Octavia Macklin, LMFT

Octavia Macklin is a licensed marriage and family therapist in California with three years of clinical experience. She also brings more than a decade of prior work in addiction recovery to her sessions. Her style is straightforward and grounded, aimed at helping people gain clarity and make changes that matter.

She centers Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in her work to help people identify and shift unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. She also draws on existential and psychodynamic ideas when those perspectives suit a person's goals. Motivational Interviewing and solution-focused techniques are used to build momentum and practical steps forward.

Octavia helps people dealing with depression, anxiety, relationship strain, and struggles with self-esteem and confidence. She supports those facing life transitions, career questions, grief, and issues related to addiction and substance use. Topics such as attachment, body image, codependency, and intimacy-related concerns are part of her practice as well.

Her sessions tend to be direct and experiential. She encourages honest conversation and uses hands-on strategies that people can try between meetings. The work often involves setting small goals, testing new behaviors, and reviewing what helped or didn’t help.

She approaches each person as the expert on their life and frames therapy as a collaborative process. People who are ready to make tangible changes and want a practical, person-focused approach may find this style helpful.

How therapeutic approaches translate to online sessions

Octavia integrates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors; CBT often involves practical exercises and homework that fit well with remote work. She also uses Existential Therapy to help people reflect on meaning, values, and life choices when facing transitions or deep questions. Motivational Interviewing is another tool she uses to build motivation and uncover personal reasons for change, often useful for addiction and behavior change efforts.

Finding the right approach is usually a collaborative process. Octavia works with each person to decide which methods match their goals and preferences. She reviews what’s working and adjusts the plan over time so therapy stays focused and useful.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video sessions allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues, phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited, live chat can be a good option for shorter focused check-ins, and messaging supports ongoing reflection between meetings. These options make therapy more flexible for people juggling work, caregiving, or travel while still doing meaningful therapeutic work.