- Stress and anxiety
- Relationship challenges
- CBT and psychodynamic
About Elissa
Elissa Padilla is a California Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) with three years of clinical experience. She works with adults on common problems such as stress, anxiety, depression, bipolar symptoms, and addictions. She also helps people facing relationship difficulties, parenting strain, grief, ADHD, and the specific pressures of young adulthood.
Elissa draws from several therapy styles to shape practical sessions. She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice how thoughts link to feelings and behavior. She brings Solution-Focused ideas to set short-term goals and identify small changes that make a difference. She also offers psychodynamic-informed work to look at patterns that repeat across relationships.
Sessions are conversational and goal-oriented. Elissa aims to help clients develop tools for handling day-to-day problems like work stress, relationship conflict, or life transitions. She also provides space to process trauma, grief, and identity questions that can surface in early adulthood.
Her approach tends to combine talking, skill practice, and checking what works between sessions. She invites clients to test changes and report back so therapy stays practical. Elissa notes that caregiving stress, commitment fears, and issues around forgiveness or guilt often show up together and can be addressed step by step.
Based in California, Elissa practices in English. The subscription-based sessions use a cancellable plan. To begin, prospective clients complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule an initial appointment through the site.
How her approaches are used in online sessions
Elissa works with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Solution-Focused Therapy in ways a young adult can use right away. CBT helps identify and change unhelpful thought patterns and teaches practical skills to reduce anxiety, manage mood, or shift behavior at work and in relationships. Solution-Focused Therapy concentrates on setting clear, short-term goals and finding small steps that lead to noticeable change between sessions.Finding the best approach is part of the work. Elissa will discuss goals, preferences, and what has or hasn’t helped before. Together the client and therapist decide which methods to prioritize and adjust as progress or obstacles appear.
The original biography did not list specific online formats. Please confirm current session options before booking so you know how sessions are delivered. Online work can make it easier to fit appointments into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and let clients practice skills in their everyday context without long travel. Licensed professionals can tailor pacing and homework to match study, work, or caregiving schedules while checking in on what’s most useful.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
3+ years
Listed in
California
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she address?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, bipolar symptoms, addictions, relationship problems, parenting concerns, grief, ADHD, and issues common in young adulthood.
What is her general therapy style?
Sessions are conversational and goal-focused, mixing thought-behavior work, short-term problem solving, and exploration of recurring relationship patterns.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has three years of experience as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist practicing in behavioral health roles.
Where is she licensed and what is her credential?
She is a California LMFT, which stands for Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and she practices in California.
Does she offer sessions in other languages or to international clients?
Sessions are offered in English. She is not accepting international clients.
What session formats are available?
The original profile does not list specific session formats. Confirm current online session options before booking.
How much do sessions cost?
Cost varies with location. Sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule your first session.
Online talk therapy through BetterHelp is for adults aged 18 and over and is not emergency care. If you are in danger, use the emergency numbers. Find someone else by name.