About Gary
Gary Youssef is a licensed marriage and family therapist with 22 years of experience. He helps people facing stress, anxiety, parenting challenges, relationship and family strain, depression, addictions, grief, trauma, and a wide range of other concerns including ADHD and career-related stress. He keeps sessions focused and practical.
Gary uses clear tools to help people notice unhelpful patterns and try different ways of responding. He talks with parents about routines and strategies that can reduce daily conflict.
Background and approach
He helps adults break cycles that contribute to low self-esteem, anger, or addictive habits. Gary combines techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy and solution-focused methods with systemic thinking about relationships. That means he looks at current situations, goals, and small changes that can make life feel easier.
He also draws on motivational interviewing to support readiness for change and to build commitment to new habits. He has worked in pediatric mental health and community settings and has long experience supporting children, adolescents, adults, and families.
His background includes clinical and administrative roles in outpatient psychiatry and work with military family programs, providing a broad view of how health, school, and family life connect. Sessions are offered in English and provided online by video, phone, live chat, or text messaging.
Gary lives in Ohio and holds credentials as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California and Ohio (LMFT, LIMFT).
How his approaches translate to online therapy
Gary uses cognitive behavioral therapy to help people notice thoughts and behaviors that keep problems going and then practice different responses. CBT is useful for anxiety, mood problems, sleep issues, and many stress-related concerns. Motivational interviewing is another tool he uses to build motivation and clarify personal goals when someone feels unsure about change; it works well for addictions, health behavior changes, and readiness to try new habits.Deciding which approach to use is a collaborative process. He will listen to your goals and preferences, discuss options, and together choose methods that fit your situation. Over time he adjusts the plan based on what is helping and what is not, so the work evolves with your needs.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video lets you have a face-to-face conversation when bandwidth allows, while phone sessions can be easier when you prefer not to be on camera or have limited internet. Live chat and text messaging are useful for brief check-ins, homework support, or staying connected between sessions. These options aim to make therapy more flexible and easier to fit into daily life.
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Depression
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Fertility issues
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Hearing impaired
- HIV / AIDS
- Hoarding
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Immigration issues
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intellectual disability
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Parenting issues
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sexuality
- Sleeping disorders
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Trauma and abuse
- Traumatic brain injury
- Trichotillomania
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Visually impaired
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 22 years
- Licensed
- California, Ohio
- Languages
- English
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