- CBT and solution-focused
- DBT skills and MI
- Family systems perspective
About Andrea
Andrea McLellan is a California LMFT with 14 years of clinical experience. She works with adults on common concerns such as stress, anxiety, depression, relationship strain, parenting stress, addiction, grief, trauma, and anger. Andrea also supports people dealing with sleep and eating problems, self-esteem struggles, career issues, and mood conditions including bipolar disorder.
She combines practical, goal-focused methods with attention to deeper patterns that keep problems repeating. Andrea often uses solution-focused work and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to set clear, realistic goals and reduce distressing symptoms. She also draws on Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Narrative Therapy, and psychodynamic ideas to understand how early family dynamics shape current behavior.
Andrea has worked in forensic consultation and teaches psychology at a university. That background means she often looks closely at how family systems, trauma, and past harm shape present struggles. She notes how childhood exposure to family chaos can pass patterns across generations, and she helps clients identify those underlying dynamics.
In sessions she emphasizes awareness, responsibility, courage, and forgiveness as parts of recovery. She favors practical steps people can try between meetings, and she works with clients to build specific tools for managing anger, panic, or difficult reactions at work and home.
Outside work she enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, bird-watching, and camping. Andrea also offers informed support for first responders and others exposed to repeated trauma who need to process acute or ongoing stress.
How Andrea’s approaches translate to online work
Andrea commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy in her practice. CBT focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing them with small behavioral experiments to reduce distress. DBT teaches concrete skills for managing strong emotions, tolerating distress, and improving interpersonal effectiveness.She also uses Motivational Interviewing when people struggle with change. That method helps clarify goals and increase motivation by exploring ambivalence rather than pushing decisions. Andrea treats finding the right approach as a collaborative process; she and the client review needs, goals, and preferences and adapt methods over time.
Confirm the available session formats before booking, since specific online options are not listed here. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time so sessions can occur between obligations. These practical benefits can help people practice skills in the settings where problems arise and apply strategies between meetings.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
14+ years
Listed in
California
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she help with?
Andrea works with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and parenting concerns, addictions, grief, trauma, anger, and related issues such as sleep, eating, and self-esteem.
What is her therapeutic style?
She uses practical, goal-driven methods and combines solution-focused techniques with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to reduce symptoms and set clear goals.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 14 years of clinical experience and also teaches psychology at a university while doing forensic consultation work.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is a California LMFT and provides services while based in California.
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside the US work with her?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How are sessions arranged and what formats are used?
Please confirm current session options before booking; the profile does not list specific session formats.
How much does therapy cost and how do subscriptions work?
Cost varies with location; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.