Challis Russell, LPC, LCMHC

Challis Russell approaches therapy with the belief that mental health is an essential part of overall well-being. She uses a holistic framework that considers a person's physical, social, and emotional needs, offering support that looks at the whole person rather than isolated symptoms.

She leads with empathy and curiosity, listening carefully to understand each individual’s circumstances and tailoring care to their unique needs. After earning a master’s degree in clinical counseling from Johns Hopkins University, she built clinical experience working with a diverse range of clients, including adults, couples, families, and adolescents. Her work has included helping people affected by anxiety, depression, trauma, domestic violence, and immigration-related challenges, and she is prepared to offer counseling services to these populations.

Challis holds the credentials LPC and LCMHC - LPC refers to Licensed Professional Counselor and LCMHC refers to Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor - and she combines practical strategies with empathic support to help clients navigate stress, relationships, life transitions, and trauma. Her style emphasizes collaboration, practical coping skills, and respect for each person’s background and goals, creating a space where clients can explore change at a pace that feels safe and productive.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Challis Russell commonly draws on Client-Centered Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in her work. Client-Centered Therapy focuses on creating a supportive, nonjudgmental relationship where the client’s perspective leads the process - this approach helps people explore feelings, build self-understanding, and strengthen personal resources. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a structured, skills-based method that looks at how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors interact; it is often used to address anxiety, depression, and stress by teaching practical strategies to change unhelpful patterns.

Choosing the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Challis works collaboratively with each person to identify goals and preferences, then tailors techniques to fit those needs so the plan feels workable and relevant.

Online therapy offers flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging, making it easier to access care from different locations and at different times. These options allow clients to maintain continuity of support while fitting therapy into busy lives, and they enable therapists to adapt tools and exercises to the format that best suits each client.