Kristen Silva, LMFT

Kristen Silva is a California-licensed mental health professional with six years of experience that spans time as a graduate student, an AMFT, and now as an LMFT. LMFT stands for Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, a credential that indicates specialized training in working with individuals, couples, and families.

She focuses her work on stress and anxiety, relationship concerns, trauma and abuse, and mood challenges such as depression. Kristen also supports clients working on self-esteem, confidence, body image, communication difficulties, forgiveness, guilt and shame, life purpose, post-traumatic stress, self-love, and social anxiety and phobia. Her practice emphasizes practical strategies alongside emotional understanding to help clients meet everyday challenges.

Kristen approaches therapy from a strengths-based perspective, honoring each person as the expert of their own story and building on existing resources to move toward goals. She recognizes that beginning therapy takes courage and offers steady, collaborative support for people ready to take that first step toward change.

Evidence-Based Techniques and Online Support

Kristen draws from a range of evidence-based techniques to address common concerns like anxiety, depression, relationship conflict, and post-traumatic stress. She uses cognitive and skills-based strategies that help people notice unhelpful thinking patterns and build practical coping skills to manage stress and symptoms. Trauma-informed approaches are integrated when working with experiences of trauma and abuse - these methods emphasize safety, pacing, and processing at a pace that fits the individual. Kristen also uses a strengths-based focus that highlights a client’s existing resources and values to support growth in areas like self-esteem, life purpose, and communication.

Finding the right combination of techniques is part of the therapeutic process. Kristen works collaboratively with each person to identify goals, try approaches that fit their needs and preferences, and adjust the plan as progress is made.

Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to increase flexibility and access. These options let clients fit therapy into busy schedules, maintain continuity when life changes, and choose the format that feels most comfortable while working with a licensed professional.