Cynthia Cunningham, LMFT
California · 27 years in practice
Cynthia Cunningham is a California licensed marriage and family therapist with 27 years of clinical experience.
License and registration
- LMFT, California
- 34049 · expires November 2026
- NPI
- 1275798241 · national provider identifier
- Years in practice
- 27
- Languages
- English
Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check the license with the issuing state board, and the NPI with the national registry.
About Cynthia
Cynthia Cunningham is a California licensed marriage and family therapist with 27 years of clinical experience. She draws on long personal recovery from substance use and codependency to inform a compassionate, practical approach. Cynthia speaks plainly and focuses on helping people make concrete changes in daily life.
Her sessions are led by the client’s goals. She listens, reflects, and offers tools to manage anxiety, panic, depression, and stress. She also supports people dealing with addictions, self-esteem struggles, grief, intimacy concerns, and sleep and eating problems.
Background and approach
Cynthia uses several well-known methods to guide work in therapy. She blends Emotionally-Focused Therapy to look at how emotions shape relationships, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to clarify values and action, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to change unhelpful thinking and behavior. Attachment-based ideas inform how she thinks about patterns of connection and needs.
She emphasizes practical skills such as setting boundaries, saying no with kindness, and stopping patterns of unhealthy love and codependency. Sessions can include talk, behavioral experiments, and steps to change habits between appointments. The client stays in charge of pace and focus.
Beginning therapy can feel hard, and Cynthia recognizes that from her own experience. She aims to be a steady companion in the work and invites people to take the first step toward change.
Focus areas and approaches
Everything Cynthia lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Stress, Anxiety
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Sleeping disorders
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Depression
- Coping with life changes
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Avoidant personality
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Dependent personality
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fertility issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hoarding
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Cynthia names
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Existential Therapy
- Gottman Method
- Hypnotherapy
- Imago Relationship Therapy
- Jungian Therapy
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.
Online support
How Cynthia’s approaches translate to online therapy
Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) focuses on emotions and connection. In sessions the therapist helps people identify core feelings and how those feelings drive patterns of relating and coping. This can help with intimacy concerns, attachment issues, and strong emotional reactions. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) teaches people to notice thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, then choose actions that match their values. It is useful for anxiety, depression, avoidance, and decisions about meaningful change. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at early and current patterns of connection and helps people develop more supported ways of relating. It supports work on abandonment worries, codependency, and communication difficulties. Cynthia treats finding the right approach as a team project. She talks with each person about their goals, tries options, and adjusts methods based on what feels most helpful. The choice of techniques is shaped by the client's needs, preferences, and progress. Online formats offer practical flexibility. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and nonverbal work. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and text messaging make it possible to exchange updates, practice skills, or get brief coaching between sessions. These options help therapy fit into busy lives and varied schedules.We will earn a commission if you sign up through our link, at no cost to you. It does not change what you pay or the order of the listings.
Questions people ask
What kinds of problems does she help with?
Cynthia helps with addictions, anxiety, depression, stress, grief, self-esteem, relationship and intimacy concerns, eating and sleeping issues, career stress, bipolar symptoms, ADHD, and related concerns.
What is her general therapy style?
She works in a direct and practical way, listening closely and offering tools people can try between sessions. The client sets the pace and goals for therapy.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 27 years of experience as a licensed marriage and family therapist in California and brings personal recovery experience to her clinical work.
What credentials and location are listed?
She holds a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist credential - LMFT - in California and practices from that state.
Which languages are offered and are international clients accepted?
Sessions are offered in English and international clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats are available?
Therapy is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different needs and schedules.
How is cost handled for sessions?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions are provided through a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.
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