Dana O'Neill, LCPC, LMHC

Therapeutic approaches adapted for online care

Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and understanding the person's experience. The therapist follows the client's lead, reflects feelings, and helps people clarify what they want to change. This approach is helpful for building trust and deciding practical next steps.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, teaches people to notice unhelpful thoughts and test them with real-world experiments. It is useful for anxiety, mood shifts, and behavior change because it gives clear exercises to practice between sessions.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy, DBT, offers skills for emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and better communication. Those skills help when emotions feel overwhelming and when stronger coping tools are needed.

Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the process. The therapist will collaborate with the client to choose methods that match their goals, preferences, and daily life. Sessions typically include goal-setting, skill practice, and small action steps to try between meetings.

Online therapy with this clinician uses video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different needs. Video sessions allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues. Phone sessions use less bandwidth and can fit a break at work. Chat and text work well for brief check-ins or ongoing coaching between longer meetings. These options make it easier to keep therapy consistent while fitting it into a busy schedule.