Adalheidur (Ally) Dagbjartsdottir, LCSW, LSCSW

Adalheidur (Ally) Dagbjartsdottir welcomes people who are feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or unsure where to turn. She talks with clients about practical steps they can take now. Ally keeps sessions down to earth and focused on what matters most to each person.

Ally is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW, and also holds a Licensed Specialist Clinical Social Worker credential, LSCSW. She has five years of experience as a therapist and draws on prior social work roles that gave her a broad view of life stressors. She uses language people understand and aims to make therapy straightforward and useful.

Her approach mixes cognitive behavioral therapy with client-centered methods and elements of dialectical behavior therapy and mindfulness. That means sessions often include looking at thought patterns, practicing skills to manage emotions, and building on each person's strengths. Ally can also use motivational interviewing to help with change and goal-setting.

She works with an array of concerns including anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, stress, anger, self-esteem, grief, parenting challenges, ADHD, and relationship and intimacy-related issues. Ally also has experience with attachment issues, autism and Asperger syndrome, body image, and caregiver stress.

Sessions are offered in English and Icelandic. She practices from Kansas and provides help through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. To start, a simple matching questionnaire is completed and scheduling follows based on therapist availability.

How Ally uses evidence-based approaches online

Ally commonly uses cognitive behavioral therapy, which focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new ways of thinking and behaving to reduce anxiety and depression. Sessions often include homework tasks and practical exercises that transfer easily to daily life.

She also draws on client-centered therapy, which emphasizes listening, empathy, and helping the client lead the pace and goals of work. That approach helps people feel heard while they try new coping strategies. Dialectical behavior therapy skills are also used to teach emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and better interpersonal communication when needed.

Finding the right fit is a collaborative process. Ally will talk with each person about their goals, preferences, and what has or hasn't worked before, and then suggest approaches to try together. Adjustments are made as progress and feedback guide the work.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video is useful for in-depth sessions and practicing skills together. Phone sessions can be a good option when bandwidth is limited or for shorter check-ins. Live chat and text messaging make it easier to have brief touchpoints and to fit therapy into a busy day.