Lucinda Guarino , LPCC

Lucinda Guarino is a California-licensed counselor with 20 years of clinical experience. She focuses on relationship struggles, trauma and abuse, grief and loss, self-esteem, and coping with life changes. Lucinda aims to treat each person with respect, sensitivity, and compassion as she listens and responds to what matters most to them.

Her approach begins by hearing a person's story and identifying practical, manageable steps forward. Sessions are tailored to the individual's needs and goals. She uses a mix of conversational care and goal-focused techniques to help people feel more confident and capable.

Over two decades Lucinda has worked with people facing caregiver stress, codependency, communication and control issues, domestic violence, family of origin conflicts, and the effects of guilt and shame. She also supports those dealing with end-of-life concerns and hospice-related decision making. These areas often overlap, and she helps clients untangle the parts that matter most.

Lucinda draws on several therapeutic methods when they fit a client's situation. She can bring in focused coping strategies, deeper emotional processing, and tools for changing unhelpful thought patterns. The plan always adjusts as progress is made and needs change.

People who seek her help can expect a calm, steady presence and clear options for moving forward. She encourages small, achievable steps and works collaboratively to build lasting change.

Approaches that guide online care

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening closely and following the client's lead. The therapist offers empathy, reflection, and support to help a person find their own solutions and build self-trust. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the link between thoughts, feelings, and actions and teaches practical tools to shift unhelpful patterns and reduce distress. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) helps people process traumatic memories by using structured sets of attention and recall to reduce the intensity of painful images and feelings.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, preferences, and what feels most helpful. Together they decide whether to focus on skill-building, trauma processing, or deeper exploration, and the plan can change as progress is made.

Online therapy offers flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video is good for in-depth conversation and face-to-face interaction, while phone sessions can fit into a work break or be easier when bandwidth is limited. Live chat and messaging are useful for shorter check-ins, quick coping strategies, and staying connected between longer sessions. These options make it easier to schedule care around daily life and to keep therapy consistent.