David Potts, LCSW

David Potts is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) who brings 14 years of experience as a mental health therapist on the Gulf Coast of Southwest Florida. He has worked with individuals, teens, young adults, and adults across a range of life stages, and he has also supported family systems through many of the challenges that affect household functioning and relationships. David has spent nearly five years providing services through an online practice, which has expanded his reach well beyond his local community.

His clinical work focuses on common and complex concerns including depression, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, relationship struggles, parenting challenges, stress related to school or work, motivation, bipolar disorder, and ADHD/ADD. He has experience treating severe and persistent mental health conditions as well as alcohol and substance addiction. His work history includes positions in both outpatient and residential treatment settings. David has particular experience with teens who have faced abandonment, loss of family or home, and histories of physical, sexual, or emotional trauma.

David describes his counseling style as open and engaging, guided by commitment and compassion. He integrates approaches such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, existential perspectives, psychodynamic ideas, motivational interviewing, and solution-focused techniques, and he adapts treatment plans to meet each client’s needs and goals. He often explores underlying causes of difficulties and emphasizes small, achievable changes that support steady progress rather than perfection. David welcomes the first step toward change and aims to encourage and support clients as they move toward their next chapter.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

David often uses cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help clients identify unhelpful thoughts and develop practical coping strategies; CBT is useful for anxiety, depression, stress, and many day-to-day challenges. He also applies dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills when emotional regulation, distress tolerance, or relationship patterns are central concerns - DBT emphasizes skills for managing intense emotions and improving interpersonal effectiveness. Additionally, David draws on emotionally-focused therapy (EFT) ideas to help clients and couples understand and shift patterns in attachment and connection so they can build more secure relationships.

Choosing the right approach is part of the therapeutic process and David treats that choice as collaborative. He works with each person to consider their needs, goals, and preferences, and he adapts methods as progress and circumstances evolve.

Online therapy offers flexible ways to access this work through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. These options make scheduling easier, reduce travel time, and allow people to receive consistent support from licensed professionals in ways that fit their daily life and commitments.