Stuart Riskin
Experienced LCSW offering collaborative therapy
LCSW California
- Experience
- 28 years in practice
- Focus areas
- Stress, Anxiety, Addictions, LGBT
- Approaches
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Client-Centered Therapy
- Languages
- English
About Stuart
Stuart Riskin is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with nearly three decades of experience helping people navigate stress, anxiety, addictions, relationship challenges, grief, and other life transitions.
Background and approach
He frames therapy as a collaborative process in which the client’s own knowledge and goals guide the work, and he emphasizes a respectful, strength-based stance that encourages active participation and intentional change.
Riskin draws on a varied professional background that began in the entertainment industry and later moved into social work, bringing practical insight from both public and personal sector roles. That nontraditional path contributes to a flexible, relatable approach that blends clinical methods with real-world problem solving.
He commonly uses cognitive behavioral techniques alongside client-centered and emotionally focused strategies to address mood, trauma, intimacy, and coping difficulties. Known for a warm, down-to-earth manner, Riskin treats clients as partners and aims to create a supportive space where people can explore goals, develop skills, and build lasting wellness.
He works with a broad range of concerns including parenting and family issues, substance use, ADHD, compassion fatigue, and challenges related to identity and relationships.
Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care
Stuart Riskin frequently blends cognitive behavioral techniques with client-centered and emotionally focused methods to support practical change and deeper relational work. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking patterns and building concrete skills to manage stress, anxiety, mood, and addictive behaviors. Client-Centered Therapy centers the client’s experience, using empathic listening and collaborative goal-setting to bolster strengths and self-directed growth. Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) attends to patterns in close relationships, helping people understand and shift emotional responses to improve connection and intimacy.Finding the right approach is a collaborative process, and the therapist works with each client to determine which combination of methods best matches their needs, goals, and preferences. He views therapy as a partnership where treatment choices are adjusted as progress and priorities evolve.
Online sessions offer practical flexibility, with options for video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit varied schedules and comfort levels. These formats make it easier to maintain continuity of care during life transitions, reduce travel time, and provide multiple ways to communicate depending on what feels most useful for the client.
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Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
28+ years
Licensed
California
Languages
English