ChangeAtYourPace.org Need help now?

Therapist listings are provided by BetterHelp. We will earn a commission at no additional cost to you if you use our links to purchase.

Carey Alvord

Carey Alvord

LMFT

California

Attachment-focused therapist with practical skills

Continue with Carey

At a glance

Credentials
LMFT
License
LMFT, California / 44400
Experience
23 years
Languages
English
Location
California

Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.

    • Attachment work
    • Motivational interviewing
    • Mindfulness focus

    About Carey

    Carey Alvord is a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) practicing in California. She brings over 23 years of experience to work with people dealing with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, parenting challenges, and compassion fatigue. Carey focuses on helping parents and adults who want clearer understanding of attachment and how early loss or trauma affects relationships.

    Carey emphasizes emotional safety in sessions. She creates an open but structured space where thoughts and feelings can be shared without judgment. Sessions aim to help people name patterns, try new ways of relating, and build more satisfying connections.

    Her approach draws on attachment-based therapy and mindfulness, along with motivational interviewing to help clients find their own reasons for change. Carey also uses elements of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and narrative therapy to strengthen coping skills and reframe personal stories.

    She has worked with parents - biological, foster, adoptive, and relative caregivers - on attachment-centered parenting strategies and on supporting parent-child relationships. Carey also supports teens and adults seeking to understand attachment patterns related to childhood loss and developmental trauma.

    Carey describes therapy as a collaborative process. She helps people set practical goals and tries techniques that fit each person’s needs. To begin, prospective clients follow the site's Start Therapy process and schedule sessions according to availability.

  2. How her approaches translate to online therapy

    Carey draws on motivational interviewing, attachment-based therapy, and mindfulness in her work. Motivational interviewing focuses on helping people clarify their own reasons for change and build motivation step by step. Attachment-based therapy looks at patterns formed in close relationships and helps people practice new ways of relating. Mindfulness therapy teaches simple attention and breathing practices to reduce reactivity and improve emotional regulation.

    Choosing a therapeutic approach is a shared process. Carey will talk with each person about goals and preferences and then suggest ways of working that feel right. She adapts techniques so clients can try them between sessions and notice what helps most.

    Session format options are not specified in the biography, so confirm current session formats before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit appointments into a busy life, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-in meetings on hectic days. It can also support consistent practice of mindfulness exercises and skills learned in DBT or motivational interviewing, helping people apply new habits in day-to-day routines.

  4. Areas of expertise

    Primary focus

    Stress, AnxietyFamily conflictsTrauma and abuseParenting issuesCompassion fatigue

    Additional focus areas

    AbandonmentAdoption and foster careAttachment issuesBlended family issuesCaregiver issues and stressChronic pain, illness, and disabilityDissociationFertility issuesForgivenessImmigration issuesLife purposeVeteran and Armed Forces IssuesMulticultural concernsPost-traumatic stressWomen's issuesYoung adult issues

    Therapeutic approaches

    Attachment-Based TherapyDialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Mindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingNarrative TherapySolution-Focused TherapyTrauma-Focused TherapySystemic Therapy

    Experience

    23+ years

    Listed in

    California

    Languages

    English

  5. Frequently asked questions

    What kinds of concerns does Carey help with?

    She helps people facing stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, parenting challenges, and compassion fatigue, plus related issues such as attachment problems, adoption and foster care matters, and post-traumatic stress.

    How would you describe her therapeutic style?

    Carey uses a collaborative, structured style that emphasizes emotional safety. She combines reflective listening with practical skill-building to help people make changes that fit their lives.

    What is her clinical background and experience?

    She has 23 years of professional experience working with attachment, developmental trauma, and parent-child relationships.

    What credential does she hold and where is she located?

    Carey is a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) licensed in California.

    Which languages are sessions offered in?

    Sessions are offered in English.

    Can people outside the United States work with her?

    She does not accept international clients at this time.

    How are session costs handled?

    Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.

    How do I begin working with Carey?

    Use the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions based on the therapist's availability.

  6. Online talk therapy is not emergency or medical care. Stopping or cutting down alcohol or other drugs can be unsafe without medical advice. In immediate danger? Crisis numbers

Back to all therapists

Carey Alvord Continue with Carey