01 · Who Minerva works with

Minerva works with relationship issues, family conflicts and self esteem

Minerva lists 5 specialisms and 9 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Minerva chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Minerva's own words

What Minerva says about the work

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

I'm a licensed therapist in California dedicated to supporting individuals through life's most challenging transitions. My work centers on helping clients navigate depression, relationship difficulties, family conflicts, and the complex emotions that arise during major life changes. I'm particularly passionate about supporting women's issues, multicultural concerns, and immigration-related challenges.

I specialize in fostering self-love and healthy communication while addressing patterns like impulsivity and self-harm. I also have meaningful experience supporting individuals navigating adoption, foster care, and the unique healing these journeys require. My approach includes exploring forgiveness-both of others and ourselves-as a pathway to growth.

I bring a trauma-informed, person-centered perspective to our work together. I believe in meeting you where you are, honoring your cultural background and lived experience, and collaborating with you to build the life you deserve. My goal is to create a safe, affirming space where you can explore your concerns without judgment.

Taking the first step toward therapy takes courage, and I'm genuinely honored to support you on your journey.

Minerva Guzman, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Minerva works

The 6 approaches Minerva lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Minerva lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Minerva'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 Minerva runs a session.

Acceptance and Commitment TherapyACT

Rather than trying to argue a painful thought away, ACT works on loosening its grip and getting on with what matters to you anyway. Sessions spend real time naming your values, then building action around them while difficult feelings are still present.

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”.

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.

Trauma-Focused TherapyTF-CBT · trauma-informed

CBT adapted for people whose difficulty is rooted in a frightening or overwhelming event. Pacing is the point: safety and stabilisation come first, the memory itself is approached gradually and only when you are ready, and the aim is that recalling it stops hijacking the present.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Minerva 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 Minerva'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 Minerva at this point.

2. Naming Minerva specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Minerva 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 Minerva.

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 Minerva

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

• “You list both Solution-Focused Brief 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.

• “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.

• “You offer sessions in English and Spanish. Does the work change depending on which we use?”

  People often reach different material in a first language than in a second. Worth naming before you choose.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LMFT

Licensed in

California

Licence

CA LMFT 111901

Licence number

111901

Licence expires

28 Feb 2027

NPI

1104034420

Years in practice

13

Gender

Female

Languages

English, Spanish

International clients

Accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Minerva'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 Minerva. 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.