Therapist profile
Marcia Pontoni, LCSW
California
Licensed Clinical Social Worker - Relationships and Codependency
Continue with MarciaWhere Marcia stands
- Credentials
- LCSW
- License
- LCSW, California / 18141
- NPI
- 1316147994
- Experience
- 25 years
- Languages
- English
- Location
- California
About
- CBT
- Mindfulness
- Client-centered
About Marcia
Marcia Pontoni is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in California with 25 years of experience. She works with adults facing relationship struggles, grief and loss, anxiety, depression, and life transitions. Marcia also lists codependency, addictions, and intimacy-related concerns among her focus areas.
She draws on client-centered approaches to keep sessions grounded in each person's experience. Marcia uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice patterns of thinking and behavior that keep them stuck. She also brings mindfulness into sessions to teach simple practices for stress and emotional regulation.
In a typical conversation she listens for concrete patterns - for example, people-pleasing, trouble saying no, or avoidance driven by shame. Sessions often include practical steps people can try between meetings, along with gentle reflection on how old relationship habits started. She discusses goals and adjusts the plan as progress and needs change.
Marcia has worked across many settings over her career and has experience with grief, hospice and end-of-life concerns, aging-related challenges, and family of origin issues. She also supports people dealing with control problems, jealousy, and infidelity. Her approach mixes active skill building with opportunities to look at deeper emotional themes.
Sessions are conducted in English and are intended for adult clients. Before booking, readers should confirm the current session options and scheduling procedures as formats can change.
How sessions work
Therapeutic approaches and how they work online
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on the person's own experience by encouraging open conversation and reflective listening. It helps people who feel unseen or who have trouble trusting their own feelings to name what matters and set practical goals. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at links between thoughts, feelings, and actions and offers exercises to test and change unhelpful patterns. CBT is often useful for anxiety, depression, and repetitive relationship behaviors. Mindfulness Therapy teaches brief practices to reduce reactivity and increase awareness of the present moment, which can help with stress, cravings, and emotional overwhelm.Finding the right approach is part of the work. Marcia will collaborate with each person to decide which methods fit their goals and preferences. That means trying practical steps, reviewing what helps, and adjusting the plan over time so sessions stay relevant to current needs.
Her biography indicates she works by video and by telephone. Please confirm the current session options before booking so you know what to expect. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy around work or caregiving, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and let people join from wherever they are without travel. Therapists and licensed professionals then use those sessions to practice skills, review homework, and talk through relationship patterns in a focused way.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
25+ years
Listed in
California
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she help with?
She works with relationship problems, grief, depression, anxiety, codependency, addictions, and related issues such as jealousy and infidelity.
What is her general therapy style?
She uses a client-centered stance and combines Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with mindfulness and longer-term psychodynamic thinking.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 25 years of professional experience as a social worker in clinical settings.
What are her credentials and where does she practice?
She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) licensed in California and practices there.
Can I work with her if I live outside the United States?
Sessions are offered in English and she is not accepting international clients at this time.
What session formats does she use?
Her biography states she works best via video and telephone. Confirm current session options before booking.
How are fees handled?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I start a first session?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule your first 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.