Ian Charnley, LPC, LMHP

Ian Charnley is a licensed therapist in South Dakota with 12 years of clinical experience supporting people through depression, anxiety, relationship challenges, trauma recovery, and personal growth. He holds the credentials LPC and LMHP - LPC stands for Licensed Professional Counselor and LMHP stands for Licensed Mental Health Practitioner - and applies that training to help clients build resilience and practical coping skills.

His practice emphasizes a compassionate, individualized approach that blends client-centered care with evidence-informed techniques. Ian works with a wide range of concerns including stress, family and parenting issues, grief, intimacy-related problems, LGBT identity matters, bipolar disorder, and challenges related to work and career. He also addresses interpersonal patterns such as communication difficulties, commitment concerns, and isolation or loneliness.

Ian often supports young adults and caregivers navigating life transitions, as well as people recovering from trauma or managing mood disorders. He focuses on helping people improve communication, process guilt and shame, and develop healthier coping strategies. Available for video, phone, live chat, and text-based messaging, he accepts international clients and aims to meet each person where they are in their journey toward meaningful change.

Approaches That Guide Online Sessions with Ian Charnley

Ian Charnley draws on client-centered therapy to create a supportive, nonjudgmental space where the client’s values and goals lead the work. This approach helps people explore identity, make sense of life transitions, and build self-directed change.

He also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - CBT - which focuses on identifying unhelpful thought patterns and developing practical skills to reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress. CBT is goal-oriented and often includes exercises to practice between sessions.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy - DBT - is another tool in his work, teaching emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness skills that can be especially useful for people coping with intense emotions, relationship difficulties, or impulsive behavior.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. Ian works with each person to assess needs, preferences, and goals, then adapts methods so therapy fits the individual rather than forcing a single model.

Online therapy offers flexibility and accessibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. These options make it easier to schedule consistent care around work, family, or geographic constraints, while allowing licensed professionals to deliver focused, practical support across distances.