Gabrielle (Gabbi) Schwenzfeier , LICSW

Gabrielle (Gabbi) Schwenzfeier is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) based in Minnesota. She uses a client-centered approach and focuses on practical skills that help people manage stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, and relationship concerns. Gabbi also works with issues around parenting, body image, addiction, ADHD, grief, and mood disorders.

She has five years of experience in a range of settings, including in-home care, schools, and residential treatment centers. That variety shaped a flexible style that adapts to what each person needs. Sessions can include skill-building, talking through past experiences, and setting small achievable goals.

Gabbi blends approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy with attachment-based and psychodynamic ideas. This mix allows her to address both present-day patterns and deeper relationship themes. She emphasizes mindfulness, distress-tolerance skills, and examining how thoughts affect behavior.

Her background includes work with parents on attachment and parenting skills, and with people facing substance use and mood disorders. Gabbi draws on that experience when helping people navigate life changes, grief, or intense emotions. She prefers a collaborative process where clients guide the pace and focus of therapy.

Gabbi offers sessions in English and accepts international clients. She values straightforward conversation and practical strategies people can use between sessions. Outside work she enjoys time outdoors, working out, and being with family.

Approaches that translate well to online care

Attachment-Based Therapy looks at patterns in relationships and how early bonds shape current reactions. It can help people understand connection, attachment wounds, and how to form healthier relationships. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, focuses on the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions. It is useful for anxiety, depression, and managing unwanted behaviors by teaching concrete skills to change thinking and behavior. Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, emphasizes skills like mindfulness, emotional regulation, and distress tolerance to help handle intense emotions and impulsive responses.

Choosing the right approach is a shared process. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what has or hasn’t worked before. Together they will try methods that match those needs and adjust the plan over time based on what helps most.

Online sessions offer flexibility across several formats: video calls for face-to-face work, phone sessions when video isn’t needed, live chat for quick check-ins, and text-based messaging for ongoing support. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy day, have a shorter check-in during a work break, or use less bandwidth when needed. Licensed professionals can use these formats to teach skills, review homework, process difficult moments, and track progress over time.