Andrea Plate, LCSW

Andrea Plate is a licensed clinical social worker with twenty years of experience. She combines clear, practical techniques with steady support to help people navigate anxiety, addiction, grief, and life transitions.

Andrea spent nearly 15 years running a residential substance abuse treatment program at the West Los Angeles Department of Veterans Affairs. There she worked with people experiencing homelessness and long-term mental health challenges, and she later moved into broader outpatient work for the general population.

Her approach is collaborative and straightforward. She listens first, then helps clients set small, achievable goals. She draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy alongside client-centered and solution-focused methods to change unhelpful thoughts and build everyday coping skills.

Andrea also uses motivational interviewing when substance use or readiness for change are central concerns. She brings psychodynamic ideas into longer conversations to better understand patterns that repeat across relationships and life choices.

In addition to clinical practice, Andrea teaches social welfare and addiction topics at a West Los Angeles university. She aims to treat people with respect and compassion, and she adapts sessions to each person’s needs and pace.

Combining clear approaches with online flexibility

Andrea often uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people spot and change unhelpful thought patterns and develop practical coping skills for anxiety, depression, and stress. She also works in a client-centered way, listening closely and shaping sessions around each person's goals and pace. Motivational interviewing is used when substance use or readiness to change are important, helping people find their own reasons and plans for moving forward.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Andrea will talk with each person about their goals and preferences and together they will decide which methods to try first. She adapts the plan over time based on what is working and what needs adjustment, so the process stays collaborative and focused on real-life progress.

Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to make scheduling easier and to suit different needs. Video calls are useful for in-depth conversation and visual cues, phone sessions can be simpler when bandwidth is limited, and chat or messaging can work for brief check-ins or ongoing support between sessions. These options help fit therapy into busy lives and maintain consistency across weeks.