IFSTherapists

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LCSW

Lisa Rakusin, LCSW

  • Experience11 years
  • LocationCalifornia
  • Focus areasStress and Anxiety, Family, and Grief
  • Therapy approachesInternal Family Systems and Attachment-Based Therapy
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About Lisa

Lisa Rakusin is a licensed clinical social worker in California who emphasizes collaboration and practical support for people facing stress, anxiety, grief, and major life transitions.

Background and approach

With 11 years of clinical experience, she centers the client as the expert in their own story and draws on a range of therapeutic tools to help people build on strengths and find new ways forward. She frames therapy as a courageous step toward a more satisfying life and offers steady guidance while clients explore change.

Her work frequently addresses trauma, relationship difficulties, intimacy concerns, and coping with addiction and mood disorders, along with issues related to self-esteem, career, parenting, and compassion fatigue. Lisa integrates approaches such as Internal Family Systems, attachment-informed perspectives, and client-centered principles alongside cognitive and emotion-focused strategies to tailor support to each person’s needs.

Her style balances empathy with practical skill-building, aiming to empower clients as they navigate healing and growth.

Integrating approaches for online healing and growth



Internal Family Systems (IFS) invites clients to explore the different parts of themselves with curiosity and compassion, helping to identify protective and wounded aspects and to develop internal leadership. This approach can be useful for trauma recovery, patterns of self-criticism, and complex emotional responses. Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on relationships and how early bonding shapes current connection styles; it helps people understand relational patterns and build more supported, repair-oriented ways of relating. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes empathy, unconditional positive regard, and collaboration, creating a space where clients are heard and guided at their own pace.

Finding the right combination of these approaches is part of the work, and the therapist collaborates with each person to tailor techniques to their goals, needs, and preferences. Sessions often blend exploratory, experiential, and skills-based methods so that treatment fits the client rather than forcing a single model.

Online therapy offers flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, making it easier to schedule consistent sessions around work and family life. These formats support ongoing progress by allowing check-ins and timely interventions between appointments, while preserving the same therapeutic aims of insight, symptom relief, and improved day-to-day functioning.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of concerns can Lisa help with?
She works with a range of issues including stress, anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, relationship and intimacy challenges, addictions, parenting and career concerns, and coping with life changes.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her approach is collaborative and strengths-based, combining client-centered listening with techniques from CBT, EFT, and Internal Family Systems to address emotions, patterns, and practical coping skills.
What is her professional background?
Lisa has 11 years of professional experience working with people facing trauma, life transitions, and emotional challenges, drawing on a variety of evidence-informed methods.
Where is she licensed and practicing?
She is a licensed clinical social worker in California, holding the credential CA LCSW 76969.
Can sessions be conducted in other languages or for international clients?
Sessions are offered in English, and she is not currently accepting international clients.
What session formats does she offer for online work?
Clients may connect through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging depending on what best fits their needs and schedule.
How are sessions paid for and what does it cost?
Cost varies by location and therapist availability; sessions are provided via a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What are the first steps to begin working together?
To start, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to the therapist's availability.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Stress, AnxietyFamily conflictsGriefDepressionCoping with life changes

Also works with

AddictionsRelationship issuesTrauma and abuseIntimacy-related issuesParenting issuesAnger managementSelf esteemCareer difficultiesCoachingCompassion fatigueADHD

Additional focus areas

Aging and geriatric issuesCodependencyFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsForgivenessMood disordersSelf-loveWomen's issues

Therapeutic approaches

Attachment-Based TherapyClient-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)Mindfulness TherapyPsychodynamic TherapyTrauma-Focused TherapyInternal Family Systems

Experience

11+ years

Licensed

California

Languages

English