Ellen DinsmoreLICSW

Ellen Dinsmore is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) who helps people manage stress, anxiety, depression, and addiction-related concerns. She also supports those facing postpartum depression, trauma and abuse, relationship strain, grief, and challenges with self-esteem or life transitions. Ellen writes plainly and offers steady, practical support for people feeling overwhelmed or stuck.

Her style is collaborative and down-to-earth. Sessions focus on identifying goals and small, concrete steps to make life feel more manageable. She aims to make conversations straightforward so people can talk about thoughts and feelings without judgment.

Over 15 years of practice, Ellen has developed ways to blend different approaches. She uses acceptance-based work and cognitive strategies alongside mindfulness and motivational interviewing to help people change what they can and accept what they cannot. Treatment plans are shaped to each person’s needs rather than a one-size-fits-all program.

Ellen commonly addresses issues tied to adoption and foster care, attachment concerns, codependency, and substance use. She also supports clients dealing with mood and personality disorders, gender dysphoria, and the stresses that come from caregiving or service in the armed forces.

People who choose her can expect clear communication, respect, and practical tools to try between sessions. Ellen encourages small experiments in daily life to build confidence and move toward clearer purpose and improved coping.

Approaches that guide online work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on identifying personal values and taking actions that matter, while learning to live with difficult thoughts rather than getting stuck in them. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at patterns of thinking and behavior, and then tests small changes to reduce symptoms like anxiety and depression. Motivational Interviewing helps people find their own reasons to make changes, especially around addictions and behavior shifts.

Finding the right approach is part of therapy. The therapist will work together with each person to decide which methods fit best. That means trying things, noticing what helps, and adjusting plans based on goals and preferences.

Confirm current session options before booking since formats are not specified here. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week and to keep momentum between visits. It can allow shorter check-ins when schedules are tight, reduce travel time, and make it simpler to try skills in everyday settings. Licensed professionals can adapt ACT, CBT, and motivational interviewing work to remote sessions so people can practice strategies that matter in real time.