Florina Petcu, LMFT

Get the Right Help to Feel Better – Call (650) 461-9026 or Text (650) 461-9026

Florina Petcu CBT Therapist
Location: Video Therapy

Ages: Adults (18+ years)
Teens (15-17 years)

Type of Therapy: Individual, Teen Counseling
Experience: 13+ years

Florina Petcu, LMFT

Cognitive Behavioral Therapist
LMFT #108677

Florina Petcu, LMFT, brings a rich and diverse background to her work as a therapist. With roots in the arts and athletics, a passion for writing poetry and non-fiction, and a well-traveled perspective, she combines creativity and cultural insight with her clinical practice.

A Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Certified Cognitive Behavioral Therapist (CBT), Certified Child and Adolescent Trauma Professional (CATP), and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional Level 2 (CCTP-II), Florina has over 15 years of experience supporting clients. She specializes in complex and developmental trauma, PTSD, attachment disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and other anxiety disorders. Florina is dedicated to providing affirming care for the LGBTQ+ community and fostering an inclusive, supportive environment.

In addition to her clinical work at Palo Alto Therapy, Florina is a psychology instructor at Foothill College. Beyond teaching students in the classroom, she has trained residential staff, private practice therapists, and students in clinical master’s programs at Palo Alto University (PAU) and San Jose State University (SJSU). Florina earned her MS in Clinical Psychology from San Francisco State University and her BS in Sports Psychology and Creative Movement and Drama Therapy from CUNY BA in New York City, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude.

Concerns:

  • Anger
  • Anxiety
  • Behavioral Difficulties in children & teens
  • Bipolar
  • Body Image
  • Cutting/Self-harm
  • Depression
  • Diversity
  • Divorce
  • Family Problems
  • Grief
  • Loss and Bereavement
  • Hair Pulling (Trichotillomania)
  • History of Hospitalization
  • Insomnia
  • LGBTQIA+
  • Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation
  • Life Transitions
  • Men’s Issues
  • OCD Mild
  • OCD Moderate
  • Panic/Panic Attacks
  • Parenting
  • Phobias
  • Postpartum Depression
  • PTSD/Trauma-Kids/Teens
  • PTSD/Trauma-Adults
  • Relationship/Communication concerns
  • School Refusal
  • Self-Esteem
  • Self-Harm (Superficial)
  • Skin Picking
  • Social Anxiety
  • Stress
  • Social Skills
  • Suicidal Ideation
  • Tourette Syndrome or Tics (motor)
  • Relocation
  • Women’s Issues
  • Work/Career

Special Interests:

  • Athletes
  • LGBTQ+
  • Women’s Issues
  • Work/Career

Certifications

  • CBT Certified through Academy of Cognitive Therapy
  • CBT Fundamentals Certified through Palo Alto Therapy
  • OCD Certified through Palo Alto Therapy
  • OCD Foundation Behavior Therapy Training Institute
  • Trauma Focused CBT (Trauma Level 2) Certified
  • Child and Adolescent Trauma Certified Professional
  • Complex Trauma Certified Professional

Intensive Study/Specialization:

  • Attachment
  • Behavioral Interventions
  • Family Therapy
  • Grief and Loss
  • Play Therapy
  • TEAM-CBT Therapy (David Burns CBT)
  • Tourette’s/Tics

Marriage and Family Therapists are mental health professionals trained in psychotherapy with a family systems influence, and licensed to diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders that affect individuals, couples, and families. The Federal government has designated marriage and family therapy as a core mental health profession along with psychiatry, psychology, social work and psychiatric nursing. The State of California support and regulate the profession by licensing MFTs.

Educational requirements

Marriage and Family Therapists have graduate training (either a masters or doctoral degree) in counseling psychology with an emphasis in marriage and family therapy. Prior to a rigorous exam process leading to licensure, LMFTs must complete at least 3,000 hours of post-graduate clinical experience under the supervision of a licensed mental health professional. Before full licensure, LMFTs are called “Associates”. LMFTs are employed in a variety of private and public settings, including private practice, community mental health centers, and behavioral managed care organizations.

Do LMFTs only work with clients who are having problems in their marriages and families?

No. While LMFTs are qualified to do couples and family therapy, most LMFTs work with individual adults to not only enhance the quality of their relationships, but also decrease symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress.

How can a LMFT help me?

Like other mental health professionals such as social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists, LMFTs help clients by diagnosing and treating common emotional and behavioral difficulties that interfere with functioning at an optimal level. LMFTs use empirical-supported counseling techniques to help their clients achieve desired goals.