Dr. James Cardellino

Welcome to my practice. I have a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and I am a licensed psychologist in the state of California. I have many years of experience working with a variety of clients including: children, veterans, hospital inpatients and outpatients, mental health clinics, and individuals in private practice. My orientation is cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) and I received my year-long training and became a consultant at the Atlanta Center for Cognitive Behavior Therapy. I also believe that trust is a central part of therapy and it is my responsibility to earn your trust. It is incredibly important that I have an accurate understanding of you, your situation and any problems you may be facing currently. I will rely on your guidance to ensure my understanding of you is accurate.

If you are new to therapy, then therapy might be best described as a conversation where we talk about the issues important to you and devise therapy goals to help you to solve your problems and reduce your stress. Many of my clients seek therapy to help them cope with the uncomfortable emotions of anger, sadness and anxiety. The goal is to realistically sort through these thoughts and feelings and to use effective coping skills to manage any difficulties that may arise because of these feelings. I use these therapy tools myself and effectively manage my uncomfortable feelings. I want to teach you how you, too, can be your own therapist.

Whether you are new to therapy or not, our first session will be a time where we get to know each other and collaborate on our therapy goals. We might discuss any previous experiences you have had with therapy and your goals today. I like to be relaxed, accepting and focused on the areas that will give you the most benefit.