Dr. Lita Carvalho, LMFT
Compassionate practical therapy for everyday challenges
About Lita
Dr. Lita Carvalho helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, addiction, trauma, grief, parenting strain, and challenges with self-esteem and intimacy.
Background and approach
She also supports those coping with ADHD, bipolar concerns, eating or sleeping troubles, and questions around career or life changes. Dr.
Carvalho practices in California and brings 20 years of experience as a licensed marriage and family therapist. She speaks English and uses straightforward, practical methods in sessions.
Her style is calm and client-centered. She listens first, then helps people set clear goals they can try between meetings.
Sessions are collaborative and focused on small, doable steps rather than long lectures. People can expect tools for managing strong emotions, building routines, and improving communication.
Dr. Carvalho draws on several evidence-based approaches.
She uses cognitive behavioral techniques to change thinking patterns and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help people clarify values and take committed action. Attachment-based ideas help with relationship and intimacy concerns, and dialectical behavior skills teach emotion regulation and distress tolerance.
She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different needs and schedules. Therapy uses a subscription model that can be canceled at any time, with session cost varying by location and therapist availability.
International clients are not accepted; sessions are provided in English in California. To begin, clients select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule appointments according to the therapist’s availability.
Dr. Carvalho aims to move at each person’s pace and to build practical strategies that fit real life.
Therapy approaches to use online
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice unhelpful thoughts, clarify what matters to them, and take small steps toward those values. It can be useful for anxiety, depression, and navigating life changes.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking and testing new behaviors. CBT is often used for anxiety, depression, sleep or eating issues, and many day-to-day problems.
Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationships shape current connection and trust. It can help with intimacy concerns, communication problems, and attachment issues.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with each person about their needs, goals, and preferences, and then try methods together to see what fits best. That collaboration lets the plan change over time as progress is made.
Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to make therapy easier to fit into life. Video lets people talk face to face, phone can work when bandwidth is limited, live chat or text messaging can be used for shorter check-ins or when typing feels easier. These options allow scheduling across busy days and make follow-up between sessions simpler.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
Also works with
- Abandonment
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Co-morbidity
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Depression
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Hearing impaired
- Hoarding
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Immigration issues
- Impulsivity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Parenting issues
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexuality
- Sleeping disorders
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Trauma and abuse
- Trichotillomania
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Visually impaired
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Existential Therapy
- Gottman Method
- Imago Relationship Therapy
- Jungian Therapy
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Somatic Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
- Experience
- 20 years
- Licensed
- California
- Languages
- English