Lori Brinkley, LCSW

Lori Brinkley is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 25 years of experience helping people navigate stress, anxiety, grief, relationship strain, and major life shifts. She brings a practical, down-to-earth style to sessions and focuses on usable tools that fit everyday life.

She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy alongside mindfulness and solution-focused ideas. Lori aims to help clients notice unhelpful thoughts, try small behavior changes, and build stronger coping skills. Sessions are conversational and goal-oriented while also making space for feelings.

Her approach is warm and direct. Lori will challenge unhelpful patterns but balances that with support and humor. She often blends client-centered listening with skills-based work so people leave with something to try between appointments.

Lori has worked with parents adjusting to new roles, people recovering from trauma and abuse, those facing caregiver strain, and people wrestling with relationship hurts such as infidelity or communication problems. She also helps with career stress, identity and LGBT concerns, eating and self-esteem issues, and compassion fatigue.

She offers phone, video, chat, and text-based sessions that fit different schedules and needs. Lori works with each person to set clear goals and practical steps. If someone wants straightforward sessions that mix skill building, perspective shifts, and honest conversation, she may be a good fit.

Practical approaches for online therapy and skills work

Clients will encounter a mix of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Client-Centered Therapy in sessions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on identifying patterns of thought that fuel anxiety or low mood and testing small behavior changes to shift how someone feels. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes listening, validation, and helping people set their own goals so work feels personally meaningful.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills are also used for emotion regulation and improving interpersonal effectiveness when strong emotions or relationship conflict get in the way. Lori uses these approaches collaboratively, discussing options and choosing methods together based on each person's goals and comfort level.

Online therapy here includes video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit varied schedules. Video is useful for in-depth sessions and role-play, phone can be a simpler low-bandwidth option, chat works for shorter check-ins, and text messaging lets people share notes or process between meetings. These formats make it easier to practice skills in real life and keep therapy consistent despite busy days.