Karen Crawley-Buckholtz, MD, LCPC, LPC

Therapeutic approaches for online parenting and life stress

Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and understanding each person's perspective. The therapist creates space for people to talk about what matters most and supports them in identifying their strengths and goals. This approach is useful for parenting stress, grief, and relationship concerns where being heard helps clarify next steps.

Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, looks at patterns of thought and behavior and offers concrete tools to change them. Clients learn skills such as behavioral activation, sleep routines, and reworking unhelpful thoughts, which can help with anxiety, depression, and sleep problems. Dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, adds skills for emotion regulation and coping under intense stress, which can be helpful for impulsive behavior, high emotion, and relationship strain.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will talk with each person about their goals, preferences, and daily life needs, then try methods that fit. That collaborative process means approaches can be blended and adjusted over time to match progress and changing concerns.

Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit busy schedules. Video is useful for a fuller conversation and visual cues. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or when someone prefers not to be on camera. Live chat and text messaging work well for brief check-ins, skill practice, or support between longer sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, childcare, and other routines.