Dr. Jennifer De Costa , LMFT

Dr. Jennifer De Costa is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) practicing in Hawaii with 22 years of counseling experience. She has worked with individuals, adolescents, and families across a wide range of concerns, including depression, anxiety, relationship difficulties, parenting challenges, life transitions, and experiences of trauma or abuse.

Her style is interactive, supportive, and empowering, grounded in a belief that people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. She emphasizes clients' strengths and resources rather than focusing only on problems, and she collaborates with each person to develop a treatment plan tailored to their situation and goals.

Her clinical approach blends solution-focused techniques with narrative therapy - which explores the stories people tell about their lives - and systems thinking that looks at the various factors contributing to a concern. She aims to provide practical tools and empathic support for those ready to take the courageous step of asking for help, and she supports clients as they work toward meaningful change.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Client-Centered Therapy places the client at the center of the work, emphasizing empathy, active listening, and collaboration to help people clarify their goals and build on their existing strengths. This approach is useful for addressing stress, relationship concerns, and self-esteem issues.

Motivational Interviewing helps people explore ambivalence and strengthen their own motivation for change through guided conversation and reflective questions. It is often applied when someone is facing difficult choices or looking to change behaviors related to addictions or health and life goals.

Narrative Therapy examines the stories people construct about their lives and identifies alternative perspectives that support resilience and new possibilities. It can be particularly helpful for processing trauma, grief, and identity-related concerns.

Finding the right therapeutic approach is part of the collaborative process. Dr. De Costa works with each person to determine which methods best match their needs, goals, and preferences, adjusting the plan as progress unfolds.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility - sessions by video call or phone, plus live chat and text-based messaging options allow for different rhythms of support. These formats make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules and to access licensed professionals from varied locations while maintaining a consistent therapeutic relationship.