Dr. Lanthorn-Cárdenas has been a mental health counselor since 1991. She has worked in agency settings as a therapist, clinical supervisor, program manager and director and is currently in private practice. Counseling is provided on a variety of issues including relationship problems, child behavior, parenting, depression, marital conflict, death, divorce, anxiety, trauma, and childhood sexual abuse. Dr. Lanthorn-Cárdenas has experience working with the gay and lesbian community, a traditionally underserved community. She also provides services in Spanish and has extensive experience working with the Latino community.
Dr. Lanthorn-Cárdenas employs counseling techniques which build upon existing strengths. She specializes in using a systems approach to brief therapy and employs cognitive-behavioral strategies, mindfulness practice, and Gestalt. She asks clients to practice thinking and behaving differently via homework assignments and reading as well as in session practice. Dr. Lanthorn-Cárdenas especially enjoys providing family therapy.
Dr. Lanthorn-Cárdenas provides minority mental health consultation to community agencies and clinical supervision to graduate students. She has taught a variety of counseling courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Dr. Lanthorn-Cárdenas also taught in the public school setting for 10 years, including two years in a specialized classroom for adjudicated youth. Dr. Lanthorn-Cárdenas has provided mental health training to correctional officers, juvenile detention staff and public school educators. She has developed collaborative programs with juvenile court and local county jail administrators and universities. Additionally, Dr. Lanthorn-Cárdenas has presented on a variety of topics at mental health conferences in Washington State.