenty years of experience working in mental health settings and with people facing complex life transitions.
What are her credentials and where does she practice?
She is a Licensed Professional Counselor, credential CO LPC LPC.0015870, and practices in Colorado.
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside the United States work with her?
She does not work with international clients at this time.
What session formats are available?
Appointments can be scheduled as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging depending on preference.
How are costs and getting started handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time; to begin, select the Start Therapy button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule a session.

Next step

Talk to Salena

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