Lawrence "Larry" Westenberg, LCSW

Lawrence "Larry" Westenberg is a licensed clinical social worker with more than 42 years in counseling. He emphasizes a strengths and solutions approach that helps people build on what already works for them. Larry keeps sessions straightforward and practical, focused on the changes a person wants to make.

Larry began his career on a back ward of a state mental hospital. That early work shaped his belief that useful help often comes from simple, direct tools rather than elaborate theorizing. Over decades he has worked in inpatient, outpatient, partial hospitalization, and crisis settings, learning approaches that help people manage trauma, anxiety, and difficult life transitions.

In sessions he listens for a person’s existing skills and resources. He then helps people use those strengths to address problems like panic, addiction, depression, and jealousy. He also supports people navigating career decisions, grief, intimacy concerns, and identity issues.

Larry draws on several practical approaches such as client-centered methods, cognitive behavioral strategies, mindfulness, hypnotherapy, and existential ideas about meaning. He has written on belief change and Ericksonian hypnosis, and uses techniques that fit the person rather than forcing a single theory.

People who prefer direct, experience-based work often respond well to his style. Sessions aim to be collaborative and goal-oriented, helping each person make steady, usable progress toward the life they want.

How his approaches work in online therapy

Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and responding to the person in front of the therapist. It emphasizes empathy and building on a person's strengths to set and reach goals, which can help with stress, relationship concerns, and self-esteem issues.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors interact. It uses practical exercises and skill-building to reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and panic, and to improve coping with life changes.

Mindfulness therapy involves learning simple attention and breathing practices to reduce reactivity and increase calm. This can be helpful for anxiety, anger, and managing cravings or urges.

Choosing an approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will work with each person to test methods and see what fits their needs and goals. Sessions can be adjusted over time so the work matches changing priorities and preferences.

Please confirm current session options before booking, as this profile does not list specific formats. Online therapy can make it easier to fit appointments into a busy life, shorten travel time, and allow for focused check-ins between other responsibilities. For many people, remote sessions help maintain consistency and make it simpler to practice new skills in daily routines.