Annette Malijen, LMFT

Annette Malijen is a licensed marriage and family therapist with 25 years of experience helping people manage anxiety, depression, stress, and relationship concerns. She focuses on practical steps that make daily life easier. Her approach is warm and respectful, and she adapts conversations to each person's needs.

She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice unhelpful thoughts and try different behaviors. She also draws on client-centered methods to keep sessions focused on the person’s goals and values. Sessions move at a steady, understandable pace with clear, concrete suggestions.

Annette has worked with people facing addictions, trauma and grief, intimacy issues, and challenges around parenting, sleep, and eating. She helps clients rebuild self-esteem and manage anger, compassion fatigue, and career-related stress. She offers support for LGBTQ concerns and family-related stress while keeping the work focused on the individual’s priorities.

Her style is collaborative and straightforward. She listens first, then helps set short-term goals and practical experiments to try between sessions. Progress is measured in small, useful changes such as improved sleep, clearer boundaries, or reduced worry.

Based in California, she offers a steady, empathic presence for people navigating big life changes. She encourages realistic steps and provides coaching-style guidance when useful. The goal is clearer thinking, more effective coping, and better daily functioning.

Practical approaches for online therapy

Annette commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and client-centered methods in online work. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new behaviors to reduce worry, depression, and avoidant patterns. It often involves simple exercises and between-session tasks to build healthier habits.

Client-centered therapy centers sessions on the person’s own goals and values. It emphasizes listening, empathy, and collaboration so clients feel heard and choose the direction of their progress. This approach helps when people want support that respects their pace and priorities.

Finding the right mix of methods is part of the process. She will work with each person to decide which approach fits their goals, needs, and preferences. That choice is collaborative and can shift as progress is made.

Online appointments are offered by video, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to add flexibility. Video calls are useful for full conversation and visual cues. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and messaging let clients share updates between sessions or maintain support without scheduling a full call. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy lives and keep steady momentum toward stated goals.