Anna Cancellieri, Primary Therapist
Anna received her master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy from Chapman University in Orange, CA.
She is passionate about helping women recover from substance use disorder (SUD) co-occurring with other mental health disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Having recovered from SUD and childhood trauma herself, she empathizes with those seeking treatment. Her clinical training has instilled in her the most effective pathways through the healing process. Anna is especially focused on self-compassion practices. As she says, “Once I understood that compassion started with me and it rippled outwards, it became very easy to be compassionate with others. But it started with me.”
For fun, Anna loves yoga and meditation – especially outdoors. She also considers herself a “geek” in that she’s always reading up on the latest research in the field of psychology and participating in continuing education to find the latest evidence-based practices to heal individuals.
One memory she’ll always hold dear is working with a specific client whose “light turned on” while at New Directions for Women. The client began leaving an inspirational note on Anna’s office on a daily basis, which provided insight to how much healing and transformation was occurring in her. To Anna, NDFW feels like home.
