Marcia Pontoni , LCSW

Marcia Pontoni is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in California with 25 years of professional experience helping adults navigate relationship challenges, grief and loss, career transitions, anxiety, depression, and other life stressors. As an LCSW - a licensed clinical social worker - she brings a compassionate, respectful, and sensitive approach to therapy while tailoring conversations and treatment plans to each person’s individual needs and goals.

She works with a wide range of concerns including LGBT issues, intimacy-related struggles, trauma and abuse, addictions, family problems, and compassion fatigue, and also supports people facing aging and geriatric issues, cancer, hospice and end-of-life concerns, codependency, and difficulties with communication, control, or forgiveness. Her practice addresses complex family-of-origin dynamics, infidelity, divorce and separation, domestic violence, guilt and shame, and gender dysphoria among other areas.

Clinically she integrates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and mindfulness practices along with client-centered principles to help clients build coping skills, reframe unhelpful thoughts, and increase present-moment awareness. She notes that video and telephone modalities are her strongest formats and lists primary availability on Tuesdays and Fridays. Marcia emphasizes empowerment and support for those taking steps toward a more fulfilling life.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Marcia Pontoni draws on client-centered therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and mindfulness practices to guide online work. Client-centered therapy focuses on creating an accepting space where the person’s perspective and goals shape the pace and content of treatment - it is useful for relationship concerns, family issues, and exploring personal values. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps identify and change unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviors, offering practical tools for anxiety, depression, stress, and coping with life changes. Mindfulness therapy encourages present-moment awareness and gentle acceptance, which can ease rumination, support stress management, and complement work on grief or trauma.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process and is shaped collaboratively. Marcia works with clients to determine which techniques best match their needs, goals, and preferences, and she tailors sessions accordingly so the work feels relevant and doable.

Online therapy offers flexible options including video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. These formats make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules, reduce travel time, and maintain continuity of care across different life circumstances while working with licensed professionals and therapists who can adapt methods to the online setting.