Cheryl Youngblood , LCSW

Cheryl Youngblood is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) based in California who draws on a long history of work with children, adolescents, and families. She began her professional path in foster and adoptive services, including leadership as a director of a foster/adopt agency, which shaped her focus on trauma, domestic violence, self-injurious behaviors, and other complex mental health concerns. Her clinical orientation is rooted in compassion, respect for lived experience, and a strengths-based, holistic perspective that attends to physical, emotional, and psychological needs.

Gerontology-informed and interested in supporting mature adults, she works with issues such as retirement adjustment, grief, existential worries, transitions to assisted living, and cognitive challenges. She also supports family caregivers who balance care responsibilities with their own life demands, offering strategies to reduce caregiver stress and manage competing priorities. Cheryl emphasizes practical, present-focused interventions and mindfulness to help clients reengage with the here and now.

Her therapeutic style is client-centered and eclectic, integrating evidence-informed practices when helpful. She introduces calming tools and skills such as guided imagery, breathing exercises, sensory supports, tapping, and meditation to build resilience and emotional regulation. Cheryl provides an empathetic, nonjudgmental space where clients are encouraged to draw on their strengths and collaborate on meaningful steps toward recovery and growth.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Cheryl draws from client-centered therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and emotionally-focused therapy (EFT) to tailor care to each person. Client-centered therapy emphasizes empathy and collaboration, helping clients identify their own goals and build on personal strengths. CBT focuses on identifying and reshaping unhelpful thoughts and behaviors to reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress. EFT attends to emotional bonds and patterns in relationships, supporting repair and deeper connection for couples and individuals experiencing relational distress.

Choosing the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Cheryl works collaboratively with clients to explore which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences, adjusting techniques as progress unfolds to ensure a good therapeutic fit.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility - sessions can occur by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to accommodate different schedules and comfort levels. These options make it easier to maintain consistent care, access support from home, and integrate therapeutic work into daily life while still working with licensed professionals and therapists committed to meaningful outcomes.