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- CBT
- DBT skills
- Emotion-focused work
About Frances
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Pennsylvania with 15 years of practice experience, Frances McNamara helps people manage stress, anxiety, depression, addictions, trauma, grief, anger, self-esteem issues, and work-related strain. She also supports clients dealing with bipolar conditions, ADHD, and major mood and panic concerns. Frances uses several evidence-based approaches in her sessions, including cognitive and dialectical methods and emotion-focused work.
Frances draws on fifteen years of clinical work across a wide range of concerns. She has experience with both common problems such as panic and seasonal mood changes and more persistent conditions like personality disorders. Her background includes work with clients facing trauma and long-term mental health challenges.
Her style centers on direct, present engagement. She aims to give people room to describe what is happening in their lives and to identify both progress and obstacles. Sessions emphasize clear, practical strategies alongside attention to feelings and values.
In practice Frances uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help people change unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns. She integrates Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills for emotion regulation and distress tolerance when those tools are helpful. Emotion-focused methods and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) are used to address relational patterns and values-driven action.
Clients can expect a straightforward clinical approach that mixes skill-building with a focus on what matters to them. Frances encourages realistic steps and measurable changes while also attending to emotional experience. To begin, follow the site process for matching and scheduling a first session.
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How her approaches translate to online sessions
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice unhelpful thoughts and choose actions that match their values. In online sessions this can mean setting specific goals and using exercises between meetings to test new behaviors.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying thinking patterns and changing behaviors that maintain distress. Remotely, CBT often uses worksheets, behavioral experiments, and concrete skill practice that can fit around daily life.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) contributes emotion regulation and distress tolerance skills. These skills are taught in short practice drills and repeated coaching, which can be done in video or audio sessions and reinforced with home practice.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with the client to choose methods that match current goals, symptoms, and daily routines. This means adjusting strategies as needed and combining approaches when useful.
Confirm the platform's current session options before booking, as formats are not listed here. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules, allow for shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time. They also let people practice skills in the settings where problems actually arise.
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Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
15+ years
Listed in
Pennsylvania
Languages
English
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Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she address?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, addictions, trauma, grief, anger, low self-esteem, career strain, bipolar conditions, ADHD, and related mood and panic disorders.
What therapeutic style can I expect?
She blends cognitive behavioral techniques, dialectical behavior skills, client-centered and emotion-focused approaches. Sessions mix practical skill-building with attention to feelings and values.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 15 years of experience working with a wide range of concerns from adjustment issues to persistent mental health conditions.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) licensed in Pennsylvania and practices from that state.
Which languages are supported?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can international clients work with her?
International clients are not currently accepted.
How are sessions paid for and what do they cost?
Cost varies with location; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I start a first session?
Use the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and then schedule a first session through the platform.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger, use the urgent help numbers.