About
- CBT techniques
- Mindfulness practice
- Client-centered work
About Marcia
Marcia Pontoni is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in California with 25 years of professional experience. She works with adults who are dealing with relationship strain, grief and loss, anxiety, depression, and major life changes. She also addresses stress, addictions, trauma and abuse, intimacy-related concerns, and compassion fatigue.
Her approach is straightforward and conversational. She draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and mindfulness techniques to help people notice unhelpful thoughts and try different responses. She also uses client-centered methods to keep sessions focused on each person's priorities and psychodynamic ideas to examine the past when it helps.
In sessions she listens for patterns that keep problems repeating. She helps people break those patterns with practical steps and clearer choices. That can include skill work for managing stress and anxiety or paced conversations about grief, loss, and relationship wounds.
Marcia pays attention to family of origin issues, communication problems, control struggles, and codependency. She also supports people facing aging or serious illness concerns, hospice and end-of-life questions, and the particular pressures that come with caregiving.
She offers sessions in English and practices in California. Before a first session she asks people to complete a short matching questionnaire and then schedule an appointment. Costs vary by location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How sessions work
How her approaches translate to online work
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and reflecting what matters most to the client. It helps people set the topics and pace for sessions and brings attention to current priorities and values.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is about identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing small behavior changes. It is commonly used for anxiety, depression, stress management, and coping with life changes.
Mindfulness Therapy teaches simple attention practices to reduce reactivity and increase awareness of the present moment. It can support people managing grief, stress, and compassion fatigue.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. She will talk with the client about goals, daily demands, and preferences, and then decide together which methods to try. That collaborative process often shifts over time as needs change.
The therapist's biography states she works best via video and telephone, so confirm the exact session options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit appointments into a busy schedule, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and remove travel time. Licensed professionals can use these formats to keep therapy consistent with everyday life while working on practical steps, communication patterns, and emotional coping.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
25+ years
Listed in
California
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she help with?
She works with adults on relationship strain, grief, depression, anxiety, stress, addictions, trauma, intimacy issues, and compassion fatigue, among other concerns.
What is her general therapy style?
Her style is conversational and practical, using client-centered listening alongside CBT and mindfulness tools to address day-to-day problems.
How much experience does she have?
She has 25 years of professional experience as a social worker in clinical settings.
What are her credentials and where does she practice?
She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) registered in California and practices from that state.
Does she offer sessions in other languages?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are used?
The original biography notes she works best in video and telephone modalities; confirm current session options before booking.
How are sessions priced?
Costs vary with location; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule a first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is in danger, use the crisis numbers.