Meet Rafael Cazares, LMFT: Culturally Affirming Online Therapist
I am an LMFT and online therapist, committed to honoring your experiences, culture, and personal growth throughout California.
My Path to Becoming a Therapist
Managing high expectations and demanding environments can be overwhelming. As a bilingual Mexican American LMFT, first-generation graduate, and former IT professional, I understand these challenges firsthand.
I began my career in tech seeking stability, but soon realized logic alone doesn’t resolve emotional exhaustion or workplace burnout. This realization drove my pivot into mental health. Personal experiences with grief and fatherhood further focused my practice on men's depression, paternal mental health, and performance stress.
Today, I combine clinical training with practical experience to help professionals, men, and teens move beyond survival mode and achieve lasting, meaningful progress.
Practice Philosophy & Clinical Approach
Contextual and Culturally Attuned Boundaries: Healing is rarely achieved through rigid rules or severing family ties. I support clients in navigating complex cultural and family dynamics, respecting their heritage while establishing boundaries that safeguard their well-being.
Culturally Responsive, Unfiltered Space: Many individuals feel pressured to mask or code-switch in daily life. In our sessions, whether you communicate in English, Spanish, or Spanglish, you will have a confidential space to speak authentically and without pretense.
Systemic and Environmental Perspective: Individual stress is influenced by many factors. Effective therapy addresses workplace demands, organizational pressures, family systems, and cultural expectations to develop realistic, sustainable strategies.
I’m glad to work with clients in the Inland Empire, including Moreno Valley, Riverside, and Ontario. I also offer secure online telehealth to people throughout California.
Education, Credentials & Specialized Training
Education & Licensure
Master of Science (M.S.) in Counseling: California State University, Northridge (CSUN)
License: Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT #150588)
Professional Affiliations
Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS)
American Psychological Association (APA) Division 51: Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinities
Core Clinical Modalities
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps you step back from anxious overthinking, build psychological flexibility, and take action toward what really matters.
Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) helps ease your inner critic, generational shame, guilt, and perfectionism by using self-compassion practices.
Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT) helps you process deep emotions, heal attachment wounds, and build healthier relationships.
Specialized Advanced Training
Chicanx Affirmative Therapy: Specialized training through the Institute for Chicanx Psychology and Community Wellness, centering culturally grounded, liberation-focused care for Latinx and BIPOC individuals.
Trauma & Exposure Therapies: EMDR (EMDRIA-trained), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for severe anxiety, OCD, and intrusive thoughts.
Paternal & Perinatal Mental Health: Specialized training through Postpartum Support International (PSI) focusing on paternal mental health, identity shifts in parenthood, and perinatal support (currently pursuing PMH-C certification).
Relational Dynamics & Boundaries: Advanced training in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT Externship) and the Gottman Method (Level 2) to help individuals heal relational patterns and communicate effectively.
Sleep & Behavioral Protocols: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), which treats sleep problems, insomnia, and chronic burnout.
Motivational Interviewing & Crisis Care: Specialized CBT protocols for suicide risk assessment, crisis intervention, and resolving ambivalence for adolescents and adults navigating major transitions.
Ready to Get Started?
Starting therapy is a brave choice, but you don’t have to face burnout, anxiety, or cultural pressures alone. Let’s connect for a free consultation and see if online therapy in California is right for you.