Linda Spielman, LCSW

Linda Spielman is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with 23 years of clinical experience who focuses on supporting adolescents, young adults, and parents through complex emotional and behavioral challenges. She brings intensive training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy - certified through the Linehan Institute - alongside a trauma-informed psychodynamic perspective that attends to both present-day coping skills and deeper relational patterns.

Linda co-founded the first specialized DBT practice in Austin, Texas, and maintained that practice from 2005 to 2024, blending structured skill work with reflective therapeutic exploration. Her approach emphasizes practical strategies for emotion regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, and distress tolerance while also exploring family history, attachment dynamics, and meaning-making when relevant.

Known for a warm, authentic manner, she creates an environment where sensitive topics can be explored and where people can work toward measurable, lasting change. Her work extends beyond individual therapy - she produced an instructional DVD titled "Teens who Self-Injure," appeared as a guest on The Today Show, and has trained hundreds of school counselors, teachers, and nurses. Linda’s post-graduate studies include focused training in Family Systems, Mindfulness, and Attachment therapy, which inform her integrative, evidence-based practice.

Evidence-Based Methods and Online Care

Linda Spielman integrates Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and a trauma-informed psychodynamic approach in her online practice. DBT focuses on teaching concrete skills for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and mindfulness - tools that are especially helpful for intense emotions, self-harm urges, and relationship conflicts. The trauma-informed psychodynamic work explores how past experiences and attachment patterns shape current feelings and behaviors, helping clients gain insight into longstanding patterns and foster more adaptive ways of relating.

Choosing the right therapeutic approach is a collaborative process. Linda works with each person to assess their needs, goals, and preferences and adapts interventions over time so the therapy fits the individual rather than forcing a single method.

Offering sessions by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging makes therapy more flexible and easier to fit into busy lives. These options allow people to access licensed professionals from different locations, maintain continuity during life transitions, and pick the format that feels most comfortable for them while working toward meaningful change.