Lesley Schwam

Lesley Schwam is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) based in California. She draws on practical, goal-focused methods to help people manage stress, anxiety, depression, and changes in life roles. Lesley uses clear, everyday language in sessions so clients know what to expect and can act on what they learn right away.

She typically emphasizes small, steady changes people can make day to day. That includes building self-care routines, learning coping skills for panic or grief, and practicing boundary setting. Lesley also supports people working through addiction, trauma, anger, and body image concerns. Eating and food-related issues are part of her practice focus as well.

Lesley combines Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with Solution-Focused Therapy to help people identify unhelpful patterns and set achievable goals. In early sessions she focuses on skills that bring quick relief, such as grounding for anxiety or stepwise plans for difficult changes. Later work often shifts to longer-term habits and communication strategies.

Clients can expect straightforward conversations about what’s getting in the way of goals. Therapy often includes homework between sessions to try new behaviors and test what works. Lesley aims to help people notice progress and build confidence through measurable steps.

With 12 years of clinical experience, she has supported people through grief, career transitions, caregiver stress, chronic illness, and family origin issues. Lesley works in English and practices in California.

How Lesley Uses CBT and Solution-Focused Work Online

Lesley draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people identify patterns of thought and behavior that feed anxiety, depression, or unhealthy habits. CBT sessions focus on practical tools such as breaking tasks into small steps, testing new behaviors, and tracking what helps reduce symptoms.

She also uses Solution-Focused Therapy to set concrete, short-term goals and find immediate next steps. That approach helps people notice small wins and build momentum toward larger changes, which can be useful for career shifts, grief recovery, or managing caregiver stress.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Lesley will talk with each person about their needs, goals, and preferences and then recommend techniques to try. The process is collaborative and adjusted over time based on what helps most.

Session formats are not specified in the biography, so confirm current session options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit meetings into a busy day, reduce travel time, and use shorter check-ins when needed. It also allows practicing skills in the context of everyday routines, then reviewing how those attempts went with the therapist to refine plans.