PuttingFamilyFirst

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ST Portrait of Sandra Terifaj
Online therapist

Sandra Terifaj

Healing patterns and strengthening family life

Book with Sandra
Credentials
LMFT
Experience
35 years
Licensed in
California
Languages
English
Format
Online sessions

About Sandra

Sandra Terifaj is a licensed marriage and family therapist with 35 years of clinical experience. She focuses on family and parenting concerns plus related issues like stress, anxiety, addictions, trauma, eating problems, depression, relationship and intimacy difficulties, grief, and self-esteem. Sandra aims to help people move past barriers so they can live more fully.

Her style is collaborative and down-to-earth. She creates a calm space to talk through painful feelings and recurring patterns.

Background and approach

Sandra listens for what matters most and offers practical steps that feel doable for each person. Sandra draws from several therapy methods to match a person’s needs. She commonly uses Client-Centered techniques to build trust, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, and Psychodynamic ideas to look at how past experiences shape present reactions.

Internal Family Systems and mindfulness tools also appear in her work when useful. In many years of practice she has worked in independent practice and supervised interns at nonprofit agencies. That experience informs how she teaches skills and supports people through transitions and losses.

Sessions focus on concrete change as well as understanding. Sandra helps clients notice patterns, practice new responses, and strengthen coping skills so small shifts add up to better day-to-day life.

Therapeutic approaches for online family and parenting support

Client-Centered Therapy centers the person's experience and priorities. The therapist focuses on listening, reflecting, and building trust so people feel understood and can choose their next steps. This approach helps with relationship tensions, parenting stress, and when someone needs a steady supportive presence. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, identifies unhelpful thoughts and habits and replaces them with practical skills. It is useful for anxiety, depression, coping with life changes, and reducing behaviors that feed addictions or eating problems. Mindfulness techniques are often woven in to help manage stress and stay present during difficult moments. Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each client to decide which methods fit their goals and preferences. That process can change over time as needs evolve, and the plan is adjusted together. Online formats make attending therapy more flexible. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation, phone sessions remove travel time, and live chat or text-based messaging can support check-ins and brief coaching between sessions. These options help people maintain continuity of care while juggling family life, work, and other responsibilities.

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 concerns does Sandra address?
Sandra works with stress, anxiety, addictions, trauma and abuse, eating issues, depression, relationship and family matters, grief, intimacy questions, self-esteem, and coping with life changes. She also focuses on codependency, narcissism, personality disorders, and women's issues.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her approach is collaborative and client-centered. She listens first, then offers straightforward strategies and gentle exploration of underlying patterns.
What is her professional background?
She has 35 years of clinical experience in independent practice and in training and supervising interns at nonprofit agencies. That background shapes her work with long-term patterns and practical skill building.
What credentials and location are on file?
She is a licensed marriage and family therapist: CA LMFT 23231, and she practices in California.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
In what formats are sessions offered?
Sessions can be done by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging depending on client preference.
How are fees and payment handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
What steps are involved to begin therapy?
Use the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions based on therapist availability.

Specialties and expertise

Top specialties

Also works with

Therapeutic approaches

Experience
35 years
Licensed
California
Languages
English

Next step

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