PuttingFamilyFirst

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CS Portrait of Carissa Streich
Online therapist

Carissa Streich

Compassionate, practical therapy for life transitions

Credentials
LICSW
Experience
9 years
Licensed in
Washington
Languages
English
Format
Online sessions

About Carissa

Carissa Streich is a licensed independent clinical social worker (LICSW) who uses a direct but warm style in sessions. She blends practical techniques with attention to personal strengths. Her approach aims to help people manage stress, anxiety, depression, and major life transitions.

Carissa practices in Washington and communicates in English. She draws on cognitive-behavioral methods to identify unhelpful thinking and shift daily habits. She also uses psychodynamic ideas to notice patterns that show up across relationships and life choices.

Background and approach

Motivational interviewing helps when someone is weighing change or facing mixed feelings about recovery or new goals. Carissa has about nine years of professional experience working with a wide range of concerns. Her background includes supporting people after physical trauma or emotional abuse and addressing issues such as grief, addiction, bipolar conditions, and compassion fatigue.

She also works with challenges linked to work, identity, and sexuality. Sessions are paced to match each person’s needs with straightforward feedback and collaborative planning. She aims to create a respectful space where problems are named and next steps are practical.

Carissa emphasizes building on strengths while addressing immediate problems. If someone is ready to begin, she asks them to complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule a session. That intake step helps shape an individualized plan and decide which tools to try first.

Therapeutic methods and online care that fit daily life

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and responding to each person's experience without judgment. It helps people feel heard and guides decisions based on their own values and goals. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at thinking patterns and daily habits and teaches practical skills to reduce anxiety, depression, and stress. Motivational Interviewing is a collaborative way to sort through mixed feelings and build motivation for change, useful when someone wants help with addiction, lifestyle shifts, or recovery goals.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what has or has not helped in the past. Together they decide which methods to try first and adjust the plan as progress or new needs emerge. This collaborative process helps keep therapy focused and relevant.

Online therapy offers flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Those options make it easier to fit sessions around school, work, or caregiving, and to continue support between appointments. Licensed professionals can use different formats to match a client’s pace and comfort, making it practical to build skills and address issues without adding travel time.

Client-Centered Therapy

The direction comes from you rather than from a set programme. The therapist offers a warm, non-judgemental space to think out loud and work at your own pace. Online, this rests on the relationship rather than on being in the same room.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT looks at the link between what you think, how you feel, and what you do. You work on noticing unhelpful patterns and practising steadier responses. It suits online sessions well, because much of the work happens between appointments and can be talked through from anywhere.

Motivational Interviewing

A way of working through mixed feelings about change without being pushed. The therapist helps you weigh things up and find your own reasons, which often makes a difficult decision feel less stuck.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of concerns can be addressed?
Carissa works with issues such as stress, anxiety, depression, grief, addiction, bipolar concerns, trauma and abuse, relationship and family problems, eating issues, anger, self esteem, compassion fatigue, workplace difficulties, and young adult challenges.
How would you describe her therapy style?
Her style is direct and warm, focusing on strengths and practical steps. Sessions combine clear feedback with collaborative planning to help people move forward.
What is her professional background?
She holds a Washington LICSW and brings about nine years of experience working in behavioral health settings with a variety of concerns, including trauma and emotional abuse.
Where is she licensed and practicing?
She is licensed in Washington as an LICSW, WA LICSW 60793828, and provides services while practicing from that state.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available?
Therapy can be conducted through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging.
How do costs and billing work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.

Next step

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