Ana Montenegro

Ana Montenegro is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California with ten years of clinical experience. She offers care in English and Spanish and works with people facing stress, anxiety, depression, relationship concerns, parenting challenges, and eating and food-related issues among other struggles. Ana practices with a blend of practical strategies and thoughtful conversation to help clients move forward.

She favors cognitive behavioral methods to identify unhelpful thinking and build different behaviors. Sessions often include education about the process and optional between-session exercises to reinforce what was discussed. Ana also uses solution-focused and psychodynamic ideas when they suit a client's goals, balancing short-term problem solving with attention to underlying patterns.

Ana aims to create a welcoming space without judgment. She checks in on the therapeutic relationship and collaborates on clear, structured goals. That may mean setting short-term targets while also planning longer-term steps toward change.

Over her career she has worked in outpatient settings, conducting individual, marital, pre-marital, and group therapy, both in-office and online. Her approach is practical and goal-oriented, while still allowing room to slow down when deeper exploration is needed.

People often come to her for help with self-esteem, grief, body image, life transitions, ADHD-related concerns, and communication or commitment issues. She combines active listening with concrete strategies so clients can try small changes between sessions and track progress over time.

How Ana Uses Evidence-Based Approaches Online

Online sessions with Ana often draw on cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational interviewing to support change. Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on spotting and shifting unhelpful thoughts and building practical behaviors, which can help with anxiety, depression, body image and eating and food-related struggles. Motivational interviewing helps people clarify their goals and find internal reasons to make a change, which can be useful for career shifts, lifestyle adjustments, or coping with difficult habits.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. Ana will work with each person to match methods to their goals, needs, and preferences rather than prescribing one path. Together they identify small, achievable steps and adjust the plan as progress unfolds.

If you are considering online therapy, confirm the available session options before booking. Ana has experience providing care online, and online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy day, shorten check-ins when needed, and allow for work that blends discussion with practical homework between sessions. Discussing format and scheduling during the intake helps ensure sessions fit into everyday life.