Alanna Higgins , LCSW

Alanna Higgins is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) practicing in Pennsylvania with ten years of professional experience. She works with people facing stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, career challenges, depression, and compassion fatigue, combining practical skills training with empathic support. Alanna views each person as the expert of their own story and builds on existing strengths to help navigate obstacles and reach meaningful goals.

Her practice addresses a broad range of concerns including adoption and foster care issues, caregiver stress, commitment and control difficulties, feelings of emptiness, forgiveness, gender dysphoria, guilt and shame, hoarding, infidelity, isolation and loneliness, jealousy, life-purpose questions, veteran and armed forces matters, and obsessive-compulsive patterns. She draws on approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, EMDR, Mindfulness Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing to tailor interventions to individual needs. Alanna emphasizes collaboration, practical coping strategies, and gentle exploration to support both short-term problem solving and longer-term growth. She acknowledges that beginning therapy takes courage and offers steady encouragement to help people take the next step toward change.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Alanna Higgins uses evidence-informed approaches to help people manage distress and build skills. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying patterns of unhelpful thoughts and behaviors and developing practical strategies to change them; it is often used for anxiety, depression, and stress-related problems. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) teaches concrete skills for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and improving relationships, which can be useful for intense emotions and interpersonal difficulties. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an approach that helps people process and reduce the impact of distressing memories by using guided attention and bilateral stimulation; it can be helpful for trauma-related reactions.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and Alanna collaborates with each person to determine what methods best fit their needs, goals, and preferences. She adapts techniques over time so that therapy remains responsive and practical for the individual.

Online therapy offers flexibility by allowing sessions by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules, maintain continuity of care across locations, and choose the communication style that feels most comfortable, while still working with licensed professionals who tailor their work to the client’s goals.