Claudia Richards, LICSW

Claudia Richards is a licensed clinical social worker with 30 years of experience helping people manage stress, anxiety, depression, and relationship struggles. She focuses on practical ways to steady emotions and rebuild confidence. Claudia creates an accepting space for people from diverse backgrounds, including members of the LGBT community, to talk through hard moments.

Her style is straightforward and collaborative. She uses tools from client-centered work and cognitive behavioral techniques to identify unhelpful patterns. Mindfulness and emotion-focused ideas are used to help people stay present and mend difficult connections.

Claudia draws on long experience with life changes like divorce, grief, and career shifts. She also supports people facing addiction, compassion fatigue, ADHD, and challenges tied to parenting or blended-family situations. Specific concerns she has worked with include abandonment, attachment issues, infidelity, and adoption and foster care questions.

In sessions she helps clients set clear goals and practice small steps between meetings. Her approach balances practical skill-building with attention to emotional experience. Over time, many clients develop more steadiness, better communication, and stronger coping strategies.

Claudia practices in the District of Columbia as a DC LICSW. She offers an affirming, respectful setting for people ready to address relationship patterns, work stress, and personal growth.

Approaches that guide online work and change

Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and understanding the person's experience. It helps people feel heard and make their own choices about change. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at thoughts and behaviors that keep problems going and teaches clear skills to test and change them. CBT is often used for anxiety, depression, and stress. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) offers practical skills for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and improving interpersonal effectiveness, which can help with anger, relationship patterns, and high stress.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to match methods to their goals and preferences. That means checking in, trying techniques, and adjusting the plan based on what helps most in everyday life.

Confirm the current session options before booking so you know which formats are available. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy day, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce the time spent traveling to appointments. It also supports continuity of care during life transitions and makes it simpler to keep therapy consistent alongside work or parenting demands.