Ericka Lara, LCSW

Licensed in California · 21 years in practice

Ericka Lara uses a client-centered approach to help people feel heard and understood.

License and registration

LCSW, California: 89322 · expires June 2027
NPI: 1467275586 · national provider identifier
Years in practice: 21
Languages: English

Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check any license with the state board and any NPI with the national registry.

About Ericka

Ericka Lara uses a client-centered approach to help people feel heard and understood. She is a licensed clinical social worker - LCSW - in California with more than two decades of work in counseling. Her style is warm and straightforward, so people can talk through worry, sadness, and relationship strain without feeling judged.

She focuses on stress, anxiety, grief, and depression, and helps with relationship and family concerns. She also supports people dealing with caregiver stress, communication problems, divorce and separation, and workplace issues.

Background and approach

Sessions are practical and aimed at making day-to-day life more manageable. Ericka often draws on narrative therapy ideas to help people reframe stories that keep them stuck. That approach looks at how personal stories shape feelings and behavior, and then explores different ways to tell those stories.

Clients learn to see options and make small changes that add up over time. Sessions usually start by listening to what matters most to the person, then setting clear, achievable goals. She helps people work through guilt, shame, loneliness, and questions about life purpose or self-love.

Communication skills and forgiveness work are common topics. Ericka welcomes English-speaking clients in California and beyond. She encourages those who are nervous about starting therapy to take the first step and complete a short matching questionnaire to find a good fit.

Focus areas and approaches

Everything Ericka lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.

Approaches Ericka names

Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.

Online support

How client-centered and narrative approaches work online

Client-centered therapy focuses on listening closely and responding to what matters most to each person. In this approach the therapist reflects feelings, asks gentle questions, and helps clients set clear, achievable goals. It is useful for anxiety, depression, relationship strain, and stress because it starts with the client's own priorities.

Narrative therapy looks at the stories people tell about themselves and their lives. The therapist helps identify limiting storylines and then explores alternative ways to describe a problem. This can help with grief, guilt, shame, isolation, and finding a clearer life purpose.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with the client about goals and preferences and then suggest ways to work together. Together they can try different methods and adjust the plan as needed to find what helps most.

Online sessions are offered by licensed professionals using video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Video is good for a fuller face-to-face feel, phone works well when bandwidth is limited, live chat and messaging fit quick check-ins or times when typing feels easier. These options make it simpler to fit therapy around work, caregiving, and busy schedules, and they allow people outside California to take part in English-language sessions.

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Questions people ask

What kinds of concerns does she address?

She works with stress, anxiety, grief, depression, relationship and family concerns. Additional focuses include caregiver stress, workplace issues, and women's issues.

How would you describe her therapeutic style?

Her style is client-centered and warm, creating space for people to share without judgment. She also uses narrative therapy to help reframe personal stories.

How much experience does she have?

She has 21 years of professional experience in counseling and social work settings. That background informs her practical, steady approach to common life challenges.

Where is she licensed and based?

She is a licensed clinical social worker - LCSW - in California. Sessions are offered to people in California and to international clients who can work in English.

Which languages are supported?

Sessions are offered in English. International clients may participate as long as English sessions meet their needs.

What session formats are available?

She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Different formats fit different schedules and comfort levels.

How is cost handled?

Cost varies with location and therapist availability and uses a subscription model. The subscription can be canceled at any time.

How do I begin working together?

Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions based on the therapist's availability.

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