Carolyn Hollingshead , LCSW, LISW-CP

Carolyn Hollingshead is a licensed clinical social worker with a long career devoted to helping people improve their quality of life by addressing the obstacles that stand in their way. She brings 22 years of social work experience and a background as a Registered Dietitian spanning more than 30 years, along with a PhD in Nutrition that emphasized communication, to a practice that blends clinical insight with medical and nutritional knowledge. She holds advanced social work credentials - LCSW, which denotes advanced clinical social work training, and LISW-CP, a license for independent clinical practice - and has completed specialty training including Certified Grief Counseling Specialist (CAGCS) and Level One training from the Gottman Institute.

Her clinical focus includes stress, anxiety, addictions, relationship and family concerns, grief and bereavement, depression, trauma and abuse, eating and food-related issues, chronic pain and illness, parenting and blended family dynamics, anger, self-esteem, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and support for coping with life transitions. She also works with aging and geriatric issues, hospice and end-of-life counseling, body image, communication problems, and other family-of-origin or midlife concerns. Because of her nutrition and medical background, she is comfortable addressing medical and health-related factors as part of a more holistic treatment plan.

Carolyn favors process- and insight-oriented work and values the moment when a person uncovers a meaningful insight during therapy. Her approach incorporates a wide toolbox of evidence-based methods, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), psychodynamic therapy, solution-focused strategies, motivational interviewing, mindfulness, somatic techniques, and Gottman-informed interventions for relationships. She has taught a university course on body image and eating disorders for more than 15 years and has additional training in gerontology, which informs her work with older adults and families navigating later-life transitions.

Personal experience has also shaped her perspective; she is a widow who raised two teenage sons as a single mother and understands the complexities of singlehood and blended family life. Carolyn continues to pursue new techniques and theories to broaden her clinical toolkit and support clients with compassionate, practical care.

Could Virtual Counseling Be a Good Fit?

Many people wonder whether working with a therapist online can truly help. For common concerns such as stress, anxiety, depression, relationship challenges, or major life transitions, online therapy has been shown to be comparable in effectiveness to traditional in-person sessions for most people.

One of the clearest benefits is flexibility. Individuals can meet with a therapist in the format that suits them best - video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or in-app messaging - which can make it easier to fit support into a busy schedule or to access care from home.

Licensed professionals provide care in these formats, and someone may choose to switch therapists at any time if they want a different fit. For many, virtual counseling offers a practical, accessible path to working through challenges with an experienced therapist.