Marianna Birdsong, LCSW

Marianna Birdsong is an LCSW who helps adults manage stress, anxiety, depression, and major life changes. She speaks English and Hungarian and provides services across California via online sessions. Her style aims to be practical and straightforward for people juggling busy lives.

She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which looks at the link between thoughts, feelings, and behavior. She also draws from Client-Centered Therapy to keep sessions focused on the person's priorities and pace. Marianna mixes techniques to match what each person needs in the moment.

Before becoming a therapist she worked as an Emergency Medical Technician and as a peer counselor. Those roles shaped how she listens under pressure and stays calm when situations feel overwhelming. She brings that steady presence into sessions and values clear, direct communication.

Her work often addresses self-esteem, career questions, compassion fatigue, and coping with transitions. She also supports people dealing with trauma, mood challenges, family and blended family concerns, and issues affecting veterans and first responders. Sessions focus on practical steps people can try between meetings.

Marianna frames therapy as a collaborative process. She helps people set small, manageable goals and tracks progress together. The aim is to build tools that make daily life feel more manageable and purposeful.

Therapeutic approaches you can use online

CBT, or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and trying new, practical behaviors to change how people feel. It is commonly used for anxiety, depression, and stress-related problems. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationships affect current patterns with others and can help people change repeating interaction styles and feel more connected.

Marianna approaches therapy as a collaborative process. She will talk with each person about goals and preferences, then try approaches that match those needs. Together they adjust methods if something feels off and keep checking progress so sessions stay useful and focused on what the person wants to achieve.

Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging, which makes therapy easier to fit into a busy life. Video is useful for fuller conversations, phone can work when bandwidth is limited, and chat or text can provide brief check-ins or support between longer sessions. These options offer flexibility for scheduling and for choosing how to connect on any given day.