- Stress and anxiety
- Family of origin issues
- Mindfulness and CBT
About Velvalee
Dr. Velvalee Reid is a California-licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) with 40 years of clinical experience. She works with adults facing stress, anxiety, relationship and family concerns, and she also addresses parenting challenges and issues connected to trauma and abuse. She helps people who are coping with grief, anger, sleep problems, intimacy concerns, and struggles with self-esteem.
Her style is direct and practical. She treats conversations as a place to notice patterns that started in childhood and still affect daily life. She asks concrete questions about what people do and what they feel, then suggests small experiments to try between sessions. She views clients as the experts on their own stories and looks for strengths to build on.
Dr. Reid uses approaches that include cognitive behavioral techniques, emotion-focused work, elements from the Gottman Method, hypnotherapy, and mindfulness practices. These are offered as tools to address thinking patterns, intense emotions, and recurring relationship behaviors. She helps people apply these tools to problems like communication breakdowns and family-of-origin patterns.
In sessions she mixes talk with practical exercises. That can mean noticing moments that trigger a repeated role from childhood, practicing new ways to speak up, or using mindfulness to reduce arousal. Hypnotherapy may be used when clients and clinician agree it could help with focus or habit change.
People who choose her often want clear, actionable steps and someone who will help them test new behaviors. She works with adults wanting to change longstanding patterns rooted in family dynamics and current relationships.
Therapeutic approaches and online sessions
Dr. Reid uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help people identify unhelpful thoughts and test different behaviors. CBT is practical and often focuses on small experiments to change how someone thinks and acts. Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) is another approach she uses to help people notice and name strong emotions and patterns in relationships. EFT can help when repeated emotional responses undercut connection and problem solving.She also draws on elements of the Gottman Method to address recurring communication problems and interaction cycles. That work looks at specific moments in conversations and teaches skills to reduce escalation and repair ruptures. Choosing which approach to use is a collaborative process. The therapist and client discuss goals, try methods, and adjust based on what helps most. The clinician aims to match techniques to the client's needs and preferences rather than follow a single script.
Session formats are not listed in the biography, so confirm available session options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into daily life by reducing travel and allowing shorter check-ins when schedules are tight. It also lets people continue work with a licensed professional when relocating within the same state. Discuss practical arrangements and session length during the intake so appointments fit into everyday routines.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
40+ years
Listed in
California
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she work with?
She works with stress, anxiety, relationship and family concerns. Other areas include parenting, grief, intimacy, sleep problems, anger, and self-esteem.
What is her basic approach in sessions?
She combines cognitive behavioral techniques, emotion-focused work, Gottman-informed methods, hypnotherapy, and mindfulness. Sessions mix conversation with practical exercises and suggested experiments between meetings.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 40 years of professional experience working in therapeutic settings. That background informs a practice focused on longstanding patterns and concrete skills.
What credential does she hold and where does she practice?
She is a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) in California and practices there.
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside the United States work with her?
She is not accepting international clients. Prospective clients should confirm location compatibility before booking.
How are fees and payments handled?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time. Specific pricing is provided during the intake process.
How do I begin if I want to work with her?
Start by selecting the See online therapy options button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and scheduling a first session.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger, use the emergency numbers. Looking for someone else? Find them by surname.