Marla Gentile , LPC, LPCC

Marla Gentile is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) practicing in California with 40 years of experience. She focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, and major life changes. Marla encourages clients to recognize their own strengths and to take steady steps forward.

Her approach starts with listening. She takes time to hear what feels most urgent and what matters most to each person. Sessions focus on practical ways to cope, reduce overwhelm, and rebuild a sense of control after difficult events.

Marla uses attachment-based and client-centered ideas to create a supportive, respectful space. She also brings mindfulness and psychodynamic perspectives to help people notice patterns and understand how past experiences influence present reactions. For trauma-related concerns she offers EMDR as one of several options.

People who come to her often want help with relationships, intimacy-related worries, low self-esteem, or career stress. She also works with issues like abandonment, caregiver stress, codependency, and life purpose questions. Conversations cover thoughts, feelings, body responses, and day-to-day choices.

Sessions are practical and paced to the client. Marla helps people build tools they can use between sessions. She aims to partner with each person so progress feels manageable and aligned with their goals.

How therapeutic approaches translate to online work

Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on how early relationships shape how people connect now; online sessions use conversation and reflection to notice attachment patterns and try new ways of relating. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes the person's perspective and strengths, with the therapist offering empathy and support to help people make their own choices and set meaningful goals. EMDR is a trauma-focused method that uses guided memory processing to lessen distress from traumatic memories; it is offered as an option for trauma and abuse concerns and can be adapted for remote sessions when appropriate.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist listens to each person's history, current problems, and goals, then suggests methods to try together. Adjustments are made over time so the work fits the person's needs and comfort level.

Online therapy formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video allows face-to-face conversation and visual cues, phone sessions are useful when bandwidth is limited, live chat can be a brief check-in, and text messaging supports short reflections or ongoing check-ins between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, caregiving, or travel schedules while keeping the work consistent and focused.