Therapist profile
Ida Whitaker, LMFT
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist - Family and parenting
Continue with IdaAbout
- Addictions
- Trauma
- Parenting
About Ida
Ida Whitaker is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) practicing in Montana with eight years of clinical experience. She works with adults dealing with issues such as depression, addiction, relationship strain, parenting stress, trauma, anxiety, and grief. Ida also addresses concerns linked to ADHD, intimacy, self-esteem, and career changes.
Ida trained at Azusa Pacific University, earning an MA in Psychology with a focus on Marriage and Family Therapy. Her background includes work in outpatient treatment settings and both individual and group therapy. She has experience with clients facing chronic homelessness and military-related challenges, and she has provided care in office and online environments.
Her approach blends practical, problem-focused methods. She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people change unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns. She also draws on Emotionally-Focused Therapy to look at emotional patterns that affect relationships, and EMDR to address traumatic memories when appropriate.
Sessions emphasize straightforward conversation and shared planning. Ida uses motivational interviewing and solution-focused techniques to set small, manageable goals and to support changes people want to make. She aims to help clients recognize patterns, try concrete steps, and check progress together.
People often come for help with family-related stress and parenting challenges. Ida can talk through family of origin issues, communication problems, and conflict linked to infidelity or control issues. She works with grief, compassion fatigue, and the practical impacts of addiction on daily life.
Her practice operates from Montana and she conducts sessions in English. Prospective clients should confirm current session options before booking and follow the site steps to complete a short questionnaire and schedule a first session.
How sessions work
How Ida uses evidence-based approaches in online sessions
CBT, or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, focuses on spotting and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. It often involves setting clear goals, trying behavioral experiments between sessions, and tracking changes over time. This approach suits issues like anxiety, depression, and problem behaviors linked to addiction or ADHD.Emotionally-Focused Therapy looks at emotional patterns and how they shape relationships and close connections. It helps people identify underlying feelings that drive reactions and learn new ways to respond in relationship-related stress and intimacy concerns.
EMDR, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, aims to reduce the hold of traumatic memories by working with memory processing and targeted techniques. It is used for trauma and abuse-related difficulties when both therapist and client agree it may help.
Choosing an approach is part of the work together. Ida discusses your goals and preferences and helps decide which methods to try first. That process is collaborative and may combine approaches over time as needs and progress become clearer.
The listing does not specify exact online session formats today, so confirm the current options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy day, reduce travel time, and support regular check-ins between other responsibilities. Licensed professionals can adapt techniques like CBT exercises, emotionally focused conversations, and trauma processing to a remote setting while keeping practical needs in mind.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
8+ years
Listed in
California, Montana
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she help with?
She works with adults on depression, anxiety, addiction, trauma, relationship strain, parenting concerns, grief, and related issues.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
She uses practical, goal-focused methods such as CBT, solution-focused techniques, and motivational interviewing to set steps and track progress.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has eight years of experience since completing her MA in Psychology with a focus on Marriage and Family Therapy in 2017.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is an LMFT licensed in Montana and California and practices from Montana.
Are sessions available in other languages or for international clients?
Sessions are offered in English. She is not accepting international clients at this time.
What session formats does she offer?
The biography notes she has provided both in-office and online work in the past; confirm current session formats before booking.
How is cost handled?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I start working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is in danger, use the crisis numbers.