Barbara Pettibone, LCSW, CSW

Barbara Pettibone is a Colorado-licensed clinical social worker with decades of experience supporting young adults, adults, and seniors through life transitions and emotional challenges. With 46 years in mental health, she brings experience from both inpatient psychiatric hospitals and outpatient settings, offering a perspective shaped by long-term clinical work and a deep appreciation for the complexity of human experience.

Her primary focus includes work with seniors, where she addresses the many changes that accompany aging - loss, shifting relationships, and adapting to changes in health and daily functioning. She also sees clients facing stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, depression, relationship and family concerns, parenting issues, self-esteem struggles, and career or life-stage transitions. Barbara works with clients across a broad range of areas including bipolar disorder, anger, intimacy-related issues, and caregiving stress.

Barbara practices from a collaborative stance, viewing the client as the decision-maker in therapy and serving as a supportive guide in identifying problems and setting goals. She holds the credentials LCSW - Licensed Clinical Social Worker - and CSW, and describes her style as honest, forthright, warm, and caring. Her approach is flexible and eclectic, drawing on insight-oriented work, mindfulness, behavioral strategies, grief work, and other methods as needed. She welcomes the opportunity to join clients on their journey toward improved coping and wellbeing.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Support

Barbara Pettibone integrates several established approaches to tailor care to each person's situation. Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on understanding patterns in close relationships and how early bonds influence current responses - it can be helpful for clients working on trust, intimacy, and relationship repair. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes listening, empathy, and the client’s own resources; it creates a space where people can explore concerns at their own pace and build self-directed solutions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) offers practical strategies to identify unhelpful thoughts and develop new coping skills, which can assist with anxiety, depression, and stress-related problems.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. Barbara works with clients to assess needs, goals, and personal preferences, then recommends or blends methods that best fit the situation. This collaborative planning helps ensure therapy aligns with what the client hopes to achieve.

Online therapy expands access and flexibility, allowing work to continue through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. These options make it easier to schedule sessions around daily responsibilities, connect from different locations, and maintain continuity of care during life changes, while still working with licensed professionals and therapists committed to supporting each client’s progress.