Angela McAlarney, LISW

Angela McAlarney is a licensed independent social worker in Ohio who helps people facing anxiety, depression, relationship strain, grief, and parenting stress. She focuses on practical steps people can take now to feel steadier and more able to manage daily challenges. Her approach centers on collaboration and building on each person's strengths. With three years of clinical experience as an LISW, she uses clear tools to address symptoms that interfere with life. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a core part of her work, offering straightforward ways to notice unhelpful thoughts and try different actions. Sessions are conversational and goal-oriented, with concrete skills to practice between meetings. Angela also supports people dealing with trauma and abuse, attachment and abandonment concerns, and caregiver stress. She helps people unpack painful experiences and develop coping routines that reduce overwhelm. When grief or life changes feel like too much, she breaks issues into manageable steps. She pays attention to issues common in LGBT and women’s experiences, social anxiety, impulsivity, and self-esteem struggles. The focus is on understanding patterns and experimenting with new responses. Angela aims to make progress feel realistic rather than rushed. Her style is supportive and direct. She encourages clients to use their existing strengths while learning new strategies. People leave sessions with specific ideas to try between meetings and a clearer plan for moving forward.

How CBT and online sessions work together

Angela uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help people identify and change thinking patterns that feed anxiety, depression, and social fears. CBT focuses on clear steps like noticing thought habits, testing those thoughts with real-life experiments, and practicing new behaviors that lead to small improvements. Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with the client about their goals, try methods that fit those goals, and adjust the plan as needed. Clients and the therapist set short-term goals and review progress together to decide what works best. Online formats make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation when a fuller exchange is helpful. Phone sessions can be simpler when bandwidth is limited or when a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and text-based messaging are useful for quick reflections, ongoing support between sessions, or when typing feels more comfortable than talking. These options give flexibility while using CBT techniques across different formats.