Ana Montenegro

Greetings!
I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California (LMFT) and I have been working in the counseling field for about 10 years. I have experience in conducting individual, marital, pre-marital and group therapy, in-office and online and in outpatient settings with clients who are presenting with depression, anxiety, relationship and parenting issues, teen concerns, and a wide range of other challenges and life adjustments such as: grief/loss, self-esteem issues, trauma, abuse, changes in the home, co-parenting issues, military life issues as well as personal growth and crisis.

I mostly tend to draw from the cognitive behavioral approach because I believe that a good collaborative approach between client and therapist is conducive to a great outcome in treatment while addressing disturbances of cognitive processes that can affect functioning with a focus on changing cognitions to produce desired changes in affect and behavior. This means that I make an effort to check in with my client to consider the therapeutic relationship, I may assign homework as an optional exercise to further treatment while psycho-educating the client so that they are aware of how treatment will be structured and what will be focus of treatment. My approach is generally time limited and focused on addressing a structured target problem. While I may also draw from other modalities, such as solution focused and client centered approach meaning that I will address short-term goals and long-term goals while meeting the client “where they are” and not rushing the treatment. My goal is to create a welcoming, inviting environment and help in discovering themselves and bringing awareness to the client so that they may take an active role both inside and outside the therapy sessions and develop strategies to address the behavior changes they want to achieve.

I also provide Christian Counseling as a guide to help clients achieve peace and provide support from a spiritual perspective.

My Educational Credentials include:
– Licensed by the State of California, Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS)
– Phillips Graduate University Masters of Arts in Psychology through the Marriage and Family Therapy program
– Certified in Managing and Adaptive Practices (MAP) an Evidenced Based Practice
-Certified in Seeking Safety an Evidenced Based Practice
– Certified in Multi-Systemic Therapy (MST) an Evidenced Based Practice

I enjoy and feel honored to be a part of someone’s personal experiences, and to be a part of their personal growth. We all carry a story and there is hope in every story. I am just a white canvas for you to paint your story. As a team, addressing challenges together, and coming to a resolution is a unique process for every individual and together we can find peace and freedom from pain for the purpose of living a life where you can find the beauty and peacefulness of this life.
For my professional growth, I continuously read related literature, keep myself up to date with the ethical and legal guidelines in the field, and the latest research, and attend conferences and trainings.
I believe in creating a safe space, free from judgment, where we can have difficult conversations for the purpose of working on resolving issues and collaborate on treatment plans that are tailored to your personal needs, goals and experiences. It takes a lot of courage and motivation to reach out for additional support. I am here for you and thank you for trusting me with your utmost personal dilemmas.

I look forward to working with you!