Dr. Cynthia Curnan , LMFT

Dr. Cynthia Curnan brings more than three decades of clinical experience to her work with people facing stress, anxiety, relationship challenges, trauma, grief, and intimacy-related concerns. She began her professional path as a teacher of Inner Guidance and later trained others in that curriculum, emphasizing underused inner capacities such as intuition, insight, instinct, imagination, and deeper intelligence that strengthen with practice. Her approach blends that early teaching with formal clinical training to help clients gain clearer self-knowledge and move beyond patterns formed in childhood that limit growth.

She earned a PhD in psychology in 1996 and is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist - LMFT - practicing in California. Dr. Curnan is the author of The Care and Feeding of Perfectionists, published in 1998, a work that explores how perfectionism can block self-acceptance and how people can replace perfectionistic drives with an inner orientation toward excellence. In her practice she guides clients to identify which parts of themselves are doing their thinking and decision-making so they can develop greater self-mastery and clearer goals.

Her therapeutic toolkit includes trauma identification and healing, EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing), FLASH (an offshoot of EMDR), interactive hypnotherapy, dream analysis, inner child work, focused meditation, conscious breathing, and couples counseling. She uses these methods alongside talk therapy to address issues such as abandonment, caregiver stress, chronic pain and illness, communication problems, forgiveness, guilt and shame, hoarding, hospice and end-of-life concerns, jealousy, midlife crisis, and life purpose. Humor, goal setting, and practical steps to dismantle perfectionism are also part of her work, all aimed at helping people become more present, accept personal power, and move toward meaningful accomplishments.

Dr. Curnan helps individuals and couples unravel recurring predicaments, cultivate resilience, and translate insight into action so that healing and achievement become more attainable parts of everyday life.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Dr. Cynthia Curnan uses evidence-informed methods adapted for remote work to address trauma, anxiety, relationship strain, and related concerns. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, helps clients identify unhelpful thoughts and behaviors and then practice new skills to reduce distress and improve daily functioning. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, EMDR, supports the processing of traumatic memories through guided attention and bilateral stimulation to lessen the emotional charge attached to past events. Trauma-Focused Therapy centers on understanding and healing the effects of trauma on thinking, emotions, and relationships, using targeted techniques to restore a sense of safety and agency.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Dr. Curnan works collaboratively with clients to determine which methods best fit their needs, goals, and preferences, and she adjusts plans as progress is made. That collaborative exploration helps ensure therapy feels practical and aligned with each person’s priorities.

Online sessions offer flexibility and accessibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules, support continuity of care when travel or distance is a factor, and allow clients to engage in treatment from settings that feel comfortable to them. Licensed professionals can adapt the same therapeutic techniques used in person to remote formats to support meaningful change.