Lani Stoner, LMFT

Lani Stoner is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) with nearly three decades of clinical experience. She works with people facing stress, anxiety, grief, depression, relationship strain, addiction, and life transitions. Lani also offers support around caregiver strain, chronic illness and pain, cancer-related concerns, and aging and geriatric issues. She aims to help people find practical steps toward better daily functioning and clearer relationships.

She brings a long history in public mental health and private practice, beginning work in the field in the 1970s after earning a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology. Lani has experience with children, adults, and older adults, and has spent years supporting people with major mental illnesses and chronic or intrusive symptoms. Her background includes volunteer and online work with military and veteran populations as well as focused study in gerontology.

In sessions she takes an active, directive stance when helpful, while keeping the work grounded in what each person needs right now. She often uses brief, solution-focused methods alongside client-centered listening and cognitive-behavioral ideas to address thoughts, behaviors, and coping skills. Mindfulness and narrative techniques also appear in her work when they fit a person’s goals.

Lani understands caregiving demands from personal experience and professional practice, and she tries to make therapy practical for busy lives. She has worked in agency settings and private practice across California, and she brings that variety into how she tailors treatment plans.

Her approach is collaborative: she and the client set goals, try focused strategies, and adjust as needed. People who want clear steps and a straightforward process for coping, grieving, or improving relationships often find this style useful.

How her approaches map to online therapy

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on active listening and helping people feel heard while they name their goals. It helps when someone needs a space to sort values, relationships, and feelings and prefers a collaborative conversation.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts and actions influence feelings and teaches practical skills to change unhelpful patterns. It is commonly used for anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and coping with life changes.

Mindfulness Therapy teaches simple attention and breathing practices to reduce reactivity and improve focus. It can help with stress, anger, chronic pain, and emotional regulation.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will discuss goals, try techniques, and adjust based on what helps most. This is a collaborative process that matches methods to a person’s needs and preferences.

Confirm the current online session options before booking, as specific formats are not listed here. Online meetings can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy week, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. They can also let someone work with a licensed professional from another part of California while arranging sessions around caregiving, work, or medical appointments.