Vanessa Cardin LMFT #128077

Vanessa Cardin LMFT #128077 I am a Licensed Marriage & Family therapist, owner of Strong Sense of Self Family Counseling.

One of the most common questions I get asked is:“How do I know if it’s my intuition or my anxiety?”The truth is, it can ...
06/10/2026

One of the most common questions I get asked is:

“How do I know if it’s my intuition or my anxiety?”

The truth is, it can be difficult to tell, especially if you’ve spent years living in survival mode.

Anxiety often seeks certainty, control, and immediate answers.

Intuition tends to feel quieter. More grounded. More trusting.

That doesn’t mean intuition is always comfortable. Sometimes it asks us to do hard things.

The difference is that intuition is usually rooted in self-trust, while anxiety is rooted in fear.

Part of healing is learning how to recognize the difference between the two.

✨ If fear wasn’t involved, what would you want?

Check out my blog to dive deeper on this topic. 🤗

The “strong one” is often carrying more than anyone realizes.From the outside, it may look like you have it together. Bu...
05/23/2026

The “strong one” is often carrying more than anyone realizes.

From the outside, it may look like you have it together. But internally, you might feel anxious, emotionally exhausted, disconnected from yourself, or stuck in survival mode.

So many people I work with are high functioning, but underneath that is a nervous system that has been in overdrive for a long time.

Therapy can be a space to slow down, understand your patterns, and stop carrying everything alone.

You don’t need to wait until things get “bad enough” to deserve support 💛

✨ Currently accepting a few new clients
🛋️ In person South Park San Diego
📍Virtual therapy in California
🌿website link in bio

LIFE UPDATE! 🎉Excited to share that I’ll now be working with Just in Time for Foster Youth as their Mental Wellness Mana...
04/29/2026

LIFE UPDATE! 🎉

Excited to share that I’ll now be working with Just in Time for Foster Youth as their Mental Wellness Manager🤗 💜
Alongside my private practice, I’ll be supporting young adults in their growth and supervising clinicians doing this important work.
This role feels deeply aligned with the kind of work I care about creating spaces where people feel supported, seen, and able to grow into themselves.

Grateful and excited for this next chapter ✨🫶🏻

Dogs, pancakes, coffee & flowers
04/07/2026

Dogs, pancakes, coffee & flowers

There are a few books I find myself recommending over and over again, both to my clients and in my own life.Not because ...
04/03/2026

There are a few books I find myself recommending over and over again, both to my clients and in my own life.

Not because they offer quick fixes…
but because they help you understand yourself in a deeper, more compassionate way.

Whether it’s learning how trauma lives in the body, understanding your anxiety, or making sense of your relationship patterns, these books offer language to experiences that can feel confusing or overwhelming.

What I love about all of them is this:
✨ they don’t try to “fix” you
✨ they help you get to know yourself

If you’re on a healing journey, you don’t have to read them all at once. Start with the one that resonates. Let it be slow. Let it be supportive.

✨ I share a little more about why I love these books over on my blog-link in bio ✨

💛 Save this for later
📚 Or send it to someone who’s doing the work too

selfgrowth

There’s a lot of information on Instagram about trauma, anxiety, and healing right now.And while some of it can be helpf...
03/26/2026

There’s a lot of information on Instagram about trauma, anxiety, and healing right now.

And while some of it can be helpful… a lot of it is oversimplified, out of context, or just inaccurate.

As a trauma therapist, I often see clients come in feeling confused, overwhelmed, or like they’re doing something wrong-because what they’ve tried online didn’t work.

But healing isn’t something you can reduce to a checklist or a quick tip.

It’s nuanced.
It’s relational.
It’s different for every person.

And most importantly…
✨ It’s not meant to look perfect.

If you’ve felt frustrated with your healing process, it doesn’t mean you’re failing.

It might just mean you need a more supported, individualized approach.

Therapy can help you slow down, understand your patterns, and find what actually works for your nervous system and your experiences.

nervoussystem

If you’ve ever felt like you’re “too much”… this is for you.So many of us carry anxiety, stress, and unresolved trauma i...
03/20/2026

If you’ve ever felt like you’re “too much”… this is for you.

So many of us carry anxiety, stress, and unresolved trauma in our bodies, and when it surfaces, it can feel overwhelming. It’s easy to turn that inward and believe something is wrong with us.

But in therapy, we begin to understand that these reactions are often protective parts of us, not flaws.

Through approaches like IFS (parts work) and a somatic lens, we learn to slow down, create space, and get curious about what we’re holding instead of judging ourselves for it.

🌱 You’re not too much.
You’re carrying experiences that deserve care, attention, and compassion.

👉 What’s something you’ve been carrying lately?

selfcompassion

Confusing feeling special with being loved. It’s not wrong to want to feel special, but when feeling special becomes the...
02/05/2026

Confusing feeling special with being loved. It’s not wrong to want to feel special, but when feeling special becomes the stability, the anchor to being loved, it can be exhausting. A constant need for affirmation and approval. Feeling loved without doing or needing to be anything more than who you already are in this moment. 🧘🏻‍♀️

In therapy, I discovered I was mistaking control for trust, but releasing the need for specific outcomes has given me a ...
01/15/2026

In therapy, I discovered I was mistaking control for trust, but releasing the need for specific outcomes has given me a sense of empowerment!

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San Diego, CA

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