Ellen Walker

Ellen Walker is a licensed clinical social worker (LICSW) with three decades of experience in mental health. She is direct and approachable and focuses on helping people who feel stuck by listening carefully and offering straightforward strategies. Many people come to her for help with anger, grief, anxiety, depression, relationship strain, parenting stress, and major life changes.

She draws on a mix of practical methods rather than a single technique. Ellen uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify unhelpful thinking and change behavior. She uses Solution-Focused ideas to set small, achievable goals and Motivational Interviewing to support readiness for change. Trauma-focused methods inform her work when past harm affects current life.

Sessions begin with getting to know each person and clarifying what brought them to therapy. Ellen aims to create a collaborative relationship built on honesty and mutual effort. She typically meets weekly for 45 minutes and values steady, consistent work toward concrete goals.

Her background includes long experience in mental health and child welfare settings in the District of Columbia. That history shapes a practical, problem-solving style and comfort addressing family and parenting concerns, adoption and foster care issues, caregiver stress, and end-of-life topics.

Ellen prefers starting with video so people can connect visually, but she has used phone and text options as well. International clients may be accepted. Prospective clients should confirm current session options and scheduling when they reach out.

Approaches That Translate Well to Online Work

Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes listening and responding to each person’s needs, so sessions focus on what matters most to the client and move at a comfortable pace. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) breaks problems into thoughts, feelings, and actions and uses exercises to practice new ways of thinking and behaving; this can be helpful for anger, anxiety, and depression. Motivational Interviewing helps people find their own reasons to change and is useful when someone feels uncertain about taking the next steps.

Choosing the right approach is a shared task. Ellen will work with clients to figure out which combination of methods fits their goals and preferences. Early sessions typically include setting clear, practical goals and checking in on what feels useful so the plan can be adjusted together.

Confirm the current session options before booking so you know how she is offering services at the moment. Many people find online sessions easier to fit into busy days, allow quieter check-ins during a break at work, or remove travel time. Others prefer starting on video to build rapport and then switch to phone or text for brief follow-ups. Discussing scheduling preferences and daily routines helps make sessions workable for real life.