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Cynthia Cunningham

Cynthia Cunningham, LMFT

Therapist · California · 27+ years of experience

Compassionate recovery-focused marriage and family therapist

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  • 27 years experience
  • Recovery perspective
  • Practical boundary work

About Cynthia

Cynthia Cunningham is a California-based licensed marriage and family therapist with 27 years of practice. She brings long-term personal recovery experience to her work, having been sober for 35 years and recovered from codependency and love addiction. Cynthia talks plainly and directly about change, and she focuses on helping people take concrete steps toward feeling better.

Cynthia helps people who are dealing with addictions, anxiety, depression, stress, grief, and relationship pain. She offers straightforward coaching on boundaries so people can learn to say no and mean it. She also supports those facing intimacy struggles, low self-esteem, career shifts, sleep and eating concerns, and attention or mood challenges.

Her approach blends cognitive behavioral tools with attachment-based and client-centered ideas. That means she will work with thoughts and behaviors, while paying attention to patterns in close relationships and the client's own goals. Emotion-focused ideas are also part of her practice when feelings need to be noticed and named.

Sessions are led at the client's pace, with the therapist and client deciding goals together. Cynthia values lived experience and offers guidance from both training and personal recovery. She emphasizes practical steps people can use between sessions to make daily life more manageable.

People who want candid, experienced support for midlife transitions, addiction recovery, or relationship struggles may find her style helpful. She frames therapy as a shared journey and invites people to begin with one manageable step.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

AddictionsRelationship issuesFamily conflictsAnger managementSelf esteem

Also works with

Stress, AnxietyGriefIntimacy-related issuesEating disordersSleeping disordersCareer difficultiesBipolar disorderDepressionCoping with life changesADHD

Additional focus areas

AbandonmentAging and geriatric issuesAntisocial personalityAttachment issuesAvoidant personalityBlended family issuesBody imageCaregiver issues and stressCo-morbidityCodependencyCommitment issuesCommunication problemsControl issuesDependent personalityDisruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)Divorce and separationDomestic violenceDrug and alcohol addictionEating and food-related issuesEmptinessFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFertility issuesForgivenessGuilt and shameHoardingImpulsivityInfidelityIsolation / lonelinessJealousyLife purposeMidlife crisisMoney and financial issuesMood disordersNarcissismObsessions, compulsions, and OCDPanic disorder and panic attacksParanoiaPersonality disordersPhobiasPolyamory / non-monogamous relationshipsPostpartum depressionPost-traumatic stressSeasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-harmSelf-loveSmoking / vaping cessationSocial anxiety and phobiaSomatizationWomen's issuesWorkplace issuesYoung adult issues

Therapeutic approaches

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)Attachment-Based TherapyClient-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)Existential TherapyGottman MethodHypnotherapyImago Relationship TherapyJungian TherapyMindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingNarrative TherapyPsychodynamic TherapySolution-Focused TherapyInternal Family Systems

Experience

27+ years

Credentials

California

Languages

English

How Cynthia Applies Therapeutic Approaches Online

Cognitive behavioral therapy helps people notice unhelpful thoughts and test new behaviors. It is useful for anxiety, depression, sleep and eating problems, and daily routines that feel stuck.

Attachment-based ideas focus on patterns in close relationships and on how early bonds shape current reactions. This work can help with intimacy struggles, communication problems, and issues tied to abandonment or attachment worries.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Cynthia will listen to your goals and preferences and then suggest techniques that fit your situation. You and the therapist decide together what to try and how to adjust over time.

Confirm the available session formats before booking because the biography does not list specific options. Online sessions often make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life, such as taking a shorter check-in on a break or avoiding travel time. They can also allow people to choose quieter surroundings, limit video use when helpful, or fit sessions around work and caregiving responsibilities.

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does she address?

Cynthia works with a wide range of issues including addictions, anxiety, depression, stress, grief, relationship and intimacy problems, self-esteem, sleep and eating issues, career changes, bipolar and ADHD-related concerns.

How would you describe her therapeutic style?

She uses a blend of approaches including cognitive behavioral techniques, attachment-focused ideas, emotion-focused work, and client-centered listening to help people set goals and practice skills.

How much experience does she have?

She is a licensed marriage and family therapist with 27 years of clinical experience in California and decades of personal recovery experience that inform her practice.

What credential and location are listed?

The therapist holds a California LMFT credential and practices in California.

Which languages are supported and are international clients accepted?

Sessions are offered in English and international clients are not currently accepted.

What session formats are available?

Please confirm current session options before booking, as the therapist's biography does not specify which formats are offered.

How much does therapy cost?

Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.

How do I begin working with Cynthia?

Select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.

Cynthia Cunningham Online therapy options on BetterHelp

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