Profile / United States
Holly Starr, LMFT
California
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist - Anxiety and Grief
See online therapy options- CBT methods
- Attachment work
- Grief support
About Holly
Holly Starr is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) practicing in California with 25 years of experience. She helps people dealing with stress, anxiety, relationship problems, grief, low self-esteem, depression, trauma and intimacy-related issues. She also works with people coping with life changes and related concerns such as caregiver stress and midlife transitions.
She trained with a BA in English Literature and a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology. Early roles included suicide-prevention hotline work and grief therapy supervision, which shaped her focus on loss, bereavement, and mood disorders. That background informs how she approaches conversations about shame, guilt, and isolation.
Holly uses careful listening and direct observation to help people notice what they are feeling and saying. Sessions often include looking at how thoughts influence choices and behavior, and trying small changes to see what shifts. She mixes practical, structured techniques with time to talk through experiences that feel conflicted or hard to name.
She has experience across ages, having worked with adolescents, adults, and older adults in residential and private practice settings. That range informs how she frames developmental transitions and the stresses that come with them.
Holly invites a straightforward, curious stance in sessions. She encourages clients to describe what feels most urgent and then to test small changes that may improve mood, relationships, or daily functioning. For next steps, visitors are asked to use the online therapy options to complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule a first session.
How her approaches translate to online sessions
Holly integrates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in ways that focus on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing small behavior changes to reduce anxiety or low mood. CBT here is presented as structured, practical steps someone can try between sessions to notice effects on mood and behavior.She also draws on Attachment-Based Therapy to look at relationship patterns and how early bonds shape current connections. That approach helps with intimacy issues, codependency, and family-of-origin concerns by naming recurring interaction styles and practicing different responses.
Choosing the right approach is part of the work. Holly will discuss goals, symptoms, and preferences and then suggest which methods to try first. This is a collaborative process and she adjusts the plan as progress or new issues emerge.
The original biography notes experience with both live talk therapy and online written mediums, but it does not specify which formats are offered now. Confirm current session options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule, allow shorter check-ins when needed, or remove the need to travel to an office. Licensed professionals typically use online options to maintain continuity of care and to work with practical day-to-day problems without requiring in-person visits.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
25+ years
Listed in
California
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she commonly address?
She works with stress, anxiety, relationship problems, grief, low self-esteem, depression, trauma and intimacy-related issues, plus related areas like caregiver stress and midlife crises.
How does she use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
She uses CBT techniques to help people notice unhelpful thoughts and try different responses, linking thoughts to choices and behaviors in practical ways.
What is her professional background?
Holly has 25 years of clinical experience and earlier work on a suicide-prevention hotline and as a grief therapy supervisor, informing her focus on loss and mood issues.
What credentials and location are listed?
She is a California LMFT and practices in California.
In what language are sessions offered?
Sessions are offered in English and international clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats are available?
The original biography mentions both live talk therapy and online written mediums; please confirm current session options before booking.
How does billing or cost work?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are not safe, use the crisis numbers.