About Leslie
Leslie Libutti is a licensed clinical social worker in California with 20 years of experience helping people manage stress, anxiety, grief, low self-esteem, depression, and life transitions. She invites people to clarify goals, identify strengths, and build practical coping skills. Leslie uses straightforward conversation and close listening to make space for change.
Her style is collaborative and down-to-earth. She helps people see the habits and beliefs that get in the way.
Background and approach
When those patterns are clear, new choices become possible. Sessions may be direct and goal-focused or more reflective, depending on what a person needs. Leslie draws on client-centered therapy to follow each person’s pace and priorities.
She uses cognitive behavioral ideas to spot unhelpful thinking and try different behaviors. She also incorporates existential approaches to address questions about meaning and life direction. Poetry is sometimes part of the work.
Reading or writing a poem can help name feelings and open new ways of understanding difficult experiences like loss or shame. Leslie weaves brief poetry exercises into sessions when they feel useful. Practical concerns such as caregiver stress, aging issues, body image, and communication problems are included in her focus.
She helps people work through guilt, forgiveness, isolation, and the search for purpose. The aim is steady progress and clearer choices. To begin, Leslie asks people to look at current strengths and next steps.
She emphasizes honest effort, small experiments, and the real possibility of feeling more in control over time.
Therapeutic approaches and online care
Leslie uses client-centered therapy to follow what matters most to the person. That approach focuses on listening, empathy, and helping people set their own pace and goals. It works well for building trust and naming personal strengths.She also uses cognitive behavioral therapy, which looks at the link between thoughts, feelings, and actions. CBT helps people identify unhelpful thinking patterns and try small behavior changes to reduce anxiety and improve mood. Existential therapy is another thread in her work and focuses on life questions like meaning, purpose, and making choices when things feel uncertain.
Choosing an approach is a collaborative process. Leslie will help figure out what fits based on the client’s concerns, goals, and preferences. She often blends elements from different approaches to match what someone needs that week or month.
Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging for flexibility. Video sessions support face-to-face connection, phone works well when bandwidth is limited, and text or chat can suit shorter check-ins or busy schedules. These options make it easier to keep therapy consistent around work, caregiving, or other commitments.
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What this therapist works with
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Also listed
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 20 years
- Licensed
- California
- Languages
- English
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