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AK Portrait of Anke Kalaiah

Anke Kalaiah

Compassionate, practical therapy for life's challenges

LMFT California

Experience
15 years in practice
Focus areas
Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Family
Approaches
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Client-Centered Therapy
Languages
English, German

About Anke

Anke Kalaiah is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist practicing in California who focuses on helping people navigate stress, anxiety, relationship and family challenges, trauma and abuse, parenting concerns, addiction, grief, and a broad range of life transitions.

Background and approach

She draws on a client-centered stance that respects each person as the authority on their own life while offering practical tools to manage symptoms and improve daily functioning. With 15 years of experience, she blends skills-oriented interventions with a strengths-based, solution-focused outlook to help clients uncover resources and set achievable goals.

Her training includes a master’s degree in counseling psychology from Santa Clara University and a background in social psychology and German from Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany. As an immigrant who has worked across diverse clinical settings, she is familiar with cultural and cross-cultural issues that can complicate adjustment and relationships.

Core methods in her practice include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), mindfulness-based techniques, and motivational interviewing, which she integrates according to each person’s needs and preferences.

Evidence-Informed Approaches and Online Care

Client-Centered Therapy centers the person’s own goals and perspectives, honoring their expertise about their life while the therapist provides empathic listening and support to guide progress. This approach helps when people need validation, clearer direction, or help deciding which concerns to address first.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying links between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and teaching practical strategies to shift unhelpful patterns. It is often useful for anxiety, depression, stress, and other problems where skills for managing symptoms and building new habits are helpful.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) contributes concrete skills for mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness, which can be valuable when emotion management and relationship patterns are central concerns.

Finding the right approach is part of the work; the therapist collaborates with each client to determine which methods or combination of methods best fit their needs, goals, and preferences. That collaborative process helps tailor sessions and adapt techniques over time to match progress and changing priorities.

Online therapy with this clinician can be scheduled as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging, offering flexibility to fit different routines and comfort levels. These formats make it easier to access regular support from home or wherever is convenient, helping people maintain consistency in treatment and apply skills between sessions.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of concerns does she work with?
She works with a wide range of issues including stress, anxiety, relationship and family problems, trauma and abuse, parenting, addictions, grief, mood disorders such as depression and bipolar, ADHD, and related areas like intimacy, anger, and self-esteem.
What therapeutic style can I expect in sessions?
The approach is client-centered and collaborative, using a strengths-based and solution-focused lens while integrating practical techniques from CBT and DBT to teach coping skills and change unhelpful patterns.
How much clinical experience does the therapist have?
The therapist has 15 years of experience working in a variety of clinical settings and with clients from diverse cultural backgrounds.
What are the therapist's credentials and where are they located?
She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with the designation CA LMFT 88556, and she practices in California.
Are sessions available in languages other than English?
Sessions are offered in English and German, and she has experience with multicultural and immigrant issues.
Which session formats are offered for online work?
She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging as options for remote therapy.
How is cost handled for therapy?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability and sessions operate via a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What are the first steps to begin therapy with her?
Begin by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to therapist availability.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Stress, AnxietyRelationship issuesFamily conflictsTrauma and abuseParenting issues

Also works with

AddictionsLGBTGriefIntimacy-related issuesAnger managementSelf esteemCareer difficultiesBipolar disorderDepressionCoping with life changesCoachingCompassion fatigueADHD

Additional focus areas

AbandonmentAdoption and foster careAging and geriatric issuesAttachment issuesBDSM, kink, and alternative sex cultureBlended family issuesCaregiver issues and stressCodependencyCommitment issuesCommunication problemsControl issuesCoping with natural or human-caused disasterDivorce and separationDomestic violenceFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFirst responder issuesForgivenessGuilt and shameImmigration issuesInfidelityIsolation / lonelinessJealousyLife purposeMidlife crisisMoney and financial issuesMood disordersMulticultural concernsPolyamory / non-monogamous relationshipsPostpartum depressionPost-traumatic stressPregnancy and childbirthPrejudice and discriminationSelf-loveSexual assault and abuseSexualitySocial anxiety and phobiaWomen's issuesWorkplace issuesYoung adult issues

Therapeutic approaches

Client-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Mindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingSolution-Focused TherapyTrauma-Focused Therapy

Experience

15+ years

Licensed

California

Languages

English, German