Terese Ghilarducci , LMFT

Terese Ghilarducci is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) with 25 years of clinical experience in California. She focuses on practical, person-focused therapy that helps people manage stress, anxiety, depression, relationship strain, and life transitions. Terese often uses simple tools like journaling and art to help people name and sort feelings.

She spent much of her career working with high school students and their families in the Bay Area. She also has a background as a social worker with foster children and foster families, and many years as a school counselor at an alternative education site. That work involved school phobia, substance concerns, family conflict, and the emotional hurdles that affect school performance.

More recently she began working as a school counselor at an elementary school, where she gives classroom talks on bullying, inclusion, and coping strategies. She also facilitates support groups and helps young people with making friends and school-related anxiety. These settings shaped her direct, calm style and her focus on concrete coping skills.

Terese combines a client-centered stance with tools drawn from cognitive behavioral and mindfulness approaches. Sessions emphasize small steps, practical skills, and the client’s own values. She aims to help people build routines that reduce overwhelm and improve daily functioning.

Her additional focus areas include parenting challenges, grief, trauma and abuse, addiction concerns, ADHD, body image, attachment and adoption-related issues, caregiver stress, codependency, communication problems, and forgiveness work. Sessions are offered in English and reflect her long experience in school and family contexts.

How her approaches work online and in sessions

Terese draws on client-centered therapy to create an open, respectful space where the client’s goals guide the work. This approach focuses on listening, reflecting, and building on what matters most to the person seeking help.

She also uses cognitive behavioral therapy to help people identify unhelpful thoughts and try small behavior changes. CBT tools can be useful for anxiety, depression, school-related worries, and habit patterns that get in the way of daily life.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. Terese will collaborate with each person to decide which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences. That planning may mix listening-based work with practical exercises, journaling prompts, or short skill-building tasks between sessions.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video calls work well for in-depth conversations and visual tools. Phone sessions are a good option when bandwidth is limited or a check-in is needed during a break. Live chat and text-based messaging suit quick check-ins, journaling prompts, or brief skill practice between longer sessions. These options make scheduling more flexible and help therapy fit into busy lives.