Lorinda (Lori) Kniess , LMHC

Lorinda (Lori) Kniess is a licensed mental health counselor in Florida who focuses on women's issues along with a range of other concerns. She draws on 15 years of experience helping people cope with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, grief, low self-esteem, and addictions. Lori aims to make the first step feel manageable for someone who is nervous about starting therapy.

She begins by building a warm, nonjudgmental space where clients can talk through what matters most to them. Lori listens for practical patterns that make life harder and looks for small changes that can make daily life easier. Sessions are conversational and focused on goals a person sets for themselves.

Lori uses a mix of approaches, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, cognitive behavioral techniques, client-centered methods, mindfulness, and motivational interviewing. She adapts these methods to match what a person prefers and what fits their situation. Therapy can include skill practice, values clarification, and looking at how thoughts and habits affect behavior.

Her additional focus areas include attachment and abandonment concerns, body image, caregiver stress, codependency, communication problems, substance use issues, family of origin issues, divorce and separation, and aging-related matters. These topics often come up together, and Lori helps people untangle them step by step.

Sessions are offered in English and conducted online in formats such as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Lori works with each person to find the pace and style that fit their life.

How Lori’s approaches fit into online therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without being driven by them. It focuses on clarifying personal values and taking action that matters, which can help with anxiety, depression, and feelings of emptiness. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, CBT, looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions and teaches practical skills to change unhelpful patterns. It is useful for stress, mood concerns, and many forms of anxiety.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Lori will talk with each person about their goals and preferences and then use ACT, CBT, or client-centered methods in ways that fit the person. That collaboration helps shape a plan that feels doable and relevant to everyday life.

Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to give flexibility. Video lets people work face to face when preferred. Phone sessions can be quicker check-ins or an alternative when bandwidth is limited. Live chat and text messaging can make shorter check-ins and skill practice easier to fit into a busy day. These options help people keep therapy consistent while matching it to their schedule and communication needs.