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GL Portrait of Geraldine Leary

Geraldine Leary

Experienced LCSW blending practical therapies

LCSW Arizona

Experience
30 years in practice
Focus areas
Addictions, Relationship, Family
Approaches
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Client-Centered Therapy
Languages
English
Continue with Geraldine

About Geraldine

Geraldine Leary is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with three decades of clinical experience helping people navigate addiction, relationship and family challenges, depression, anxiety, grief, trauma, and life transitions.

Background and approach

She draws on a mix of practical therapies to help clients regain balance when stress, low self-esteem, anger, bipolar mood concerns, parenting pressures, or compassion fatigue have left them feeling stuck. Her work also includes support for LGBT clients and those coping with substance-related issues.

Geraldine emphasizes a collaborative, client-centered stance that assumes clients already possess inner resources to meet life’s demands. She creates a calm, nonjudgmental atmosphere and pairs that presence with concrete techniques from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), mindfulness practices, motivational interviewing, and solution-focused strategies.

Sessions focus on identifying unhelpful patterns, quieting the mind, and defining tangible steps toward meaningful goals. Over her career she has worked across outpatient, residential, in-home, and inpatient settings with people ages 12 through 95.

Based in Arizona, she offers an eclectic approach tailored to each person’s needs and collaborates with clients to build a practical plan for change.

Evidence-Informed Approaches for Online Work

Geraldine draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy as part of her online practice. CBT focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors to reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress, while DBT emphasizes emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness skills useful for managing intense emotions, mood instability, and relationship conflicts. She also uses client-centered principles to ensure sessions remain respectful, empathic, and focused on each person’s priorities.

Choosing the right approach is treated as a collaborative process. Geraldine works with clients to explore what methods fit their goals and preferences, adjusting techniques over time so the plan aligns with the person’s needs and what proves most helpful in session.

Online therapy with Geraldine can include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging, offering flexibility for varied schedules and communication styles. These formats make it easier to access regular sessions from different locations and to follow a consistent plan of skills practice and check-ins that support progress between meetings.

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does Geraldine commonly address?
She works with a broad range of issues including addictions, relationship and family difficulties, self-esteem, depression, stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, parenting challenges, anger, bipolar concerns, coping with life changes, and compassion fatigue.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is client-centered and collaborative, combining a calm, nonjudgmental presence with practical, skills-based techniques to help clients identify strengths and concrete next steps.
What is her professional background?
She has 30 years of experience as a social worker across outpatient, residential, in-home, and inpatient settings, working with clients ages 12 to 95.
What credentials and location are listed?
She holds the credential LCSW with licence AZ LCSW LCSW-3950 and practices in Arizona.
Which languages are available for sessions and are international clients accepted?
Sessions are offered in English and she is not accepting international clients at this time.
What session formats does she offer?
Available formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to accommodate different communication preferences.
How are costs and subscriptions handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability, and sessions are provided through a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What are the first steps to begin working together?
To get started, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions according to therapist availability.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

AddictionsRelationship issuesFamily conflictsSelf esteemDepression

Also works with

Stress, AnxietyLGBTTrauma and abuseGriefParenting issuesAnger managementBipolar disorderCoping with life changesCompassion fatigue

Therapeutic approaches

Client-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Mindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingSolution-Focused Therapy

Experience

30+ years

Licensed

Arizona

Languages

English