About Theresa
Theresa Leal is a licensed clinical social worker with 20 years of experience. She focuses on practical support for everyday struggles and long-standing patterns that get in the way of feeling competent and calm. She helps people who are dealing with family conflict, parenting strain, stress, anxiety, and low self-esteem.
ADHD is listed among her focus areas and she brings that into conversations when relevant. Theresa also addresses grief, trauma and abuse, anger, depression, and compassion fatigue.
Background and approach
Her style is straightforward and collaborative. She aims to make sessions a space where thoughts and feelings can be shared without fear of judgment. Theresa works with each person to set simple, achievable goals and to notice small changes over time.
Theresa draws on approaches such as attachment-based work, cognitive behavioral techniques, and solution-focused methods. Those approaches are used to track patterns, practice different behaviors, and build coping skills that fit daily life. Theresa practices in California as an LCSW, licensed clinical social worker.
She meets people where they are and focuses on the next practical step. Taking the first step can be hard, and she offers steady support while people try out new ways of managing stress and relationships.
Approaches that guide online work and practical tools
Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on how early relationships shape current patterns. It looks at how people connect, how they react when stressed, and how to build more supported ways of relating. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, breaks problems into thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and teaches concrete skills to change unhelpful patterns; it can help with anxiety, depression, and motivation. Solution-Focused Therapy centers on small, practical steps and quick changes; it helps people identify what works and build on strengths.Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. Theresa will listen to your goals and try methods that match your needs. Together you will track what helps and adjust the plan as you go so sessions stay relevant and useful.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video is useful for in-depth sessions and face-to-face conversation. Phone calls work well when bandwidth is limited or a quieter setup is needed. Live chat and text messaging are handy for brief check-ins, homework clarification, or quick support between sessions. These options offer flexibility to fit therapy into busy lives and different routines.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Family conflicts
- Parenting issues
- Self esteem
Also listed
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 20 years
- Licensed
- California
- Languages
- English
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