Janice Ricks, LISW

Janice Ricks is a Licensed Independent Social Worker with eleven years focused on professional therapy work. She practices in Ohio and brings a calm, practical approach to sessions. Janice centers her work on helping people move forward from difficult moments and rebuild day-to-day routines.

She favors straightforward conversation and clear strategies. Sessions often include simple exercises people can try between meetings. Janice draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy along with acceptance-based and client-centered ideas to help people spot unhelpful patterns and test new behaviors.

Her experience covers stress, anxiety, grief, depression, and mood concerns such as bipolar disorder. She also supports people navigating relationship and intimacy issues, family stress, career transitions, and identity-related topics for LGBT individuals. Additional focus areas include adoption and foster care, caregiver stress, body image, and recovery after trauma.

Janice describes therapy as a collaborative effort. She listens, helps set small goals, and checks progress together. The pace is adjusted to each person's needs and comfort.

Her background includes work in higher education and community trainings, and over a decade in direct clinical practice. That mix influences a teaching style that is respectful and practical. Janice encourages people to take the first step and aims to make it easier to talk about painful or confusing experiences.

How Janice Uses Evidence-Based Approaches Online

Janice commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in online sessions. CBT focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and behaviors and replacing them with practical alternatives; it is useful for anxiety, depression, and stress. ACT emphasizes accepting difficult feelings while clarifying personal values and taking committed action toward them, which helps with grief, chronic stress, and life transitions.

Choosing an approach is collaborative. Janice will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what feels useful. She often combines tools from different approaches and adjusts plans as progress is made so therapy stays relevant to daily life.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video is good for face-to-face conversation and skill demonstrations. Phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited or for a focused check-in. Live chat and messaging are helpful for shorter check-ins, coaching-style prompts, and when written reflection suits the person better. These options make scheduling and ongoing work more flexible and easier to fit into a busy life.