Kathy Rubendall, LCSW

Approaches that translate well to online therapy

Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and understanding what matters to each person, then shaping sessions around their goals and pace. This approach helps when someone wants a supportive, collaborative space to work through stress, grief, or relationship concerns.

Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, teaches practical skills to change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. It often involves homework such as tracking moods or trying new coping strategies and can help with anxiety, depression, sleep, and eating concerns.

Dialectical behavior therapy, DBT, offers concrete skills for managing strong emotions, improving distress tolerance, and strengthening relationships. Short coaching skills from DBT can be useful for people facing mood instability or intense reactions.

Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with the client to choose methods that match goals, needs, and preferences and will adjust those choices over time based on what helps most.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video is useful for full sessions and visual cues, phone calls can be simpler when bandwidth is limited, live chat allows brief check-ins, and messaging supports ongoing progress between meetings. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, caregiving, or busy schedules while keeping continuity of care.