About Cynthia
Cynthia Cunningham is a California licensed marriage and family therapist with 27 years of experience. She draws on long-term recovery from addiction and co-dependency to connect with people facing similar struggles. Her background gives her a practical, lived perspective she brings to sessions.
Cynthia focuses on helping people reclaim control and make changes that feel manageable. She typically helps with anxiety, depression, stress, panic, and relationship pain, including love addiction and codependency.
Background and approach
Cynthia also works with issues such as phobias, bipolar disorder, ADHD, grief, sleep and eating concerns, and life transitions. She aims to help people set boundaries, say no kindly, and move toward self-respect. Her approach blends cognitive behavioral techniques with attachment ideas and client-centered listening.
Cynthia uses clear, direct guidance alongside empathic conversation to help people practice new skills. Sessions emphasize learning small, concrete steps that build confidence over time. Cynthia invites people to collaborate on goals and to stay in control of their therapy.
She frames change as a step-by-step process and acts as a steady companion through setbacks and progress. Many sessions involve skill practice, problem solving, and talking through the patterns that keep someone stuck. She welcomes adults who want practical tools and honest support to change how they respond to stress, relationships, and cravings.
Cynthia’s style is straightforward and compassionate, aimed at helping people stop harmful patterns and start caring for themselves in healthier ways.
Therapeutic approaches and how they work online
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps people identify unhelpful thoughts and try new behaviors to reduce anxiety, panic, and low mood. It uses simple exercises and homework to change the way you respond to triggers.Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on how early relationships influence current connections and trust. It can help people understand why they repeat certain relationship patterns and practice safer ways of relating.
Finding the right approach is a joint process. Cynthia will work with each person to choose methods that match their needs, goals, and comfort level. Sessions are collaborative so adjustments can be made as progress unfolds.
Online therapy offers flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Video lets you work face-to-face from wherever you are, phone calls are useful when bandwidth is limited, live chat works for brief check-ins, and messaging supports ongoing reflection between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, caregiving, or busy schedules while still getting consistent support.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
Also listed
- Abandonment
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Avoidant personality
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Dependent personality
- Depression
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fertility issues
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Hoarding
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sleeping disorders
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Stress, Anxiety
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Existential Therapy
- Gottman Method
- Hypnotherapy
- Imago Relationship Therapy
- Jungian Therapy
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
- Experience
- 27 years
- Licensed
- California
- Languages
- English
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