Dr. Carol Schmidt , LCSW

Dr. Carol Schmidt helps people facing stress, anxiety, grief, depression, and major life changes. She also supports those coping with relationship or intimacy issues, parenting strain, career questions, and attention or mood concerns. Dr. Schmidt practices with a straightforward, empathetic style to make hard conversations easier to start.

She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW, based in California and has about 10 years of clinical experience. Sessions are conversational and goal-focused. She listens first, then works with each person to build practical steps that fit daily life.

Therapy often blends talking about past patterns with learning new skills for today. Dr. Schmidt uses client-centered methods to follow each person's priorities. She also draws on cognitive behavioral techniques to help change unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns.

Many clients find it useful to pair exploring deeper feelings with concrete coping tools. Dr. Schmidt aims to create a calm space for both kinds of work. She helps people identify strengths, try small changes, and measure what actually improves.

People reach out for help with grief, family stress, trauma and abuse, OCD or panic symptoms, and feelings of isolation or low self-esteem. She also supports those dealing with bipolar symptoms, ADHD, blended family issues, or the aftermath of divorce and separation.

Approaches and Online Care that Fit Your Life

Client-centered therapy focuses on the person's goals and experience. The therapist follows what matters most to the client, helps them name their priorities, and supports self-directed change. This approach is useful for people who want a respectful, listening-based process that builds on strengths.

Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts and actions keep problems going. It teaches practical skills to reduce anxiety, manage mood swings, and break patterns like avoidance or compulsions. CBT often includes small experiments and homework to test new ways of coping.

Finding the right approach is a team effort. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what feels most helpful. Together they decide whether to focus on skills, explore past patterns, or blend methods over time.

Online sessions are available by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging. Video is useful for a full face-to-face conversation. Phone can be easier when bandwidth is low or short check-ins are needed. Live chat and text messaging work well for quick updates, written reflections, or flexible scheduling. These options make therapy more accessible and easier to fit into a busy life.