- Years in practice
- 3
- Credentials
- LMFT
- Licensed in
- California
- Languages
- English
- Focus
- Stress, Anxiety
- Focus
- Relationship issues
- Focus
- Trauma and abuse
About Elissa
Elissa Padilla is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) practicing in California. She brings three years of clinical experience offering care for adults facing anxiety, depression, bipolar challenges, addictions, and parenting concerns. Elissa aims to make sessions straightforward and focused on practical change.
Elissa works with people navigating grief, life transitions, caregiver stress, and issues around attachment and self-esteem. She also supports those dealing with relationship strain, commitment questions, betrayal, and jealousy.
Background and approach
Her background includes helping clients who have experienced trauma and abuse. She blends several approaches to match each person's needs. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps people spot and shift unhelpful thinking and behaviors.
Solution-Focused Therapy supports quick goal-setting and short-term changes. Psychodynamic ideas are used to notice patterns that repeat across relationships. In sessions Elissa keeps language direct and practical.
Conversations often include setting small goals, trying new skills between meetings, and reviewing what worked. Parents can expect attention on concrete strategies for handling parenting stress and managing family demands. Elissa aims to build a calm, respectful space without judgment.
She invites clients to bring their real-life challenges and to collaborate on clear steps forward. The work is paced to fit each person’s goals and day-to-day life.
What Elissa works with
Everything Elissa lists, in the therapist's own terms. Parenting is the reason this directory exists; the rest shows what else Elissa helps people with.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
- Bipolar disorder
- Depression
- Addictions
- Family conflicts
- Grief
- Parenting issues
- Self esteem
- Coping with life changes
- ADHD
- Attachment issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Commitment issues
- Divorce and separation
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Infidelity
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Postpartum depression
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Young adult issues
Approaches Elissa lists
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
How these approaches translate to online sessions
Elissa often uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people recognize unhelpful thoughts and try different actions. CBT can be useful for anxiety, depression, and ADHD-related struggles by offering clear tools to practice between sessions.She also draws on Emotionally-Focused Therapy to look at feelings and patterns in close relationships. EFT-style work can help people understand emotional responses, repair hurts, and strengthen bonds in important relationships.
Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Elissa collaborates with each person to choose methods that match their goals, preferences, and day-to-day realities. She checks in regularly and adjusts the plan as progress and needs change.
Online sessions offer practical flexibility. Video calls let people use visual cues and a fuller conversation. Phone sessions work when bandwidth is limited or a hands-free option fits a schedule. Live chat and text-based messaging can be used for quick check-ins, brief skill coaching, and moments when writing feels easier than talking. These options make it simpler to fit therapy into busy family and work routines.
Questions people ask about Elissa
What concerns does this therapist help with?
Elissa supports adults coping with stress, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, addictions, grief, and parenting-related strain, among other issues listed in her specialties.
What is her general therapy style?
She uses a practical, down-to-earth approach that focuses on goal-setting, skill practice, and discussing real-life situations in short, focused sessions.
How much clinical experience does she have?
Elissa has three years of professional experience working as a therapist in behavioral health settings.
What credentials and location are on record?
She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, LMFT, licensed in California.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available?
Elissa meets with clients through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging.
How are sessions paid for?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; services use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What are the steps to begin therapy?
To get started, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions based on the therapist's availability.
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