Lisa Ford , LICSW, MD, LCSW-C

Lisa Ford is a licensed clinical social worker and therapist with 15 years of professional experience supporting people through stress, anxiety, trauma, career challenges and depression. Licensed across the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia, she brings a strengths-based, client-centered perspective that emphasizes each person as the expert of their own story.

Her credentials include LICSW and LCSW-C, which are clinical social work licenses, and MD, indicating a medical degree. Lisa draws on these qualifications to offer practical interventions alongside empathic listening, helping clients identify existing resources and build new coping skills. She addresses a wide range of concerns, including panic and mood disorders, post-traumatic stress, relationship and communication problems, caregiver stress, workplace issues, and life transitions such as pregnancy, midlife changes and career shifts.

Lisa frames seeking help as a courageous first step toward a more fulfilling life and partners with clients to set meaningful goals, reduce distress, and strengthen resilience. Her approach emphasizes collaboration, respect for clients' expertise about themselves, and the use of evidence-informed strategies to support lasting change and improved well-being.

Approaches that translate well to online therapy

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on building a respectful, nonjudgmental therapeutic relationship where the client guides the pace and goals of treatment. This approach helps people who want to explore feelings, increase self-understanding, and draw on their own strengths to solve problems.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a structured, skills-based approach that examines connections between thoughts, feelings and behaviors and teaches practical tools to reduce anxiety, manage mood symptoms and respond differently to stressful situations. CBT is often used for depression, panic and anxiety-related concerns.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process; Lisa works collaboratively with clients to determine which methods best match their needs, goals and preferences, and she adjusts plans as progress unfolds.

Online therapy offers flexibility and accessibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging, allowing clients to fit sessions into busy schedules and access licensed professionals from different locations. These options make it easier to maintain consistency in care while using approaches like Client-Centered Therapy and CBT in ways that suit each person's life.