Marlene Favors, LMFT

Marlene Favors is a licensed marriage and family therapist who helps people facing stress, anxiety, addiction, anger, and low self-esteem. She writes in plain terms and focuses on practical steps people can use right away. Her style is direct and caring, aimed at helping someone feel steadier and more in control.

She blends cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and motivational interviewing to match each person's needs. Sessions often center on learning new skills, changing unhelpful thinking patterns, and building daily routines that reduce overwhelm. Homework and short practice exercises are used to make progress between sessions.

With 11 years of experience in California, Marlene works with people navigating life changes such as divorce, separation, and transitions that leave them uncertain about what comes next. She also helps people manage relationship wounds like attachment and abandonment concerns, and supports those dealing with caregiver stress or family conflict. Her approach pays attention to how past experiences shape current reactions.

Marlene supports people working through substance use and behavioral addictions using motivational interviewing techniques alongside behavioral strategies. She also addresses feelings of emptiness, guilt, shame, and struggles around purpose and isolation. Sessions aim to reduce immediate distress while building longer-term coping tools.

She offers services in English and Spanish and conducts sessions by video, phone, live chat, or text messaging. People start by completing a short matching questionnaire and scheduling a session that fits their calendar.

How therapeutic approaches work online

CBT, or cognitive behavioral therapy, helps people notice unhelpful thoughts and try different behaviors to change how they feel. It often involves short skill practices and small experiments to test new ways of thinking and acting. ACT, or acceptance and commitment therapy, focuses on noticing painful thoughts without getting stuck in them and choosing actions that reflect personal values. It helps when feelings get in the way of living a meaningful life. DBT, dialectical behavior therapy, teaches concrete skills for managing intense emotions, improving relationships, and tolerating distress without making things worse.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will discuss your goals, preferences, and what tends to help you most. Together you can combine methods and try approaches that fit your situation, then adjust based on how things are going.

Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to provide flexibility. Video is useful for focused work and skill teaching, phone can be simpler when bandwidth is limited, live chat suits quick check-ins, and text messaging supports brief ongoing coaching between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules and to keep momentum between appointments.