Claudia Richards, LICSW

Claudia Richards is a licensed clinical social worker with 30 years of experience helping people through tough times. She supports adults dealing with anxiety, depression, stress, relationship problems, and addiction concerns. She aims to make therapy approachable and practical so people can start making small changes quickly.

Claudia focuses on clear, useful steps rather than jargon. She listens to each person’s story and works with them to set realistic goals. Sessions often center on improving coping skills, managing emotions, and strengthening communication in close relationships.

Her background includes long experience with workplace stress, grief, parenting strain, and issues tied to adoption and attachment. She also helps people facing substance use and codependency concerns, as well as first responder stress and HIV/AIDS related problems. This breadth gives her options when a client needs different kinds of support.

In sessions Claudia blends practical tools with a respectful, client-centered stance. Techniques come from approaches like cognitive behavioral work, mindfulness, and emotion-focused methods to help people notice patterns and try new ways of responding. She encourages steady progress and real-world practice between meetings.

Claudia holds a District of Columbia LICSW, which is noted here as LICSW. She offers services in English and works from the DC area. To begin, people are asked to complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule according to her availability.

How her approaches guide online work

Claudia uses client-centered therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy as core ways to help people. Client-centered therapy focuses on listening closely and shaping sessions around each person’s priorities, which helps people feel heard and seen. Cognitive behavioral work looks at patterns of thought and behavior and teaches concrete skills to change unhelpful patterns, useful for anxiety, depression, and stress.

She also draws on dialectical behavior therapy ideas when emotion regulation and distress tolerance are important. That approach teaches practical skills for managing intense feelings and improving relationships. Together these methods give clients both compassionate support and hands-on tools to try between sessions.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Claudia will help clients choose which methods fit their goals and day-to-day life, and she adapts plans as needs change. This is a collaborative process that balances short-term coping strategies with longer-term growth.

Session formats are not specified in the biography, so confirm current options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit appointments into busy schedules, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time. Many people find virtual meetings helpful for maintaining consistent progress while balancing work, family, and other demands.