Elaine Belson, MD, LCSW-C, LCSW

Elaine Belson is a licensed clinician with 26 years of experience who blends medical and social work training to support people facing stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, depression, and life transitions. She holds an MD, indicating medical training, and dual social work credentials - LCSW-C and LCSW - which identify her as a licensed clinical social worker. Her career spans private practice, college teaching, community agencies, hospital settings, and work in combat zones, giving her a wide-ranging perspective on clinical and organizational systems.

As a former Army Social Work Officer, she brings specific expertise in working with Servicemembers, Veterans, and their families, and she regularly supports teens managing academic pressures, bullying, family separation, and self-image concerns. Her background also includes service on advisory boards and involvement in legislative roles in Washington, DC, which inform her understanding of policy and community resources that affect clients.

Elaine uses an eclectic, evidence-informed approach that combines insight, practical problem solving, and coping-skill development to tailor treatment to each person. She works with adults, adolescents, and families across a range of challenges including chronic illness, relationship difficulties, codependency, and eating-related concerns. Her clinical perspective emphasizes personalized care and measurable progress, aiming to help clients make meaningful and lasting change.

Evidence-Informed Approaches for Online Care

Elaine draws on insight-oriented techniques that help clients explore patterns, meanings, and emotional responses to life events; this approach can be especially helpful for concerns rooted in family of origin issues, abandonment, or chronic feelings of emptiness. She also emphasizes practical problem-solving and coping-skills training, teaching concrete strategies to manage anxiety, stress, depressive symptoms, and adjustment to chronic illness or life changes.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Elaine collaborates with each client to identify goals, assess what works best for them, and adjust interventions over time so therapy fits the client’s needs, values, and preferences.

Online therapy with Elaine is offered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to provide flexible access that suits different schedules and comfort levels. These options make it easier to maintain consistency in care, accommodate busy lives, and continue support through transitions while working with licensed professionals who tailor techniques to each client’s situation.