Dr. Carol Schmidt, LCSW

Dr. Carol Schmidt helps people facing stress, anxiety, grief, depression, and big life changes. She also supports those dealing with relationship struggles, parenting strain, trauma and abuse, and work-related concerns. Carol is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with ten years of clinical experience in California.

Her approach is straightforward and practical. She blends Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with client-centered conversation and psychodynamic thinking to fit each person's needs. Sessions focus on understanding patterns, testing new behaviors, and building coping skills that make daily life easier.

Carol keeps sessions collaborative and down-to-earth. She listens for the problems that matter most and helps clients set clear goals. Meetings move at a pace the client can manage, with concrete steps between sessions to practice new ways of coping.

She commonly addresses issues such as obsessive thoughts and compulsions, panic and social anxiety, mood and personality concerns, attention difficulties, and problems that arise in blended families or after separation. Carol also works with people facing isolation, career decisions, and questions of life purpose.

Clients can expect a mix of talking, skill-building, and gentle exploration of past influences. The focus is on real changes that reduce distress and improve relationships. Dr. Carol Schmidt aims to help people feel more capable and in control of their next steps.

How Carol’s approaches translate to online therapy

Dr. Carol Schmidt commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and client-centered methods. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing different behaviors to reduce symptoms like anxiety, panic, or compulsions. Client-centered work prioritizes the person’s perspective, listening closely and building goals based on what matters most to the client.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work together. Carol will collaborate with each person to decide which methods match their needs, goals, and preferences, and she will adjust the plan as progress is made.

Online therapy with video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging makes it easier to fit sessions into a busy life. Video is useful when visual cues help the conversation. Phone sessions can work when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and text-based messaging offer a way to stay connected between meetings or to use therapy in brief moments during the day. These options increase flexibility and make it simpler to maintain continuity of care with licensed professionals and therapists.