Marcia Pontoni, LCSW

Marcia Pontoni is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in California with 25 years of clinical experience helping adults navigate relationship challenges, grief and loss, career transitions, anxiety, and depression. She blends evidence-based methods with mindful practice to create individualized plans that reflect each person’s circumstances and goals. Marcia emphasizes respect, sensitivity, and compassion in every therapeutic conversation, and she frames the work as a collaborative effort to identify strengths, clarify values, and move toward more satisfying, sustainable change.

Marcia commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to address unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns, and she incorporates mindfulness techniques to increase present-moment awareness and reduce stress. Her approach is flexible - she adapts the dialog and treatment plan to meet a client’s unique needs, preferences, and life circumstances. Seeking therapy often requires courage, and Marcia aims to support and empower people as they take those initial steps toward a more fulfilling life.

She offers therapy primarily by video and telephone, and maintains regular availability on Tuesdays and Fridays with flexibility when needed. As a California LCSW - a licensed clinical social worker qualified to provide psychotherapy - Marcia brings long-standing clinical experience and a patient-centered orientation to her practice.

Therapeutic Approaches for Online Care

Marcia integrates Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Mindfulness Therapy into her online practice to meet a range of concerns. Client-Centered Therapy focuses on building a respectful, empathic relationship and helps clients explore their feelings and goals at their own pace, which is useful for relationship issues and life transitions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) targets unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors with practical strategies, making it effective for anxiety, depression, and coping with stress. Mindfulness Therapy teaches present-moment awareness and simple attention practices that can reduce rumination and support emotion regulation.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and Marcia works collaboratively with each person to determine what methods best match their needs, goals, and preferences. She tailors techniques and the pace of work to fit individual circumstances and revises the plan as progress unfolds.

Online therapy options include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, which provide flexibility for people balancing work, caregiving, or health concerns. These formats allow licensed professionals to offer consistent, ongoing support without requiring travel, making it easier to maintain continuity of care and to access therapy from home or other convenient locations.