About Rita
Rita Lawler is a licensed clinical social worker with 28 years of experience helping people through hard life moments. She supports adults facing depression, anxiety, stress, trauma, grief, and big life changes. Rita aims to make the process straightforward and focused on what matters most to each person.
She has particular experience with post-traumatic stress, attachment concerns, mood disorders, and issues that often carry guilt and shame. Rita also works with women and young adults, and with people managing chronic pain or long-term illness.
Background and approach
Her work combines practical steps with close listening so people feel understood while making change. Rita emphasizes a compassionate approach. She meets people where they are and helps set realistic goals.
Sessions focus on identifying patterns, building coping skills, and easing intense emotions so daily life becomes more manageable. She is attentive to the identities clients bring into the room and works respectfully with LGBTQ+ people and older adults. Rita aims to create a space where people can talk honestly about their history and current struggles without feeling rushed.
Rita encourages a collaborative relationship. She helps clients weigh options and decides next steps together. For many, that means steady progress toward greater calm, clearer direction, and improved day-to-day coping.
How therapeutic approaches work online
Rita uses evidence-based techniques that focus on practical change. One common approach she uses helps people process traumatic memories and reduce their hold on daily life by working slowly through memories and building coping strategies. Another approach centers on mood and attachment patterns, helping people identify unhelpful relationship habits and try new ways of relating that feel safer and more satisfying.Finding the right approach is part of therapy. The therapist and client explore goals, preferences, and what has or hasn’t helped before. Together they pick methods that fit the person’s needs and adjust them over time so the work stays relevant and useful.
Online sessions offer flexibility and many ways to connect. Video calls let people read expressions and have a face-to-face conversation. Phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited or when someone prefers not to be on camera. Live chat and text messaging provide shorter check-ins or ongoing support between longer appointments. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy lives and to keep steady contact while working on change.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
Also works with
- Experience
- 28 years
- Licensed
- New Jersey
- Languages
- English