Carleigh O'Brien, LCSW

Carleigh O'Brien is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) practicing in Montana with nine years of experience supporting people through a wide range of life challenges. She completed her degree at Walla Walla University in Missoula Montana in 2013 and has since focused her work on evidence-based approaches that combine practical skills with compassionate, person-centered care.

Her clinical toolkit includes cognitive behavioral therapy - including trauma-focused CBT - mindfulness practices, and solution-focused strategies. These approaches inform her work with mood disorders, anxiety and stress, relationship and attachment concerns, grief and loss, parenting and postpartum difficulties, trauma and abuse, and other issues that affect daily functioning and connection with others. Carleigh also works with clients navigating career transitions, intimacy-related concerns, ADHD, bipolar disorder, and young adult challenges.

As an LCSW, Carleigh brings both clinical training and hands-on experience to each session, helping people build coping skills, improve communication, and create meaningful change in relationships and personal wellbeing. Her practice emphasizes collaboration, practical interventions, and attention to how attachment and interpersonal patterns influence present-day struggles.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Carleigh integrates several established approaches to tailor treatment to each person's needs. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on helping people clarify their values and commit to actions that support a meaningful life, while teaching simple skills to relate differently to difficult thoughts and emotions. Attachment-Based Therapy explores how early relationship patterns influence current connections and communication, helping clients build healthier ways of relating to partners, family members, and themselves. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) offers practical, skills-based techniques to identify unhelpful thoughts and behaviors and replace them with more effective patterns, often helping with anxiety, depression, and trauma-related symptoms.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Carleigh works collaboratively with each person to determine which methods best match their goals, preferences, and life circumstances, and adjusts the plan as progress is made.

Online therapy with Carleigh is offered by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to provide flexibility for busy schedules and diverse needs. These options make it easier to fit sessions into work, parenting, and daily life while maintaining continuity of care with a licensed professional.