Therapist profile
Allen Gholston, LCSW
LCSW focused on family and parenting concerns
Continue with AllenAbout
- Client-centered approach
- Cognitive behavioral tools
- Mindfulness and DBT skills
About Allen
Allen Gholston is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with two decades of experience in mental health practice in Tennessee. They list stress, anxiety, addictions, depression, relationship and family concerns, trauma and abuse, grief, anger, self-esteem, career shifts, and compassion fatigue among their focus areas.
Allen uses a client-centered approach and draws on practical methods to help people manage daily strain. Sessions focus on clear goals and steps people can try between meetings. The tone is straightforward and nonjudgmental, with attention to what can change now.
The work can include cognitive behavioral tools to spot unhelpful thinking patterns and dialectical behavior strategies to manage intense emotions. Mindfulness techniques and motivational interviewing are also part of the mix when they fit a person's goals. Allen describes treatment as adaptable to individual concerns rather than one fixed method.
People reach out for help with grief, chronic illness, body image, and substance use concerns as well as issues linked to gender and sexuality. Allen notes experience with mood, personality, and trauma-related symptoms, and offers support around career transitions and midlife questions.
Sessions aim to strengthen coping, reduce distressing symptoms, and clarify next steps people can take in everyday life. The practice is described as judgment-free and encouraging; Allen will work with people who are ready to make deliberate changes and who want practical feedback and reinforcement.
How sessions work
How Allen uses therapeutic approaches online
Client-centered work focuses on the person's priorities. It starts by listening and identifying what the person wants to change. This approach helps when someone needs clear, person-driven goals and practical next steps.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at links between thoughts, feelings, and actions. It offers simple exercises to test unhelpful thinking and try new behaviors. CBT can help with anxiety, low mood, and patterns that get in the way of daily life.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, adds skills for managing intense emotions and improving distress tolerance. These skills can be useful for handling anger, strong mood shifts, and overwhelming stress.
Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to decide which methods match their goals and preferences. That process can change over time as needs shift.
The therapist's biography does not specify which online session formats are offered. Please confirm current session options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, shorten travel time, and allow check-ins during a lunch break or between appointments. Therapists and licensed professionals generally adapt exercises and homework so they work across remote sessions and in everyday routines.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
20+ years
Listed in
Tennessee, Mississippi
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does Allen support?
He supports stress, anxiety, addictions, depression, relationship and family concerns, trauma and abuse, grief, anger, self-esteem, career and adjustment issues, and compassion fatigue among other topics.
How would he describe his therapeutic style?
Sessions are client-centered and solution-focused with practical steps to try between meetings. He uses clear, goal-oriented work rather than abstract theory.
How much experience does he have?
He has 20 years of experience in mental health practice and has held a Master of Social Work since 2001 with an LCSW credential since 2016.
Where is he licensed and practicing?
He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) practicing in Tennessee.
Does he work with non-English speakers or international clients?
Sessions are offered in English and he accepts international clients.
What session formats are available?
The original biography does not list specific session formats. Please confirm current session options before booking.
How much do sessions cost?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with him?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is in danger, use the crisis numbers.