Caitlin Eshelman , LICSW

Caitlin Eshelman is a licensed clinical social worker with 16 years of experience in the District of Columbia. She focuses on helping people who are managing stress, anxiety, depression, grief, and major life changes. Caitlin brings a calm, respectful presence and aims to make sessions feel straightforward and useful from the first meeting.

Her work often centers on issues that commonly affect women and people in LGBT communities, including intimacy concerns, identity questions, and challenges around relationships and attachment. She also addresses trauma, abuse, postpartum struggles, and situations involving domestic violence and separation. Caitlin pays attention to how past experiences influence current patterns and choices.

In session she uses practical tools alongside attentive listening. She draws from client-centered methods to keep the conversation grounded in each person’s goals. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps people spot and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. Solution-Focused techniques are used to find immediate, manageable steps forward.

Caitlin is comfortable talking about topics such as kink and alternative sex culture, polyamory and non-monogamous relationships, and sexual intimacy when those issues matter to the person seeking help. She also supports people working through panic, mood disorders, abandonment or attachment concerns, and pregnancy-related challenges.

People working with Caitlin can expect clear talk about goals, concrete strategies to try between visits, and room to name their own values. Her approach is collaborative and paced to each person’s needs.

How therapeutic approaches work online

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and building understanding. It helps people clarify their own goals and make choices that feel right for them by keeping the conversation focused on the person's experience and values.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, breaks problems into thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It offers simple exercises to test unhelpful thoughts and try small behavioral changes that can reduce anxiety or low mood.

The therapist will work together with each person to decide which approach or combination makes the most sense. That decision is collaborative and can change over time as needs and goals evolve.

Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Video sessions allow face-to-face conversation, phone sessions use less bandwidth and can fit into a work break, live chat is useful for shorter check-ins, and text messaging supports ongoing, flexible contact between meetings. These options make it easier to schedule therapy around daily life and to continue work between visits.