IFSTherapists

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LMFT

Jamie Lavender, LMFT

  • Experience21 years
  • LocationCalifornia
  • Focus areasAddictions, Relationship, and Trauma and abuse
  • Therapy approachesInternal Family Systems and Attachment-Based Therapy
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About Jamie

Jamie Lavender is a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) practicing in California who blends an empathic, client-centered stance with structured clinical approaches to help people make meaningful changes.

Background and approach

With 21 years of clinical experience, he creates a supportive environment where clients can explore difficult feelings, challenging relationships, and patterns that keep them stuck. He works collaboratively to help people feel more grounded and clear about what they want to change.

Jamie has considerable experience addressing substance and impulse concerns using harm reduction principles, meeting clients where they are and helping them pursue moderation, abstinence, or other realistic goals that fit their lives.

He also works with a broad range of concerns such as grief, trauma and abuse, anxiety and depression, intimacy and sexual issues, family and attachment challenges, and stress related to caregiving, career, and life transitions. His approach draws on Internal Family Systems alongside attachment-focused and client-centered methods, tailoring interventions to each person’s needs and pace.

In sessions he emphasizes practical skills, compassionate exploration, and real-world strategies that aim for sustainable change. He offers multiple ways to connect, and welcomes conversations about what would make therapy most useful for each client.

Putting Attachment and Internal Parts Work into Online Sessions



Internal Family Systems (IFS) helps clients explore the different parts of themselves by naming and gently communicating with those parts, which can be useful for trauma, shame, addictive patterns, and self-critical thoughts. Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on patterns in close relationships and how early bonds shape current emotional needs and coping, making it helpful for intimacy, family issues, and security-related concerns. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes empathy, active listening, and building a trusting therapeutic relationship so clients can discover their own solutions at their own pace.

Choosing the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and Jamie works collaboratively with each person to determine which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences. Together they may combine parts work, attachment-focused exploration, and person-centered support so that interventions feel useful and are adjusted over time.

Online therapy through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging offers flexibility for people juggling work, caregiving, or busy schedules. These formats make it easier to attend sessions from home or other convenient locations, maintain continuity during life changes, and use brief check-ins or messaging between longer sessions to reinforce progress and stay connected to therapeutic work.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of concerns does Jamie address?
He works with a wide range of issues including addictions, relationship difficulties, trauma and abuse, grief, depression, anxiety, and stress, plus topics like intimacy-related issues, eating and sleeping problems, and compassion fatigue.
What is his therapeutic style and approach?
His style is client-centered and collaborative, integrating approaches such as Internal Family Systems, attachment-based work, CBT, and DBT techniques depending on what fits the client.
How much experience does he bring to therapy?
Jamie brings 21 years of clinical experience working with individuals facing substance and impulse concerns as well as a broad array of emotional and relational challenges.
Where is he licensed and practicing?
He is a licensed marriage and family therapist in California, credential CA LMFT 48973, and provides services to clients located in that state.
Which languages are offered and are international clients accepted?
Sessions are offered in English, and he is not accepting international clients at this time.
What session formats are available?
Clients can meet through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to accommodate different preferences and schedules.
How are fees and payment handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time, and pricing depends on those factors.
How do I begin working with him?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and then scheduling according to the therapist's availability.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Also works with

Stress, AnxietyLGBTFamily conflictsIntimacy-related issuesEating disordersSleeping disordersParenting issuesAnger managementSelf esteemCareer difficultiesCoping with life changesCompassion fatigue

Additional focus areas

Attachment issuesBDSM, kink, and alternative sex cultureBlended family issuesBody imageCaregiver issues and stressCommitment issuesCommunication problemsDivorce and separationDrug and alcohol addictionEating and food-related issuesFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFatherhood issuesForgivenessGuilt and shameImpulsivityLife purposeMen's issuesMidlife crisisMood disordersMulticultural concernsPregnancy and childbirthPrejudice and discriminationProcess addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-harmSelf-loveSex addictionSexualityWomen's issuesWorkplace issuesYoung adult issues

Therapeutic approaches

Attachment-Based TherapyClient-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)Existential TherapyGottman MethodImago Relationship TherapyMindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingPsychodynamic TherapySomatic TherapyTrauma-Focused TherapyInternal Family Systems

Experience

21+ years

Licensed

California

Languages

English