- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Grief and loss
About Holly
Holly Starr is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) practicing in California with 25 years of clinical experience. She focuses on issues young adults often face, including stress, anxiety, relationship strains, self-esteem problems, grief, depression, trauma and the challenges around intimate connections. Her background includes work in both residential and private practice settings in the San Francisco Bay Area.
She uses conversation and observation to help people name what feels unclear or painful. Sessions often include looking at how thoughts shape choices and behaviors. Small changes in thinking or routine are suggested when they may help reduce anxiety or improve mood.
Her earlier roles included suicide prevention hotline work and supervising grief therapy, which shaped an ongoing focus on loss, bereavement, and deep depression. She also pays attention to shame, family-of-origin patterns, and attachment issues that affect relationships and daily functioning.
Holly combines several therapeutic perspectives when working with clients. That may include checking patterns from past relationships, noticing automatic thoughts, and looking at deeper life themes. She aims to help clients become more open and curious about their feelings so they can make clearer choices.
She has experience supporting people across many life stages, and she understands transitions like leaving home, starting work, or navigating new relationships. To begin, users complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule a first session through the platform.
Therapeutic approaches and working online
Holly draws on Attachment-Based Therapy to look at how early relationship patterns affect current connections. This approach helps when trust, closeness, or recurring relationship conflicts cause distress. She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and trying practical changes in thinking and behavior to reduce anxiety and depression.Finding the right approach is part of the work. Holly treats approach selection as a collaboration - she listens to your goals, discusses options, and tests what helps most for your situation. That way the plan can shift if something isn’t working.
The biography does not list specific session formats, so confirm the available online options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into busy days, allow shorter check-ins when schedules are tight, and remove travel time so appointments are easier to attend. A therapist can also suggest when a session without video or a brief phone check-in might be a better fit for a particular day.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
25+ years
Listed in
California
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she help with?
Holly works with stress, anxiety, relationship issues, grief, low self-esteem, depression, trauma, intimacy concerns, and coping with life changes including young adult issues.
How would you describe her therapy style?
She listens closely and notices patterns in thoughts and behavior. Sessions involve talking through feelings and trying small shifts to improve mood and functioning.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 25 years of clinical experience, including work in residential settings and private practice in the San Francisco Bay Area.
What are her credentials and where does she practice?
She is a California LMFT and practices in California.
Can non-US residents work with her?
Sessions are offered in English and she is not accepting international clients at this time.
Which session formats are available?
Session formats are not specified in the biography; confirm current 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 start working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a 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.