Therapist profile
Tracy Kessler, LISW, LCSW-C
Licensed clinical social worker - Family and parenting concerns
Continue with TracyAbout
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Emotion-Focused Therapy
About Tracy
Tracy Kessler is a licensed clinical social worker, LCSW-C in Maryland, with 23 years of experience. She helps adults who are dealing with parenting strain, family conflict, relationship stress, grief, anxiety, depression, trauma, and related concerns. Tracy also lists work with ADHD, eating issues, bipolar mood concerns, and compassion fatigue.
She writes plainly and focuses on practical steps people can use at home. Her work draws on client-centered methods and cognitive behavioral ideas to look at patterns of thinking and behavior. She also uses emotion-focused and trauma-informed approaches to help people understand and respond to strong feelings.
Much of Tracy's recent work was in school-based mental health for children and adolescents over an 18-year span. That experience informs how she approaches parenting issues and family problems, especially when attachment or child trauma are involved. She also has experience supporting people affected by domestic violence, foster care, medical fragility, and developmental disability contexts.
In sessions she tends to combine listening with concrete strategies - thinking about patterns, practicing skills, and addressing emotional responses. She includes mindfulness practices where they fit and uses trauma-focused work for people with past abuse or PTSD symptoms. Her background also includes mentoring, coaching, and child advocacy, which shape a practical, action-oriented style.
Tracy is a parent and brings that everyday experience into conversations about parenting stress and family life. She works in English and is based in Maryland. If you want to explore whether she could help with your family or parenting concern, follow the site steps to view online therapy options and schedule an initial session.
How sessions work
How her approaches translate to online work
Tracy uses client-centered methods that start with listening to what matters to the person. This approach focuses on the client's goals and priorities and guides practical next steps for home life and parenting concerns.She also uses cognitive behavioral therapy, which looks at thinking and behavior patterns and teaches concrete skills for managing anxiety, mood, and impulsivity. CBT is often used for stress, panic, OCD-type worries, and mood regulation.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. Tracy will help you decide which methods fit your needs, goals, and preferences. You and she can try different techniques and adjust the plan as you go, working together to make sessions useful for everyday family life.
The therapist's biography does not list specific session formats here, so confirm available online options before booking. In general, online sessions can make it easier to fit appointments into busy schedules, allow shorter check-ins when needed, or reduce travel time. Discuss format and timing during the matching process so sessions can be arranged to fit your routines.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
23+ years
Listed in
Maryland, Virginia, Ohio
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of family or parenting issues does she address?
She lists parenting, family problems, attachment issues, child trauma, divorce and separation, and caregiver stress among her focus areas.
How would she work on anxiety or depression?
She uses client-centered conversations alongside cognitive behavioral techniques to identify patterns and practice coping skills for anxiety and depression.
What is her professional background?
She has 23 years of experience and spent 18 years providing school-based mental health services to children and adolescents in the public school system.
Which credentials and region apply to her practice?
She holds LISW and LCSW-C credentials, with LCSW-C in Maryland, LCSW in Virginia, and LISW in Ohio, and she is based in Maryland.
Does she work in other languages or with international clients?
Sessions are offered in English. She is not currently accepting international clients.
What session formats are offered?
The original biography does not list specific session formats. Please confirm current session options on the booking page before you schedule.
How are costs handled?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin if I want to work with her?
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.