About Cynthia
Cynthia Cunningham brings 27 years of clinical experience as a licensed marriage and family therapist in California. She draws on long-term personal recovery to guide people through change.
Background and approach
Cynthia writes simply and directly, so someone worried and pressed for time can quickly see what to expect. She helps people move away from patterns that cause pain.
That can mean stopping a one-sided relationship, setting firm boundaries, or learning to say no without guilt. Cynthia also works with addiction, codependency, anxiety, panic, depression, bipolar concerns, and problems with sleep and eating.
Her approach mixes practical skills with careful listening. She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify unhelpful thinking and build new habits.
Attachment-Based and Emotionally-Focused ideas help people understand how relationships shape feelings and behavior. Cynthia sees therapy as a cooperative process.
Clients decide the pace and goals. Sessions focus on clear steps and real-life practice so people can notice change between visits.
She understands recovery from the inside and pairs that perspective with clinical tools. The tone in sessions is direct, respectful, and encouraging.
Cynthia aims to be a steady companion while people work toward healthier choices and better emotional balance.
Therapeutic approaches brought to online sessions
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on clarifying what matters most to you and taking small steps toward those values while learning to sit with difficult feelings. It can help with anxiety, depression, and motivation issues. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts and behaviors interact and teaches practical exercises to reduce panic, shift unhelpful thinking, and change habits that harm sleep or eating. Attachment-Based Therapy examines patterns formed in early relationships and how they show up now; it helps people understand why they cling, withdraw, or struggle with trust in relationships.Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what has or hasn’t helped before. Then she will recommend methods and adjust them as progress is made, so therapy stays useful and relevant.
Online delivery offers flexibility for busy lives. Video calls allow fuller conversation and visual connection, phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited, and live chat or text-based messaging make brief check-ins or shorter check-ins possible between sessions. These options let people choose what fits their schedule and comfort while keeping steady support for the work they want to do.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
Also works with
- Abandonment
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Avoidant personality
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Dependent personality
- Depression
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fertility issues
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Hoarding
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sleeping disorders
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Stress, Anxiety
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Existential Therapy
- Gottman Method
- Hypnotherapy
- Imago Relationship Therapy
- Jungian Therapy
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
- Experience
- 27 years
- Licensed
- California
- Languages
- English