About Gerardo
Gerardo Puga Cervantes is a licensed marriage and family therapist who aims to help people feel heard and understood. He focuses on building a comfortable, respectful rapport so clients can talk about what matters most to them. Gerardo works in both English and Spanish and provides services to people in California and beyond.
Gerardo uses a straightforward, client-centered style in sessions. He listens without judgment and treats the client as the expert on their own life.
How Gerardo works
Conversations focus on real problems like stress, anxiety, addiction, depression, grief, self-esteem, and relationship concerns. His approach draws on several practical therapies. He blends acceptance and commitment strategies, attachment-informed ideas, and cognitive tools to address thinking patterns and behaviors.
Dialectical methods and person-centered techniques are also used when they fit the issue at hand. Gerardo brings ten years of professional experience as a LMFT - licensed marriage and family therapist in California. He has worked with a wide range of concerns including trauma and abuse, bipolar disorder, ADHD, compassion fatigue, and sexual diversity topics such as kink and alternative sex culture.
Sessions may include short-term skill building or longer work on deep-seated issues. He aims to help people develop clearer values, better emotion regulation, and stronger communication. The style is collaborative and goal-focused, with practical steps between sessions.
Gerardo lists 10 ways of working on the entry:
What Gerardo works with
The areas below are the ones Gerardo selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
Also listed
- Abandonment
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Career difficulties
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Family conflicts
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Post-traumatic stress
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Sex addiction
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Workplace issues
Training and background
| Register | LMFT |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 10 |
| Languages | English, Spanish |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | California |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
Therapeutic approaches and online care
Gerardo often uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which helps people clarify personal values and take steps toward them even when difficult feelings are present. ACT can be useful for anxiety, depression, and coping with life changes. He also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify unhelpful thinking patterns and practice different responses; CBT is practical for anxiety, depression, and impulsivity.Finding the right approach is part of the work. Gerardo collaborates with each person to decide which methods fit their goals and preferences. He adjusts techniques over time so the plan stays aligned with progress and changing needs.
Online therapy is offered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to make care flexible. Video sessions let people use visual cues for deeper conversation, while phone calls can be easier when bandwidth is limited. Live chat or text-based messaging can work well for quick check-ins, short coaching, or when writing helps process thoughts. These options let people fit therapy into busy schedules and access licensed professionals from different locations.
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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