- Practical skill building
- Focus on values
- Thirty years experience
About Arlene
Dr. Arlene Unger uses straightforward, practical therapies to help people manage stress and anxiety. She is a California psychologist with three decades of experience. Her approach is aimed at helping clients find useful skills for everyday life and greater emotional balance.
She offers help for a wide range of concerns, including panic disorder and panic attacks, depression, grief, and substance-related struggles. She also addresses relationship and intimacy issues, sleep and eating problems, ADHD, and work or career stress. Sessions focus on learning tools that reduce symptoms and improve daily functioning.
Her work draws from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Emotionally-Focused Therapy. These approaches are used to change unhelpful thinking, build values-based actions, and strengthen emotional connections. The goal is practical change rather than theory alone.
Dr. Unger holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology and maintains her CA Psychologist license 15383. She also brings training in nutrition, mindfulness, life coaching, and substance abuse support to inform treatment planning. That background can shape how she and a client set goals and track progress.
To begin the process clients complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule based on availability. Sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time. People interested in working on panic, anxiety, or related concerns are invited to explore whether her style fits their needs.
How her approaches translate to online work
Dr. Unger uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors that fuel anxiety and panic. CBT focuses on practical strategies like testing fearful predictions and changing routines to reduce symptoms.She also draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which helps people clarify what matters to them and take steps toward those values even when emotions are difficult. ACT offers exercises for handling uncomfortable feelings without getting stuck by them.
Finding the right approach is part of the process. The therapist works collaboratively to choose strategies that match a person’s goals, preferences, and day-to-day demands. Together they track what helps and adjust the plan over time.
Session formats are not specified in the provided biography, so confirm current options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule, shorten travel time, and allow for flexible check-ins during a lunch break or between commitments. It can also let people pace sessions differently, for example using shorter visits for symptom check-ins or longer meetings for deeper skill practice.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
30+ years
Listed in
California
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she help with?
She works with many concerns such as stress, anxiety, panic disorder and panic attacks, depression, addictions, grief, and relationship issues.
What is her therapeutic style like?
The style is practical and collaborative, drawing on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Emotionally-Focused Therapy to teach skills and set concrete goals.
How much experience does she have?
She has 30 years of clinical experience working with adults on a wide range of emotional and behavioral concerns.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology and is a CA Psychologist, license number 15383, practicing in California.
Does she offer sessions in other languages?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can international clients work with her?
International clients are not currently accepted.
How does payment and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I start a session?
Click the Start Therapy button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.