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Cassandra Monfared, AMFT

Associate Marriage & Family Therapist 116018

Supervised by Karina Tamayo, LMFT 93557

"After working over a decade in the mental health field, I found two concepts to be true: unconditional positive regard is one of the most healing ingredients of psychotherapy and thoughts are powerful! Unconditional positive regard is the acceptance of the client, no matter what they do or think, believing that each client is inherently good. I focus on building children’s self-esteem by reflecting their strengths and teaching them skills to cope and thrive. Thoughts drive human behavior. Teaching children the power of their thoughts is advantageous to living a happy and healthy life. By targeting thoughts, behavior changes and children become more at ease and successful in their daily life."

Cassandra received her Master’s in Counseling Psychology from Santa Clara University and is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist supervised by Karina Tamayo. She has worked in a variety of settings including an elementary school, bereavement center, and private mental health practices. Cassandra’s therapeutic approach is eclectic, including various approaches such Person-Centered, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Psychodynamic therapies. Cassandra molds therapeutic sessions for each unique client. She has a warm, accepting and fun approach and likes a good joke. Cassandra works with a variety of clients, such as social anxiety, difficulty with transitions, school refusal and generalized anxiety. 

Licensing and Education

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  • Associate Marriage and Family Therapist #116018

  • Master's in Arts in Counseling Psychology, Santa Clara University

  • Bachelor of Arts in Sociology/Psychology, San Jose State University

  • 200-hour Yoga Teacher Certification, The Joy of Yoga School

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Therapeutic Approaches

     

  • Expressive Arts and Play Therapy

  • Person-Centered Therapy

  • Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

  • Psychodynamic Therapy

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Clinical Background​

     

  • Wellspring Psychology, Los Gatos, CA

    • provided psychotherapy to teens and adults struggling with anxiety and depression

    • conducted intakes and assessments to provide appropriate diagnoses for treatment development

    • collaborated with clients in the development of treatment plans to address client goals

    • maintained client progress notes and collaborated with colleagues to support client work

    • conducted safety assessments and plans when suicidality concerns were present 

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  • Christian Counseling Center, San Jose, CA

    • provided therapy services for children, adults, and couples involving work stress,
      relationship difficulties, depression, and anxiety, and the LGBTQ community

    • managed client referrals and scheduled clients after assessing for their needs

    • co-faciliated workshops on self-care and stress after COVID pandemic​

 

  • Pathways Home Health and Hospice, Sunnyvale, CA

    • provided therapy to children and families, adults, and groups experiencing grief
      and loss

    • conducted intakes with potential clients and began scheduling process to ensure
      clients received support

    • developed outreach work in the community to provide resources/support for those
      grieving the death of a loved one 

    • collaborated with other medical providers

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  • Bay Area Children’s Association (BACA), San Jose, CA​

    • ​provided behavioral support for teens in group therapy within the Intensive
      Outpatient Program (IOP) experiencing significant mental health difficulties such
      as anxiety, depression, suicidal behavior that is affecting their functioning within
      relationships

    • worked with adolescent struggling with school attendance to identify underlying
      reasons/challenges for school refusal

    • focused on developing trust and building positive communication between teens
      and their families for better progress

    • reached out to community to identify build a resourceful community for clients graduating the IOP program

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Associations & Memberships


• California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT)

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