Carleen Gates , LICSW

Carleen Gates is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) who helps people handle stress, anxiety, grief, depression, and issues tied to women's lives. She focuses on practical support for everyday problems like money worries, family problems, and low self-love. Carleen is direct but gentle, and she encourages clients to take small steps toward change.

With ten years of professional experience, she uses approaches that fit each person's needs. Sessions often center on clear goals, skills practice, and honest conversation. Carleen listens closely to personal stories and helps people sort through guilt, shame, forgiveness, and finding life purpose.

Her background includes individual and group work, case management, school-based counseling, in-home therapy, and telehealth services. That variety means she is familiar with different settings and practical life demands. She draws from client-centered methods alongside cognitive and behavior-focused techniques to tackle symptoms and patterns.

Carleen also uses therapies that help with emotional regulation and deeper patterns that repeat over time. She supports people managing bipolar symptoms, ADHD, and compassion fatigue by combining skills practice with reflective work. The goal is steady progress, not instant fixes.

People who choose her can expect candid feedback, compassionate attention, and a focus on dignity. She invites clients to collaborate on clear next steps and realistic goals for daily life. If someone wants direct, down-to-earth help for emotional strain, she offers a steady, practical approach.

How her approaches guide online therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice difficult thoughts without getting stuck and focus on actions that match their values. It is useful for anxiety, stress, and finding direction when life feels overwhelming. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) breaks problems into thoughts, feelings, and actions and then teaches practical skills to change unhelpful patterns. It often helps with depression, anxiety, and day-to-day coping. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) offers tools for emotional regulation and distress tolerance and can be helpful for intense emotions and compassion fatigue.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with the client about their goals, preferences, and what has or hasn’t worked before. Together they will try methods that fit the person and adjust the plan as progress is made.

Online sessions make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation when interaction matters. Phone sessions or live chat can be a simpler option when bandwidth is low or a quick check-in is needed. Text-based messaging supports ongoing contact, homework, and short reflections between appointments. These formats offer flexibility so people can use therapy in ways that match their schedule and needs.