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PP Portrait of Patricia Pena

Patricia Pena

Experienced bilingual LCSW focused on practical skills

LCSW California

Experience
26 years in practice
Focus areas
Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Parenting
Approaches
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Client-Centered Therapy
Languages
English, Spanish
Explore online therapy options

About Patricia

Patricia Pena is a bilingual clinician licensed in California with 26 years of professional experience.

Background and approach

She works with people facing stress, anxiety, depression, relationship concerns, parenting challenges, and issues with self-esteem, often addressing related themes such as abandonment, communication problems, guilt and shame, isolation, mood disorders, self-love, social anxiety, and women's issues. Patricia emphasizes a respectful, sensitive, and compassionate approach when meeting clients where they are.

Her practice blends client-centered listening with practical, skills-based methods to help clients build coping strategies and clearer patterns of thinking and behavior. She commonly draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy alongside Dialectical Behavior Therapy and mindfulness-informed practices, and she uses motivational interviewing and solution-focused techniques to support goal-setting and gradual change.

Patricia adapts conversations and treatment plans to fit each person’s circumstances and preferences, aiming to make the process collaborative and individualized. Patricia conducts sessions in both English and Spanish and offers multiple online session formats.

She acknowledges that beginning therapy takes courage and seeks to create a welcoming space that encourages steady progress and realistic steps toward greater wellbeing.

Practical Therapeutic Approaches for Online Care

Patricia often uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help clients identify and modify unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviors, which can be useful for anxiety, mood concerns, and relationship stress. She also integrates Client-Centered Therapy, offering empathic listening and collaborative goal setting so clients feel heard and involved in shaping their treatment. When appropriate, elements of Dialectical Behavior Therapy are used to teach emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness skills useful in intense emotional states.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic work. Patricia collaborates with each person to determine which combination of methods best aligns with their goals, preferences, and current needs, adjusting the plan as progress unfolds rather than assuming a single path from the start.

Online therapy in her practice is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to accommodate different schedules and comfort levels. These options make it easier to fit sessions into daily life, allow consistent access when in-person meetings are not possible, and support ongoing skill practice between appointments.

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does Patricia commonly address?
She works with stress, anxiety, relationship difficulties, parenting questions, self-esteem struggles, and depression, and also focuses on abandonment, communication problems, guilt and shame, isolation, mood disorders, self-love, social anxiety and phobia, and women's issues.
What is her therapeutic style and approach?
Her approach blends client-centered listening with practical, skills-based methods including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), mindfulness techniques, motivational interviewing, and solution-focused therapy to support coping and change.
How much experience does she have?
She has 26 years of professional work experience providing clinical services in California and beyond that history informs her practice.
What credentials and location are listed?
She holds the credential LCSW with licence CA LCSW 21949 and is based in California.
Which languages are available for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English and Spanish, and she is not accepting international clients at this time.
In what formats are sessions provided?
Clients can meet via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging depending on what fits their needs and the therapist's availability.
How are costs and billing handled?
Costs vary with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What is the first step to begin working together?
To start, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Stress, AnxietyRelationship issuesParenting issuesSelf esteemDepression

Additional focus areas

AbandonmentCommunication problemsGuilt and shameIsolation / lonelinessMood disordersSelf-loveSocial anxiety and phobiaWomen's issues

Therapeutic approaches

Client-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Mindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingSolution-Focused Therapy

Experience

26+ years

Licensed

California

Languages

English, Spanish