- Years in practice
- 46
- Credentials
- LCSW, CSW
- Licensed in
- Colorado
- Languages
- English
- Focus
- Stress, Anxiety
- Focus
- Trauma and abuse
- Focus
- Grief
About Barbara
Barbara Pettibone is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) with decades of experience supporting adults through life’s hard moments. She approaches therapy with warmth and plain speaking. Parents seeking practical help around parenting challenges will find clear guidance and steady support.
Barbara has worked in inpatient psychiatric hospitals and outpatient settings across her long career in Colorado. That background gives her experience with grief, depression, anxiety, trauma, chronic illness, and the stress that comes with major life transitions.
Background and approach
She also focuses on issues such as relationship struggles, intimacy-related concerns, self-esteem, and caregiving stress. In sessions she centers the person seeking help. Clients set the goals and she helps shape a plan to reach them.
She describes herself as honest, forthright, and caring, and uses a mix of approaches rather than one fixed method. Barbara draws on attachment-based ideas, client-centered listening, and skills from cognitive behavioral and dialectical behavior therapies as needed. She also uses emotionally-focused work and grief-focused strategies when those fit the situation.
Her aim is to use practical tools that make a difference in day-to-day life. With 46 years in the field, Barbara brings a calm, experienced presence to sessions. She welcomes conversation about goals and options, and helps people find workable steps forward.
If a parent wants straightforward help for stress, parenting strain, or relationship issues, she offers a grounded, collaborative approach.
What Barbara works with
Everything Barbara lists, in the therapist's own terms. Parenting is the reason this directory exists; the rest shows what else Barbara helps people with.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Depression
- Coping with life changes
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Intimacy-related issues
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coaching
- Abandonment
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Avoidant personality
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Impulsivity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Personality disorders
- Post-traumatic stress
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Barbara lists
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Existential Therapy
- Jungian Therapy
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Somatic Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
- Systemic Therapy
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
Therapeutic approaches that translate well online
Attachment-based work focuses on how relationships shape feelings and behavior. It helps people understand patterns in close relationships and improves emotional connection and trust. Client-centered therapy emphasizes listening, validation, and following the client's pace; it helps people feel heard and gain clarity about their own goals. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, teaches practical skills to change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors and can be effective for anxiety, depression, and stress.Barbara will collaborate with each person to choose the right blend of approaches. She discusses goals, preferences, and daily life before recommending strategies. The choice of method is part of the work together, and adjustments are made as the client's needs change.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, which let therapy fit around parenting schedules and busy days. Video is useful when visual cues matter, phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited, and chat or messaging are handy for short check-ins or between-session notes. These options make it easier to keep appointments, try different formats, and maintain steady progress without long travel times.
Questions people ask about Barbara
What concerns does Barbara commonly address?
She helps with stress, anxiety, grief, depression, trauma, parenting concerns, relationship and intimacy issues, caregiver stress, chronic illness, and life changes.
What is her general therapy style?
Barbara uses a client-centered, collaborative style. She listens, helps set goals, and blends practical skills with insight work based on each person’s needs.
How long has she worked in mental health?
She has 46 years of experience, including work in inpatient psychiatric hospitals and outpatient settings.
What credentials and location are listed?
She is licensed as an LCSW and holds a CSW credential in Colorado.
Which languages and international options are available?
Sessions are offered in English and she accepts international clients.
What session formats does she offer?
She meets via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging.
How does payment and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions are provided through a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a session based on the therapist’s availability.
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