Carley Rothstein, LCSW

Carley Rothstein is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) based in North Carolina with eight years of experience. She started her career as an Exceptional Children’s teacher and later ran a tutoring and behavioral intervention business before moving into developmental therapy for infants and toddlers. Carley brings hands-on educational and behavioral experience to her therapy work.

She holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and a Graduate Certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis from Penn State World Campus. Those training experiences inform how she assesses patterns of behavior and builds practical strategies with clients.

Carley uses a client-centered style that focuses on what matters to each person. She combines Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, mindfulness, and motivational interviewing to help people manage stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, and a range of life changes. Sessions are practical and goal-oriented, with skills people can use between meetings.

Her background includes work in outpatient therapy, school-based psychotherapy, integrated behavioral health in medical settings, group homes, and assisted-living facilities. She has supported people facing foster care and adoption issues, autism spectrum needs, ADHD, and complex trauma across the lifespan.

Outside of work she advocates for the special needs community and spends time with her son, two dogs, and two bunnies. Carley aims to help people find steadier routines, clearer communication, and more manageable emotional responses.

Approaches that guide online sessions

Carley commonly draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Client-Centered Therapy in online work. CBT focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and trying new behaviors to reduce anxiety, depression, and stress. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes listening, validation, and working at a person’s own pace to clarify goals and values.

She also uses Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills when emotion regulation, distress tolerance, or interpersonal effectiveness are priorities. DBT skills teach concrete tools for managing strong emotions and improving communication in difficult moments.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will discuss concerns, try strategies, and adjust methods based on what helps most. Clients and the therapist set goals together and track progress over time.

Online therapy offers flexibility across several formats: video calls for face-to-face conversation, phone sessions when bandwidth or hands-free time is needed, live chat for brief check-ins, and text-based messaging for ongoing support between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, school, or caregiving routines and to use different formats for skill practice, check-ins, or full sessions.