L M (Loretta) Hartley-Bangs , LISW-CP

L M (Loretta) Hartley-Bangs is a licensed social worker in South Carolina with 36 years of clinical experience supporting people through complex life challenges. She focuses on treating depression, anxiety, trauma, and addiction while also offering specialized care for young adults, caregivers, women, and older adults navigating life transitions. Her work emphasizes practical coping strategies alongside emotional insight to help clients manage mood disorders, post-traumatic stress, codependency, and substance use concerns.

Hartley-Bangs approaches therapy with a patient, empathetic stance that honors each person's unique story. She helps clients untangle family dynamics, improve communication, and rebuild a sense of purpose after difficult experiences. Her practice addresses a broad range of issues including stress, bipolar disorder, social anxiety, and the stresses of caregiving and aging, always tailored to the individual needs of the person seeking support.

Hartley-Bangs holds the LISW-CP credential, a license that authorizes independent clinical social work practice in South Carolina, and she brings a blend of professional insight and compassionate presence to her sessions. She aims to create a supportive, nonjudgmental environment where people can develop resilience, explore personal growth, and work toward meaningful change over time.

Therapeutic Approaches for Online Care

Client-centered therapy emphasizes the person's own goals and experiences, offering a warm, empathetic framework that helps individuals explore feelings, build self-awareness, and strengthen coping during major life changes. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and behaviors and teaching practical skills to reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and mood disorders. Dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, teaches emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness skills that can be especially useful for managing intense emotions and patterns like self-harm or impulsive behavior.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. L M (Loretta) Hartley-Bangs works with each person to assess needs, goals, and preferences and then recommends methods that fit their situation, adjusting the plan as progress unfolds.

Online therapy offers flexible access to licensed professionals through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging, making it easier to fit appointments into busy schedules and to maintain continuity of care during life transitions. These formats support consistent work on stress, trauma, addiction, family dynamics, and other concerns without requiring travel to an office.