Dr. Joy McElveen, LCSW

Therapeutic approaches for online care and practical skill-building

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on clarifying what matters to a person and taking committed steps toward those values, even when difficult thoughts or feelings show up. It helps with anxiety, depression, life transitions, and a sense of aimlessness by shifting attention toward meaningful action. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the link between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and teaches specific techniques to change unhelpful patterns. CBT can be useful for anxiety, depression, workplace stress, and social anxiety by giving simple tools to test and shift beliefs. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) emphasizes emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness skills; it offers concrete practices for managing strong emotions and improving communication.

Finding the right blend of approaches is part of the process. The therapist works collaboratively with each person to choose methods that match their goals, values, and day-to-day challenges. Together they try techniques, notice what helps, and adjust the plan as needed.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility. Video calls let people work face-to-face from wherever they are, while phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth or camera use is limited. Live chat and text-based messaging allow for shorter check-ins and ongoing support between sessions. These options make it simpler to fit therapy into work, caregiving, or other routines while using the approaches above in real-life contexts.