Federico Rolandi
I’m a California Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a warm, direct, practical, and collaborative style. I try to create a space that feels human rather than overly clinical, where clients can be honest, use humor when appropriate, and feel understood without being judged. My work is structured and goal-oriented, but I adapt therapy to the individual rather than expecting every client to fit one approach. I often help clients recognize patterns, understand where they come from, challenge beliefs that are no longer helping them, and translate insight into realistic changes in relationships, work, emotional regulation, and everyday life. My approach integrates CBT, DBT-informed skills, attachment and family-of-origin work, trauma-informed care, strengths-based therapy, motivational interviewing, and practical life-skills interventions. I have experience working with anxiety, depression, ADHD, trauma, substance-use and recovery concerns, relationship difficulties, identity and LGBTQ+ issues, life transitions, emotional regulation, and self-esteem. My background includes telehealth, private practice, outpatient and residential behavioral health settings, working with diverse adults, adolescents, couples, and families. I provide therapy in both English and Spanish and particularly value helping clients build self-awareness, confidence, healthier boundaries, stronger communication, and a life that feels more aligned with who they actually are.
First session
When I first meet a client, couple, or family, I try to understand the person before trying to “fix” the problem. I want to know what is happening now, what has happened before, what patterns keep repeating, and what the client would genuinely like to change. My style is warm, conversational, direct, and practical. I use CBT, DBT-informed skills, attachment and family-of-origin work, trauma-informed approaches, psychoeducation, role-play, humor when appropriate, and concrete exercises that clients can use outside of therapy. With individuals, I often focus on understanding emotional patterns, self-esteem, anxiety, ADHD, relationships, identity, boundaries, and life transitions. With couples, I pay close attention to communication, emotional needs, conflict patterns, assumptions, and helping each partner understand the experience of the other rather than simply determining who is “right.” With families, I look at roles, expectations, boundaries, communication, and how past experiences continue to influence present relationships. I adapt the therapy to the person rather than expecting the person to adapt to one particular therapeutic model.
Strengths
My approach to therapy has also been shaped by my own life experiences. I have lived and traveled in different countries, experienced different cultures, languages, ways of thinking, and ways of living, and I have also gone through my own periods of struggle, change, uncertainty, and personal growth. Those experiences taught me that there is rarely only one “right” way to live a life. They helped me become more adaptable, curious, and comfortable working with people whose backgrounds, values, identities, or experiences may be very different from my own. I consider myself multicultural and open-minded, and I try to approach people from a broad, humanistic perspective rather than through rigid assumptions. I value dialogue, curiosity, education, and the ability to respectfully explore different viewpoints. I don't believe therapy should be a place where a therapist imposes personal, cultural, religious, or political beliefs. My role is to understand the client's world, help them explore their own values, and support them in making decisions that are authentic to who they are. Teaching and learning are also important parts of how I work. I enjoy helping clients understand why certain patterns happen—not simply telling them what to do. At the same time, I continue learning from my clients, because every person's experience offers a different perspective. For me, therapy is a collaborative process: part psychology, part education, part human connection, and ultimately an opportunity to help someone create meaningful change in their own life.
Ideal clients
My ideal client is someone who may appear functional on the outside but knows that something in their life is no longer working the way they want it to. They may be dealing with anxiety, ADHD, depression, relationship difficulties, family conflict, career uncertainty, grief, identity questions, major life transitions, or simply the feeling that they have reached a point where they want something different. For example, this could be someone in their 40s or 50s who has built a career and relationships but is now questioning old expectations, trying to create healthier boundaries, improve communication, understand themselves better, or decide what the next chapter of life should look like. I work particularly well with clients who are curious about themselves and willing to participate actively in therapy—even if they are not yet sure what needs to change. The goal is not perfection. It is greater self-awareness, emotional flexibility, healthier relationships, stronger confidence, and building a life that feels more authentic and manageable.
Treatment methods
Psychodynamic
My approach is integrative and tailored to the individual client rather than based on one rigid therapeutic model. The length of treatment, presenting concern, personality, and the client’s immediate goals all influence the interventions I use. When a client presents with a specific or time-limited concern and is looking for concrete change, I may use solution-focused interventions and other structured, short-term strategies. For anxiety, behavioral patterns, negative thinking, or situations in which psychoeducation and practical skills are particularly helpful, I frequently incorporate CBT, cognitive reframing, behavioral exercises, relaxation techniques, and coping-skills training. At the same time, the foundation of my work is strongly psychodynamic and humanistic, with psychoanalytic influences. Even when we are addressing a current problem, I often become curious about where the pattern began. I explore family-of-origin experiences, relationships with parents and caregivers, attachment, early messages about the self, unconscious or repetitive relational patterns, and how those experiences may continue to influence the client’s present life. I combine that deeper exploration with unconditional positive regard, empathy, and respect for the client’s individual experience. My goal is not only to reduce symptoms, but to help clients understand themselves more fully and develop changes that are meaningful and sustainable.
Location
Virtual sessions
Identifies as
Top specialties
Doesn't specialize in
Licensed in
- CaliforniaLicense 158164