Theyazan Kohaif
I'm a licensed clinical social worker with over 10 years of experience helping individuals and couples work through anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship difficulties, and everyday life challenges. My approach combines cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with supportive, honest conversations and practical strategies.
I want clients to feel comfortable being themselves, talking openly, and knowing they won't be judged.
I want clients to feel comfortable being themselves, talking openly, and knowing they won't be judged. Together, we'll identify unhelpful patterns, explore different perspectives, and work toward meaningful changes.
First session
During our first session, I'll spend time getting to know you, understanding what brought you to therapy, and discussing what you'd like to work on. I want you to feel comfortable talking openly without worrying about being judged or having to explain everything perfectly. With individuals, we'll focus on your experiences and personal goals. With couples or families, I'll work to understand everyone's perspective and identify the concerns affecting the relationship. By the end of our first conversation, my hope is that you'll feel heard, have a better understanding of how we can work together, and feel comfortable moving forward.
Strengths
I bring a balance of empathy, honesty, and practical feedback to my sessions. I use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help clients recognize how their thoughts influence their emotions and behaviors, while developing healthier ways of responding to challenges. I'm a good listener, but I'm also comfortable asking difficult questions, challenging unhelpful patterns, and offering different perspectives when needed. I use humor when appropriate and try to make therapy feel like a natural conversation rather than an overly clinical experience.
Ideal clients
How do you hope a new client feels after leaving their first session? How does your approach shift with an individual, couple, or family? I work best with individuals and couples who are dealing with anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, trauma, stress, or major life changes. Some clients are feeling overwhelmed, struggling with confidence, or finding themselves repeating patterns they don't fully understand. Others may be experiencing communication problems, trust issues, or difficulty managing their emotions. My ideal client is someone who's willing to have honest conversations, consider different perspectives, and work toward making changes. You don't need to have everything figured out before starting therapy, just a willingness to explore what's going on and what you'd like to improve.
Origin story
I've always been interested in understanding people, particularly how their experiences, relationships, and circumstances influence the decisions they make. Throughout my career, I've worked with individuals and families facing some very difficult situations, and those experiences reinforced how important it is for people to feel heard and understood. Becoming a therapist gave me the opportunity to help people better understand themselves, work through challenges, and recognize that they have more options than they sometimes realize.
Ongoing work together
As we continue working together, we'll build on what we discuss in each session and focus on making changes that carry over into your everyday life. I use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), along with practical coping strategies, to help you recognize unhelpful thinking patterns, better manage emotions, and respond differently to difficult situations. Our conversations will also focus on relationships, communication, boundaries, and whatever challenges are most relevant to you. We'll regularly look at what's improving, what's still difficult, and whether we need to adjust our approach. Progress might mean feeling less overwhelmed, communicating more effectively, making healthier decisions, or handling situations that previously felt difficult.
Treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help clients better understand how their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors influence one another. During our sessions, we'll look at situations that have been causing stress, anxiety, depression, or relationship difficulties and explore how you typically respond to them. We'll work on recognizing unhelpful thinking patterns, challenging assumptions, and developing healthier ways of handling difficult situations. I also incorporate practical coping strategies that you can use outside of therapy. My approach is conversational and collaborative, so we'll focus on what makes sense for you and adjust things as we go. The goal is to help you better understand yourself, manage challenges more effectively, and make changes that improve your everyday life.
Location
Virtual sessions