About Risa
Risa Mendelson is a licensed professional counselor who uses client-centered methods to help people facing anxiety and life stress. She draws on practical tools clients can use between sessions. Risa explains things plainly and focuses on what matters most to each person.
She holds a Master of Arts in Rehabilitation Counseling and Community Inclusion and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a concentration in Human Development. Risa also worked as a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant, which shaped her attention to how physical and mental health interact.
Background and approach
Her counseling style combines client-centered therapy with cognitive-behavioral techniques and elements of dialectical behavior therapy and mindfulness. Sessions often include goal setting, skill practice, and simple exercises you can try at home. Risa has six years of clinical experience helping people with anxiety, panic, social fears, and low self-esteem.
She also supports those coping with chronic illness, caregiving stress, traumatic brain injury, and life changes that feel overwhelming. In session she focuses on practical steps like managing anxious thoughts, building coping skills, improving day-to-day routines, and pacing recovery. Risa aims to meet people where they are and plan small, manageable changes that add up over time.
Therapeutic approaches for online anxiety care
Client-centered therapy focuses on the person’s goals and priorities. The therapist listens carefully and helps shape a plan that fits the client’s life. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, looks at thoughts and behaviors that keep anxiety going and teaches practical strategies to change them. DBT, or dialectical behavior therapy, adds skills for managing strong emotions and improving stress tolerance when anxiety or panic feels overwhelming.Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with the client about symptoms, daily routines, and what they want to achieve. Together they decide which methods to try first and adjust the plan as needed based on what helps most.
Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to give flexibility. Video works well when visual cues help the conversation. Phone sessions use less bandwidth and can fit into a work break. Live chat or text can be useful for brief check-ins, skill reminders, or when typing feels easier than speaking. These options make it simpler to fit therapy into a busy schedule and keep momentum between sessions.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
Also listed
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Family conflicts
- Grief
- Isolation / loneliness
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Relationship issues
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Traumatic brain injury
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 6 years
- Licensed
- Michigan
- Languages
- English
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