Cheryl Wharton , LMFT

Cheryl Wharton brings nearly 30 years of professional counseling experience to her work with individuals, couples, and families. She holds a degree in psychology and a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy, and she practices as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California. Her training and long experience inform an approach that aims to help clients move into clearer, more authentic ways of living and relating.

Cheryl emphasizes creating a welcoming space where people can share their experiences, feel heard, and recognize their value. She supports clients in identifying strengths, facing life transitions, and building resilience. Her methods draw on a holistic understanding of the whole person - psychological, social, emotional, physical, and spiritual - and focus on practical skills and insight to help people respond differently to life’s challenges.

Relationship quality is central to Cheryl’s work. She helps people strengthen romantic partnerships, repair communication, and transform patterns that undermine closeness. She also works with anxiety, depression, grief, coping difficulties, low self-esteem, panic, and other common struggles, using proven techniques to guide change and growth.

Cheryl combines professional training with lived experience, and she frames therapy as a collaborative journey. As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist - LMFT, a professional credential for therapists who work with individuals, couples, and families - she aims to help clients become more than survivors and to move toward thriving and meaningful connection.

Approaches, Collaboration, and Online Care with Cheryl Wharton

Cheryl integrates several well-established therapeutic approaches to meet different needs. Client-Centered Therapy focuses on building a respectful, empathetic relationship where the client’s own goals and strengths guide the work; it helps with self-exploration, confidence, and relationship concerns. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, concentrates on identifying and changing unhelpful thought and behavior patterns and is often used for anxiety, depression, stress, and coping skills. Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, offers practical tools for managing intense emotions, improving interpersonal effectiveness, and reducing impulsive or self-sabotaging behaviors.

Choosing the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and Cheryl works collaboratively with each person to determine what fits best with their needs, goals, and preferences. Together the therapist and client may mix methods or adjust the focus over time to support progress.

Online therapy with Cheryl is available by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging, offering flexibility for busy schedules and different comfort levels. These options make regular engagement easier, allow continuity during life transitions, and enable clients to access licensed professionals from locations across California by using the mode of communication that works best for them.