Lisa McCarton , LCSW

Lisa McCarton is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) practicing in Virginia with two decades of clinical experience. She brings extensive background in psychotherapy and social work focused on children, adolescents, and families, and she has worked across a range of concerns including behavioral problems, trauma, family relationships, mood disorders, school-related challenges, and sexual abuse issues. She earned a Master of Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2000 and began her post-master's clinical career in a residential treatment setting serving emotionally and physically abused children, providing both therapy and case management for children and their families.

Her clinical style is goal-oriented and client-centered, emphasizing practical, hands-on strategies to address immediate problems while building long-term coping skills. She integrates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) - a method that helps people identify and change unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns - alongside problem-solving techniques and a strengths-based perspective to support meaningful change. Lisa prioritizes the therapeutic relationship as the foundation for progress, offering an emotionally supportive and respectful environment where clients can explore healing and personal growth. She acknowledges that change can be difficult but believes it is achievable through focused work and collaboration with the client.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on patterns that develop from early relationships and how those patterns affect current connections. This approach can be helpful for issues like attachment concerns, family conflict, abandonment, and difficulties forming or maintaining close relationships. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes a respectful, nonjudgmental therapeutic relationship where the therapist listens deeply and supports the person's own capacity for growth. It is often useful for building self-esteem, navigating life transitions, and strengthening coping during stressful periods. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) works on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, offering practical tools for managing anxiety, depression, and everyday stressors.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and the therapist works collaboratively with each person to determine which methods fit best with their needs, goals, and preferences. The focus is on tailoring strategies to the individual's situation rather than applying a single technique to everyone.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility for people balancing work, family, and other commitments. Clients can connect with licensed professionals through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging, which makes regular therapy more accessible and easier to schedule. These options allow therapists and clients to maintain continuity of care and to use methods that suit the client's comfort and lifestyle.