Douglas Phares, LCMHC

Douglas Phares is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) practicing in North Carolina. He uses straightforward, practical talk to help people facing stress, anxiety, depression, and issues with self-esteem. He has seven years of experience in clinical settings and focuses on making the first steps toward change feel doable.

His approach centers on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) combined with client-centered conversation. That means he works with clients to notice unhelpful thoughts and try simple, tested strategies to change them. He also draws on dialectical behavior and mindfulness skills when strong emotions or repeated patterns are in the way.

Douglas helps people dealing with trauma, panic, ADHD, and social anxiety by breaking problems into manageable pieces. He also addresses concerns such as body image, communication problems, guilt and shame, and life purpose. Sessions tend to focus on practical skills people can use between meetings to see gradual change.

He emphasizes respect, sensitivity, and compassion in therapy. Douglas tailors conversations and plans to each person's needs rather than using a one-size-fits-all method. He aims to make therapy feel collaborative and accessible.

For someone worried about starting therapy, he aims to make the process steady and understandable. He supports goal-setting, tracks progress, and adjusts the plan as things change so people can move toward a more satisfying life.

How CBT and skills work in online therapy

Douglas uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people identify unhelpful thoughts and try small, practical changes in everyday life. CBT exercises often include tracking thoughts, testing assumptions, and practicing new behaviors that reduce anxiety or depressive moods.

He also uses client-centered methods that focus on listening and building a working relationship. This means sessions spend time understanding what matters to the person and shaping goals together. Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills are used when emotion regulation and distress tolerance are needed, offering step-by-step tools for managing intense feelings.

Douglas will work collaboratively to find which approaches fit best for each person. He will review goals, try methods, and adjust the plan based on responses and preferences. Finding the right mix is part of the process rather than a single decision at the start.

Online therapy options include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video sessions allow face-to-face conversation for skills practice, phone sessions can be lower bandwidth, live chat is useful for shorter check-ins, and text messaging supports brief updates or reminders between meetings. These formats aim to make regular work on goals more flexible and easier to fit into a busy life.