Paula Patterson, LCSW

Paula Patterson is a licensed clinical social worker who helps people manage stress, anxiety, depression, and the effects of trauma. She focuses on practical steps people can use day to day. Paula uses plain language and a steady presence to guide conversations about difficult experiences and ongoing worries.

With 20 years of experience, she offers support for relationship strain, grief, addictions, intimacy concerns, and parenting stress. Paula also works with people dealing with obsessive-compulsive patterns, self-harm challenges, sexual assault and abuse, bipolar mood concerns, seasonal mood shifts, and compassion fatigue. She pays attention to how life circumstances shape feelings and behavior.

Her approach adapts to the person in front of her. Paula draws on several evidence-informed methods to help clients notice unhelpful patterns, build skills, and make values-based choices. Sessions are collaborative and paced to match each person's needs.

In sessions she prioritizes clear goals and simple tools that can be practiced between meetings. Paula aims to help people build coping strategies, improve emotional regulation, and repair important relationships when possible. Her style is direct but compassionate, focused on usable change.

Paula practices in North Carolina and conducts therapy in English. She holds an LCSW credential and brings long-term clinical experience to the work. To begin, people complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule according to therapist availability.

How her approaches translate to online therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people clarify what matters most to them and take small steps toward those values. It focuses on reducing the struggle with painful thoughts so life can be more meaningful. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions and teaches concrete skills for changing unhelpful patterns. CBT is useful for anxiety, depression, and many day-to-day problems.

Choosing the right approach is a team effort. Paula will work with each person to decide which methods fit their goals and preferences. She combines approaches as needed and checks in regularly to see what is helping and what should change.

If you are considering online work, confirm current session options before booking since formats are not listed here. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy around work, childcare, or travel. They also allow for shorter check-ins when a full appointment is not needed, and they remove the need to commute. Licensed professionals can adapt ACT and CBT exercises for remote sessions so people can practice skills between meetings.