Stephanie Dobbs
Strength-focused therapy for everyday challenges
LMFT Washington
- Experience
- 25 years in practice
- Focus areas
- Stress, Anxiety, Addictions, LGBT
- Approaches
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Client-Centered Therapy
- Languages
- English
About Stephanie
Stephanie Dobbs is a licensed marriage and family therapist with 25 years of clinical experience. She centers her work in an approach that emphasizes clients' strengths and goals, using practical, evidence-informed methods to help people manage stress, anxiety, mood challenges, and relationship concerns.
Background and approach
Her background includes supporting those facing addiction issues and LGBTQ-related matters, and she draws on a collaborative style that invites clients to shape the direction of care. Stephanie frames therapy as a partnership in which the client is regarded as the expert on their own life.
She uses motivational strategies and solution-focused techniques to help clients identify small, attainable steps forward, and integrates cognitive-behavioral tools when addressing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that maintain distress. Her practice also attends to caregiver strain, midlife transitions, and women's issues, with tailored attention to drug and alcohol addiction and other mood disorders.
Licensed as an LMFT in both Florida and Washington, Stephanie brings a seasoned, empathetic presence to online sessions and offers multiple formats to fit different needs. She aims to empower people to move toward greater coping, clarity, and well-being at a pace that feels right for them.
Integrating proven approaches into online care
Stephanie uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help clients recognize and shift unhelpful thought patterns and build practical skills for managing anxiety, mood concerns, and stress. CBT offers structured strategies that can be practiced between sessions to reduce symptoms and increase coping.She also draws on Client-Centered Therapy to create a respectful, nonjudgmental space where clients' perspectives guide the work; this approach emphasizes empathy and collaboration to help people identify their strengths and decide on meaningful goals. Additionally, Motivational Interviewing is used to explore ambivalence and strengthen intrinsic motivation for change, which is often helpful when addressing addictions or lifestyle shifts.
Finding the best approach is a collaborative process. She will work with each person to tailor methods to their needs, goals, and preferences rather than applying a one-size-fits-all model. Clients and therapist review progress and adjust strategies over time to ensure the work stays relevant.
Online sessions are offered via video calls, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging, providing flexibility for different schedules and comfort levels. These options make it easier to fit consistent therapy into busy lives and to continue therapeutic work when in-person visits are not practical.
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does Stephanie commonly address?
What therapeutic style does she use in sessions?
How long has she been practicing?
What are her professional credentials and location?
Does she offer services in multiple languages or to international clients?
Which session formats are available?
How are sessions priced?
What steps are needed to begin working together?
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
25+ years
Licensed
Florida, Washington
Languages
English