Patricia Riley , LCSW

Patricia Riley is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) based in California with 20 years of experience. She focuses on practical support for common life struggles like stress, anxiety, depression, addictions, and relationship concerns. Patricia works with people facing parenting and family challenges, grief, trauma and abuse, and a range of intimacy and self-esteem issues.

She uses straightforward, evidence-informed approaches to help clients make concrete changes. Sessions often center on identifying patterns that cause distress and trying new ways of coping. Patricia combines tools from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Motivational Interviewing to help people set goals and take steps toward them.

Her background includes long-term clinical work across community and clinical settings in California. That experience informs a flexible style that adapts to each person's needs. She aims to balance practical skill-building with attention to personal values and motivations.

Patricia helps people manage career stress, compassion fatigue, ADHD-related challenges, and mood instability such as bipolar symptoms. She also supports clients dealing with adoption and foster care concerns, blended family dynamics, fertility and end-of-life issues. Conversations are respectful, direct, and focused on what will help next.

People who choose Patricia can expect a collaborative process. She works with each client to create a clear plan, track progress, and adjust methods as needed. The emphasis is on realistic steps toward better day-to-day functioning and stronger relationships.

CBT and Motivational Interviewing for online care

Patricia uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice and change thoughts and behaviors that keep them stuck. CBT sessions focus on practical exercises, activity planning, and simple tools you can try between meetings to reduce anxiety, manage mood, or address eating and anger issues.

She also draws on Motivational Interviewing to help people find and strengthen their own reasons for change. That approach is useful when someone feels stuck, ambivalent, or unsure about next steps for addiction recovery, parenting choices, or career shifts. It centers on listening and building motivation rather than pressure.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Patricia collaborates with each person to set goals, test methods, and adjust plans to match needs and preferences. She helps clients weigh options and decide what feels most manageable and effective.

Online sessions are offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different schedules. Video is useful for full conversations and visual cues, phone calls work when bandwidth is limited, live chat can be a shorter check-in, and messaging supports ongoing coaching between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life and to keep momentum between meetings.