Yi Ling Benson
Relationship-focused LMFT who listens and guides
LMFT California
- Experience
- 4 years in practice
- Focus areas
- Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Family
- Approaches
- Gottman Method, Client-Centered Therapy
- Languages
- English, Cantonese
About Yi
Yi Ling Benson is a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) based in California. She focuses on reducing stress and anxiety and helping people improve relationships and self-esteem.
Background and approach
She speaks English and Cantonese and works with clients through a variety of online formats. Her sessions are practical and person-centered.
She listens first, then helps set clear goals. Conversations are shaped around what feels useful to each person.
She emphasizes respect, sensitivity, and compassion in every meeting. Benson uses several approaches to fit different concerns.
She draws on the Gottman Method when relationship patterns and communication are central. She also uses client-centered and cognitive behavioral ideas to address mood, worry, and self-doubt.
For trauma memories, she may integrate EMDR techniques and narrative work to help people rewrite painful stories. Over four years of practice, she has worked with issues like attachment concerns, communication problems, control struggles, and separation or divorce.
She also supports people dealing with workplace stress, social anxiety, and questions about life purpose and self-love. Sessions aim to build skills that carry into daily life.
Sessions are offered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. New clients complete a short matching questionnaire to begin and schedule sessions according to availability.
The subscription model can be canceled at any time.
How therapeutic methods translate to online sessions
A Gottman-informed approach focuses on observable relationship patterns and communication habits. In online sessions this means talking through common interaction cycles, practicing small communication exercises, and identifying moments to shift behavior that improve day-to-day connection.Client-Centered Therapy puts the person’s experience at the center. The therapist follows the client's pace, reflects what is said, and helps clarify goals. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) breaks down anxious or negative thoughts and builds practical skills to test and change them, which can be practiced between sessions and tracked easily during remote work.
Finding the right approach is a team effort. The therapist will discuss goals and preferences and recommend which methods to try first. Together they adjust the plan as progress and needs emerge, mixing approaches when helpful.
Online therapy offers flexible ways to meet. Video calls let people use body language and visual cues during skill practice. Phone sessions can be a good shorter check-in or for lower bandwidth. Live chat or text-based messaging works for brief check-ins, journaling-style updates, or when messaging fits a busy schedule. These options make it easier to keep momentum and fit therapy into everyday life.
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Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
4+ years
Licensed in
California
Languages
English, Cantonese