Sheida Kalantari , LMFT

Sheida Kalantari is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) based in California. Sheila speaks English and Persian and focuses on concerns such as stress, anxiety, depression, relationship problems, trauma and abuse, and self-esteem. She approaches each person with straightforward care and attention.

Sheida draws on client-centered work that keeps the person's goals first. She also uses practical tools from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice thoughts and try new behaviors. Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills and mindfulness practices are added when emotion regulation and distress tolerance are priorities.

Her background includes four years of clinical work in county-contracted settings and crisis assessment teams. That experience involved supporting people in high-stress situations and working with a range of mental health needs. Sheida adapts plans to a person's life and cultural context.

Sessions are collaborative and paced to what each person can manage. Sheida helps people set small, clear goals and practices skills between meetings. She explains techniques in plain language and checks in about what is or isn’t helping.

Sheida respects cultural differences and aims to create an environment where people feel heard. Her bilingual ability in Persian and English supports those who prefer either language. She helps people facing issues like family of origin wounds, codependency, abandonment, guilt and shame, and major life changes.

Types of therapy and how they work online

Sheida uses client-centered work to keep each person's goals and values at the center of sessions. This approach focuses on listening, reflecting, and helping people make their own choices about change. It can help when someone needs a supportive, nonjudgmental space to sort things out.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, targets unhelpful thought patterns and behavior cycles. It involves learning practical exercises to test thoughts and try different actions, which can reduce anxiety and lift mood over time. Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, brings skills for managing strong emotions and handling crisis moments. DBT-style techniques can be useful for people struggling with impulsivity, intense reactions, or relationship conflicts.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Sheida will talk with each person about their priorities, try a few strategies, and adjust the plan together. The fit between the method and a person's goals guides ongoing decisions about therapy.

Online therapy options include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video is good for in-depth weekly sessions with visual cues. Phone sessions can work when bandwidth is limited or a quieter audio check-in is needed. Chat and messaging suit brief updates, skill coaching, or moments when typing feels easier than speaking. These formats aim to make therapy easier to fit into a busy life.