Cheryl Martin

Cheryl Martin is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) based in California with 15 years of clinical experience. She helps people who are dealing with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship strain, and the practical fallout of major life changes like separation or divorce. Cheryl speaks English and Tagalog and aims to make the first step feel manageable and clear. Cheryl keeps sessions simple and direct. She makes space for people to say what they’re feeling and what they want to change. Conversations focus on real problems and small steps that can make daily life easier. She blends talk-based methods and structured strategies to match each person’s situation. Her work draws on client-centered methods that prioritize the person’s perspective. She also uses cognitive behavioral ideas to notice and shift unhelpful thinking patterns. Emotionally focused and psychodynamic ideas help uncover patterns in relationships and past experiences that still affect feelings today. Cheryl has long experience in community mental health settings alongside private practice work. That background influences how she supports people facing complex stressors such as trauma, compassion fatigue, parenting strain, or career-related pressure. She aims to be practical while also attending to deeper emotional wounds. People who reach out can expect a warm, collaborative tone and a focus on doable change. Cheryl encourages clear communication about goals, pacing, and what matters most to the person coming to therapy. To begin, clients complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule sessions based on her availability.

Approaches that translate well to online work

Client-centered therapy focuses on the person’s own experience and aims to make them feel heard and understood. Online sessions using this approach let people talk through what matters most and set goals at their own pace.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, teaches practical skills to notice and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. In an online setting, this often includes brief between-session practice and clear exercises to use in everyday life.

Emotionally-Focused Therapy helps people identify and shift patterns in how they relate to others and to their own feelings. Working remotely can still allow for the kind of focused conversation that uncovers those patterns and supports new ways of connecting.

Choosing the right approach is part of the process. The therapist will work together with each person to decide which methods fit the person's goals, needs, and preferences. That collaboration includes checking in about progress and adjusting techniques as needed.

Confirm the current session options before booking, since specific formats are not listed here. One practical benefit of online sessions is fitting therapy into a busy day - shorter travel time and easier scheduling can make regular sessions more achievable. Online work can also make it simpler to prepare between-session activities and to bring real-life examples into conversation without promising a particular session style.