Terese Ghilarducci, LMFT

Terese Ghilarducci is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) practicing in the Bay Area of California with 25 years of professional experience. She has spent much of her career supporting adolescents and their families, drawing on prior experience as a social worker serving foster children and foster families. For 17 years she worked as a school counselor at an alternative education site where her daily work focused on young people facing challenges that affected their academic progress, including school phobia, stress and anxiety, depression, family conflict, and substance use.

In the fall of 2024 she began a role as a school counselor at an elementary school and plans to continue working at that level, delivering classroom presentations on bullying, inclusion, and coping strategies as well as facilitating support groups. Her school-based practice also addresses issues such as making friends, school-related anxiety, and adjustment concerns.

Terese emphasizes a client-centered approach, centering each person’s experience while integrating creative tools such as art and journaling to explore thoughts and feelings. She aims to provide a respectful, supportive space for individuals and families to work through problems and build practical coping skills.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Terese frequently uses a client-centered approach, which means she focuses on understanding each person's unique experience and supports clients in finding their own solutions. This approach is especially helpful for building trust, exploring identity, and addressing relationship or family concerns.

She also incorporates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - CBT, a practical method that looks at how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors interact. CBT can be useful for managing stress, anxiety, depression, and patterns that interfere with daily functioning by teaching concrete skills and strategies.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Terese works collaboratively with clients to determine which methods best fit their needs, goals, and preferences, and she adapts techniques over time as circumstances change.

Online therapy offers flexible ways to connect, including video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. These options make it easier to schedule care around school, work, and family life and allow ongoing work even when in-person visits are not possible. Licensed professionals can use these formats to provide consistent support and practical tools tailored to each client's situation.