Polly Parks, LCSW

Polly Parks is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) practicing in California with 14 years of continuous professional experience and 100% good standing with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS). She brings focused care for people facing depression, anxiety, grief, anger, and stress, and offers informed support for LGBTQ2+ concerns and gender dysphoria. Her practice also addresses trauma and abuse, hospice and end-of-life counseling, addiction and recovery, and issues related to sexuality including BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture.

Polly serves clients who are navigating complicated feelings such as guilt, shame, isolation, and questions about life purpose, and she works with people managing process and substance addictions. She has experience supporting communities affected by prejudice and discrimination and has worked directly with students and professionals in response to the 2019 Saugus High School shooting in Santa Clarita.

She is a current member of the National Association of Social Workers and of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. Polly holds the legally required California telehealth training certificate approved by the BBS. In addition to her clinical training, she brings lived-experience perspective in long-term recovery from alcohol since July 6, 2006, and familiarity with mutual-support options such as AA, NA, EA, OA, Adult Children of Alcoholics, and SMART Recovery meetings.

Polly offers afternoon and evening appointments - session start times include 12:00, 1:00, 2:00, 3:00, 5:00, 6:00, 7:00, and 8:00 - and she is available on weekends. Her regular days off are Wednesday and Thursday. She follows NASW ethics and will not conduct sessions while a client is driving. Her practice aims to provide an open, nonjudgmental space where clients can share their thoughts and feelings and take the courageous first steps toward change.

Therapeutic Approaches and the Benefits of Online Care

Polly integrates Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help clients clarify personal values, build psychological flexibility, and take meaningful steps forward even when difficult thoughts and feelings are present. This approach can be useful for anxiety, depression, and situations where people feel stuck.

She also uses Client-Centered Therapy, which emphasizes empathy, genuine engagement, and support for clients as the experts on their own lives. This style helps people who need a trusting, nonjudgmental space to explore identity, relationships, and emotional struggles.

Trauma-Focused Therapy is part of her work with people recovering from abuse, violence, or traumatic events. It involves targeted strategies to reduce trauma-related symptoms and to help clients regain a sense of safety and agency.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Polly partners with each client to assess needs, goals, and preferences and adapts methods over time so therapy fits the individual rather than forcing a single model.

Online therapy options include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, offering flexibility for people with busy schedules, mobility limitations, or those who prefer remote care. These modalities make it easier to maintain continuity of care and to schedule sessions at times that work best for the client while still receiving support from licensed professionals and therapists.