Petra Gross, LPC

Petra Gross is a Licensed Professional Counselor who helps adults facing anxiety, depression, stress, and major life changes. She also supports people dealing with relationship struggles, parenting pressures, grief, trauma, and addiction concerns. Petra works with individuals navigating identity and multicultural challenges, including LGBT and immigration-related issues.

Petra creates a calm, accepting space where clients feel heard. She emphasizes empathy and clear goals so work in sessions feels practical and grounded. She balances warmth with accountability, asking direct questions to help people move forward.

Her approach draws from several methods with a focus on mindfulness and self-compassion. Petra commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy along with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and client-centered ideas to help people shift unhelpful thoughts and build new habits. She also incorporates dialectical skills when managing strong emotions.

Early sessions focus on building a strong working relationship and clarifying what change would look like. From there Petra and the client make a plan with doable steps and tools to try between sessions. Progress is measured in small, concrete changes rather than abstract goals.

Petra works in Virginia and brings ten years of clinical experience to her practice. She provides services in English as well as Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian. Her style suits people who want practical skills delivered with compassion and cultural sensitivity.

Practical approaches you can use online

Petra commonly draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice and change unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviors. CBT focuses on identifying thoughts that cause distress and testing new actions to reduce symptoms like anxiety or low mood.

She also uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which encourages people to accept difficult feelings while choosing actions that match their values. ACT can help when life changes or hard emotions get in the way of meaningful goals. Client-centered therapy informs her overall stance by prioritizing empathy, listening, and following the client's lead to build trust.

Figuring out the right mix of approaches is part of the work. Petra will collaborate with each person to choose methods that fit their goals, needs, and preferences. She aims to adapt tools and homework so they make sense for everyday life.

Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Video is useful for longer sessions and skill work, phone can be easier when bandwidth is limited, live chat can support quick check-ins, and messaging works for ongoing reflection or brief support between meetings. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules and to keep momentum between sessions.