01 · Who Cheryl works with

Cheryl works with stress, Anxiety, relationship issues and family conflicts

Cheryl lists 13 specialisms and 18 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Cheryl chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Cheryl's own words

What Cheryl says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

I have had a passion to help people since I was very young. I have been doing professional counseling for almost 30 years. I have a Degree in Psychology, a Masters Degree in Marriage & Family Therapy and am a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in California. I’m an experienced facilitator of health and healing for individuals, couples and families. With 30 years of experience in counseling, I know what it takes to move one into their desired path. My proven methods, will help you build and live a more authentic and powerful life.

I create a place for individuals to talk about their experiences, to feel heard, knowing you’re valued, and feel a sense of belonging. My desire is to support you in identifying your strengths, facing life’s challenges, finding your purpose, building resilience, to grow and be vulnerable, to embrace your authentic self on your journey to a healthy lifestyle. I provide a safe, confidential and non-judgmental environment with understanding and respect. I use a holistic approach incorporating all aspects of the individual (psychological, social, emotional, physical and spiritual). It is often, not what happens in life, but how one deals with it.

I believe the quality of your relationships, will determine the quality of your life. There are many things we can work on, where you will see your relationships improving. Many live with a life dominated by fear, and I can help you be an overcomer, instead of forever overcome. There are many areas I work in, however, I am interested in hearing from you and learning about you, your goals, desires and the pain.

I believe that one should not export what isn't’ working in their own life. I have not only years of professional experience, but life experience as well, that has propelled me into a life, I never knew existed. I enjoy every day, the most amazing, loving relationship with my husband and I say that, to say this…. I know firsthand what a poor relationship is all about and I also know what it takes to get you from bad to Amazing.

Nearly everyone can benefit from some direct, kind and professional support when an issue interferes with your enjoying a great life and Amazing relationships. Lack of effective support can interfere with rising above your circumstance, and being an overcomer to achieve what you want your life to be. I help people suffering from; Relationship issues, Dating, Anxiety, Depression, Fear, Coping, Panic Attacks, Low Self-Esteem, Stress, Grief and Loss, and Much More. Your reaching out, would telegraph to me that you don't want to just survive, but rather thrive. I can help you take the necessary steps... You "Matter".

Cheryl Wharton, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Cheryl works

The 6 approaches Cheryl lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Cheryl lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Cheryl's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Cheryl runs a session.

Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian

The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.

Cognitive Behavioural TherapyCBT

Structured, present-focused work on the loop between what you think, how you feel and what you then do. Usually means noticing a thought pattern in the room, testing it against evidence, and practising something different between sessions. Among the most heavily researched talking therapies for depression and anxiety.

Dialectical Behaviour TherapyDBT

A structured skills-led adaptation of CBT built around holding two things at once: accepting yourself as you are and working to change. Teaches concrete skills for distress tolerance, emotion regulation and relationships. Developed for people whose feelings arrive at overwhelming intensity, and strongest-evidenced there.

Mindfulness-Based TherapyMBCT

Trains attention on what is happening right now - body, breath, the thought as it arrives - so distress can be observed rather than automatically acted on. Strongest evidence is in preventing depression from recurring, and it is usually taught as a practice you keep doing outside the session.

Motivational InterviewingMI

A way of talking about change with somebody who is genuinely in two minds about it. The therapist does not argue for the change; they help you say your own reasons out loud, which is the part that predicts whether it happens. Common around substance use and health behaviour.

Solution-Focused Brief TherapySFBT

Starts from where you want to end up rather than from how you got here. Sessions look for the times the problem is already smaller and work out what is different about those, so the number of sessions tends to be short and the work concrete.

Also listed

• Existential Therapy

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Cheryl practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Cheryl's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

   BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Cheryl at this point.

2. Naming Cheryl specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Cheryl is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Cheryl.

3. If the caseload is full

   You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

4. The first conversation

   A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

5. If the fit is wrong

   Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

4 questions worth asking Cheryl

Built from what Cheryl actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Cheryl's - Cheryl has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

• “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Client-Centred Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

  Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

• “How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

  Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

• “With 30 years in, what has changed most in how you work?”

  Long experience is only an advantage if it has been examined. This tends to surface whether it has.

• “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

  On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LMFT

Licensed in

California

Licence

CA LMFT 39140

Licence number

39140

Licence expires

31 May 2028

NPI

1629261300

Years in practice

30

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Cheryl's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 9 Oct 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Cheryl. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.