Ellen Walker, LICSW

Ellen Walker is a licensed clinical social worker practicing in the District of Columbia. She brings a warm, optimistic perspective shaped by life experience and a long career in mental health and child welfare. In her early 60s, she has spent more than two decades working with couples, families, individuals, and children, addressing a wide range of concerns from physical and emotional trauma to grief, depression, anxiety, addiction, relationship challenges, and major life transitions.

Ellen describes her approach as eclectic, drawing on therapies that best meet each person’s goals and strengths. She often uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing to help clients develop practical skills, tackle unhelpful thinking patterns, and set achievable steps for change. Ellen holds the LICSW credential - a license that indicates advanced clinical training in social work and permission to practice independently - and applies that training across diverse presenting problems.

Sessions are typically 45 minutes once weekly, beginning with time to build rapport and understand the issues that brought someone to therapy. She views the therapeutic relationship as a partnership grounded in trust, respect, honesty, and shared commitment to the work. Ellen is flexible about how she connects with clients, preferring an initial video meeting when possible but also offering phone and text options. Much of her availability is in the mornings and on weekends, and she checks messages at least once each weekday. She encourages people to take the first step toward finding a therapist who feels like a good fit and welcomes the opportunity to support that journey.

Therapeutic approaches and online care

Ellen commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which helps people identify and change patterns of thinking and behavior that contribute to distress - it is often helpful for anxiety, depression, and managing stress. She also draws on Solution-Focused Therapy, a goal-oriented approach that highlights strengths and practical steps to move forward, useful for life transitions, relationship challenges, and parenting concerns. Motivational Interviewing is another approach she employs to help people explore ambivalence and strengthen motivation for change, especially when addressing addictions or behavior change.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Ellen collaborates with each client to determine which methods align with their needs, goals, and preferences, adjusting the plan over time so the work remains practical and relevant.

Online therapy offers flexibility in how people connect - through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging - which can make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules, maintain continuity during life changes, and access care from different locations. Ellen accommodates these options and typically begins with video to build rapport, then continues in the format that best supports each client.