Therapist profile
Kirsten Suarez, LMFT
California
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist - Anxiety and Relationships
Continue with KirstenWhere Kirsten stands
- Credentials
- LMFT
- License
- LMFT, California / 106536
- NPI
- 1508117045
- Experience
- 3 years
- Languages
- English
- Location
- California
About
- CBT methods
- ACT techniques
- Mindfulness practice
About Kirsten
Kirsten Suarez is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in California with three years of counseling experience. She works with adults facing stress, anxiety, depression, anger, parenting challenges, ADHD, and relationship or family concerns. She also lists focus areas such as autism and Asperger syndrome, caregiver stress, codependency, bipolar concerns, OCD symptoms, and panic attacks.
She draws on approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), mindfulness, and Solution-Focused Therapy. Sessions focus on practical steps and clearer thinking. Conversations center on present problems and skills that can be used day to day.
Kirsten’s style is collaborative. She helps people identify patterns that keep them stuck and practices skills within sessions. This can include learning new ways to respond to strong emotions, testing small behavior changes, and setting clearer boundaries in relationships.
Her background includes work in behavior analysis and experience treating people with developmental differences and related caregiving stress. That history informs an emphasis on observable skills and routines rather than labels. The work aims to make daily life more manageable through concrete strategies.
Clients are invited to treat therapy as a team process. Early sessions typically clarify goals and try out approaches that match the person’s priorities. If you want to explore codependent patterns, parenting strain, or anxiety, she offers a framework to practice different ways of coping and relating.
How sessions work
How ACT, CBT and DBT are used in online sessions
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice unhelpful thoughts without getting ruled by them and to choose actions that align with values. It is useful when someone feels stuck by worry or self-criticism and wants clearer direction for behavior.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and testing thought patterns that feed anxiety or low mood. It teaches practical skills for changing reactions and for building routines that reduce stress and overwhelm.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) offers concrete emotion regulation and distress-tolerance skills to manage strong feelings and reduce reactive behavior. It can help when anger, panic, or impulsive reactions make daily life harder.
Choosing the best approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will work with the client to try methods that match their goals and preferences and will adjust the plan based on what works in practice.
The biography does not list specific session formats, so confirm which online options are offered before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy day, allow shorter check-ins when schedules are tight, and remove travel time. Therapists can use session time to teach skills, practice new responses, and set up manageable homework between meetings.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
3+ years
Listed in
California
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she address related to people-pleasing and dependence?
She lists codependency among her focus areas and works with adults on patterns like people-pleasing and losing oneself in relationships.
How would she work with someone who struggles to set boundaries?
She uses collaborative, skills-based approaches such as CBT and DBT to practice responses, manage emotions, and rehearse clearer boundaries in everyday situations.
What is her clinical background and experience?
She has three years of counseling experience as an LMFT and prior years working in behavior analysis, including work with people who have developmental differences.
What credential does she hold and where is she licensed?
She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, LMFT, licensed in California.
In which languages are sessions offered and can international clients sign up?
Sessions are offered in English and she is not currently accepting international clients.
What session formats are available?
The original biography does not specify formats; confirm current session options before booking to know whether phone or video sessions are offered.
How are fees handled for sessions?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin the process of scheduling a first appointment?
Click the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule your initial session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are not safe at home, use the crisis and helpline numbers.