Colleen Overholt

Colleen Overholt is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) with 26 years of clinical experience in California. She helps people manage stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, parenting strain, ADHD, and concerns related to intellectual disability. Her style is warm and direct, and she encourages clients to speak up about what they want from therapy. Colleen meets people where they are and builds a plan around each person’s goals. She often uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to challenge negative thoughts and Client-Centered methods to follow what the client needs in the moment. Mindfulness and motivational techniques are added when they fit the work. Her background includes years in private practice, schools, clinics, and community programs. She has served in roles from clinician to program manager and director, and she draws on that range to organize sessions and set clear, doable steps. Colleen emphasizes strengths and practical changes over long lists of labels. Sessions focus on realistic skills families and individuals can use day to day. Typical work includes coping strategies for strong emotions, improving sleep and routine, communication practice, and steps to reduce overwhelm. She partners with clients to try small experiments and notice what changes. Colleen describes the relationship as central to healing. She aims to be engaged, respectful, and affirming while also providing direction when needed. The process is collaborative, with attention to the client’s values and pace.

Therapeutic approaches and online options

Colleen commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Client-Centered Therapy in her work. CBT looks at patterns of thought and behavior and teaches practical exercises to change unhelpful thinking and reactions. Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening, validation, and following the client’s priorities so sessions feel responsive to what matters most. She also draws on Mindfulness Therapy to help with attention, stress, and grounding. Mindfulness exercises are simple practices that help people notice thoughts and feelings without getting swept away by them. Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with the person about goals, try techniques, and adjust the plan based on what helps. Clients are invited to give feedback so sessions stay useful and relevant. Confirm the available online session options before booking, as formats are set by the therapist and platform. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, cut travel time, and use shorter check-ins when needed. Different formats also let people pick options that match energy and bandwidth, such as a focused phone check-in or a longer video conversation. The goal is to make therapy practical and doable within everyday life while testing what methods help most.