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californiaOnline Therapy in California for Parents of Children With Special Needs and Medical Complexities
Diana Gelfand, MSW, LCSW, provides online therapy throughout California for parents of children with special needs, medical conditions, and behavioral or developmental challenges. At DLG Therapy, LLC, she also supports foster and adoptive families navigating caregiver burnout, medical trauma, anxiety, and grief. Sessions are held by secure telehealth.
- Now accepting California clients
- CA LCSW #60237
When your child needs a team of providers, who is on your team?
When your child needs more than the usual parenting playbook, your days can fill with appointments, advocacy, decisions, and worries that other people rarely see. You may love your child fiercely and still feel anxious, depleted, or unsure how to make room for yourself.
I’m Diana Gelfand, MSW, LCSW, founder of DLG Therapy, LLC. I provide online therapy to parents and caregivers throughout California. I’m also an adoptive mother of three children with complex needs. I understand this world both professionally and personally.
I previously lived in California and worked in the child welfare and private adoption sector. I now provide telehealth therapy to clients across the state to fill that gap in services for exactly these types of families. My clinical work in pediatric medical social work and my experience raising children with complex needs shape the way I understand family challenges.
You shouldn’t have to explain your world to your therapist.
Therapy for California Parents Raising Children With Special Needs
California parents may be balancing regional center services, IEP meetings, specialty medical care, and long stretches of waiting for answers. Not to mention long drives sitting in traffic with your medically complex child. Therapy is a place to address the emotional toll of navigating those systems, not another task to add to your list.
Parenting a child with autism, ADHD, a neurological condition, chronic illness, or developmental or behavioral differences can bring persistent worry, guilt, irritability, isolation, and decision fatigue. This is the same for a child with progressive and rare diseases. You may feel as if you must anticipate every problem before it happens.
In therapy, we make space for your feelings—not only your child’s needs. We can work on managing anxiety, setting realistic boundaries, reducing self-blame, navigating difficult conversations, and identifying coping strategies that fit your actual life.
You do not need another generic reminder to “take care of yourself.” You need support from someone who understands why that can be so difficult.
Foster and Adoptive Parent Therapy in California
Adoption is not the finish line.
I adopted my three children through foster care. I worked under several non-profit agencies in Southern California as well. I understand that permanency is important, but it does not erase trauma, grief, behavioral challenges, or the need for continued support. Parents can experience joy, love, frustration, uncertainty, and exhaustion at the same time.
As a 2026 Angels in Adoption honoree, I have also advocated for stronger post-adoption services. In therapy, you can speak openly about the complicated parts of foster and adoptive parenting without fear of judgment.
Caregiver Burnout and Grief
Living on high alert can change the way you sleep, relate to others, and experience ordinary moments. You might feel overwhelmed by a new diagnosis, anxious before follow-up appointments, or emotionally drained after years of caregiving.
As a Certified Grief Educator, I also support people navigating anticipatory grief, loss, and the changes to family life that medical or developmental challenges can bring. You can feel grateful for your child and still grieve the things that have been hard.
Telehealth Therapy Throughout California
DLG Therapy provides secure online therapy to clients physically located in California, including Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, San Jose, and communities throughout California. You do not need to live near a major city to seek specialized support.
Telehealth means you can attend from an appropriate private location without adding travel time to an already demanding schedule. That includes your couch!
I am licensed in Florida, California, Illinois, Arizona, and Utah.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are you licensed to provide online therapy in California?
Yes. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker licensed in California and provide telehealth therapy to eligible clients physically located in the state during sessions.
Do you specialize in therapy for parents of children with special needs?
Yes. Supporting parents raising children with medical, neurological, developmental, and behavioral needs is a central focus of my practice.
Can therapy help with caregiver burnout?
Yes. Therapy can help you address ongoing stress, anxiety, emotional exhaustion, guilt, boundaries, and coping with responsibilities that do not simply go away.
Do you work with foster and adoptive parents?
Yes. I support foster and adoptive parents navigating trauma-related concerns, parenting stress, family transitions, grief, and the emotional demands of advocacy.
Do you offer therapy outside the largest cities in California?
Yes. I would be honored to support you anywhere you reside in California.
Do you accept insurance or private pay in California?
Private-pay therapy is available. Insurance participation and eligibility can vary by plan. Please review the Insurance and Rates page for current details.
You Deserve Support, Too
You spend so much time helping your child feel safe, supported, and understood. Your well-being matters, too.
If you are a California parent or caregiver looking for someone who understands medical complexity, special needs parenting, foster care, or adoption, contact DLG Therapy to ask about current openings and whether we may be a good fit.
You don't have to keep carrying this alone.
Start with a free 15-minute consultation. No pressure, just a conversation.
Book your free callOr call 561-903-0096 · Diana@DLGtherapy.com
