Dr. Gary Ward, LMFT, LPC

How his approaches fit online therapy

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on the person's needs and priorities and uses empathic listening to help people identify what matters most. This approach helps when someone wants a therapist who follows their lead and respects their values and pace.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts and actions affect feelings and teaches practical skills to reduce anxiety and change unhelpful patterns. CBT is useful for worry, mood concerns, and stress because it includes clear exercises that translate well to online sessions.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills help with managing intense emotions and improving coping through skills for distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and better interpersonal communication. These skills can be practiced during video or phone sessions and reinforced via messaging between meetings.

Finding the right mix of approaches is a collaborative step. The therapist works with the person to choose methods that match their goals, comfort, and day-to-day needs. That might mean focusing on skill practice, exploring relationship patterns, or adding mindfulness exercises as life circumstances change.

Online therapy formats offer flexibility. Video calls let people work face-to-face from a chosen location, phone sessions work when bandwidth or camera use is limited, live chat can suit brief check-ins, and text messaging supports ongoing reminders and short reflections. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule and keep momentum between full sessions.