About Benjamin
Benjamin Lara is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) with 11 years of practice helping people navigate anxiety, depression, addiction, grief, and other life stresses. He keeps sessions focused on the person in front of him and on practical next steps. Benjamin uses clear, direct language so parents and caregivers can follow along easily.
He starts by listening without judgment to understand what matters most to each person. Then he uses tools from cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational interviewing to help change unhelpful thoughts and build motivation for change.
Background and approach
Mindfulness and acceptance strategies are added when they fit the goals. Sessions are shaped around real-life problems like sleeping and eating struggles, parenting stress, relationship and intimacy concerns, and coping with chronic illness or pain. He also supports people dealing with trauma, addiction, bipolar disorder, and career stress.
Benjamin has experience addressing some less common areas too, including kink and BDSM, blended family dynamics, and caregiver burnout. Appointments can include practical skill-building, problem solving, and brief coaching to reach daily goals. He aims for straight talk and tools people can use between sessions.
Benjamin values dignity and respect and helps people find strength they may not see at first. Benjamin practices from Idaho and offers a range of online session formats to fit different schedules and needs.
Therapeutic approaches you can use online
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without getting ruled by them. It focuses on what matters most and on taking small steps toward values-driven goals, which is useful for anxiety, grief, and life changes.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) targets the thoughts and behaviors that keep problems going. It breaks concerns into manageable parts and teaches practical skills for sleep, mood, and anxiety management. Motivational Interviewing focuses on building motivation and clarifying personal reasons for change, which can help with addictions and habit shifts.
Choosing the right method is a team process. The therapist will ask about goals, preferences, and what has or hasn't helped before. Together they’ll try approaches that match the person’s needs and adjust as progress is seen.
Online therapy offers flexible ways to connect. Video calls let people see facial cues and use screen-based tools. Phone sessions can work when bandwidth is limited or for shorter check-ins. Live chat and text-based messaging make it possible to get support between calls or when writing out concerns helps more than speaking. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy family and work schedules while still using ACT, CBT, mindfulness, and motivational techniques.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
Also works with
- ADHD
- Anger management
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Hoarding
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Immigration issues
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Parenting issues
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Relationship issues
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sexuality
- Sleeping disorders
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Workplace issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 11 years
- Licensed
- Idaho
- Languages
- English