Carol Gross , LCSW

Carol Gross is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with 25 years of experience who combines a steady respect for human resilience with a practical, skills-based approach to therapy. She has long been drawn to understanding psychology, human behavior, and data analysis, and early in her career she worked as a computer system analyst. Over the years she has supported people facing anxiety, depression, mood disorders, addiction, trauma and abuse, anger management, ADHD, OCD, autism spectrum challenges, grief, hospice care, and many other mental and behavioral health concerns.

Carol has found Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) especially useful in helping people move through pain toward more meaningful lives. She integrates ACT with techniques drawn from cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, client-centered approaches, and mindfulness practices to increase coping skills, focus, and psychological flexibility. Carol often uses the ACT Matrix and other practical tools to help clients notice uncomfortable patterns, identify values, and choose actions that align with what matters most to them.

Her work centers on helping people recognize what their pain is trying to communicate, discover effective strategies for coping with anxiety or depression, and build habits that support lasting change. Carol aims to guide clients toward greater clarity, resilience, and the ability to live in ways that reflect their values.

Evidence-Informed Approaches for Online Care

Carol regularly uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a values-focused approach that helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings and commit to actions that align with what matters to them. ACT supports coping with anxiety, depression, trauma-related distress, and life transitions by increasing psychological flexibility and purposeful behavior.

She also draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which identifies and reshapes unhelpful thought and behavior patterns. CBT is effective for anxiety, mood concerns, stress management, and many everyday challenges where concrete skills and problem-solving are helpful.

Mindfulness practices are woven into her work to build present-moment awareness, reduce reactivity, and strengthen emotional regulation. These practices complement ACT and CBT by helping clients cultivate steady attention and acceptance as they practice new ways of coping.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Carol works with each person to explore what fits their needs, goals, and preferences, adjusting techniques over time so therapy feels practical and personally relevant.

Online therapy options - including video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging - make it easier to fit care into busy lives and to maintain continuity across schedules and locations. These formats allow licensed professionals to offer flexible, ongoing support and practical skills coaching tailored to each person’s circumstances.