Lacey Gaters
Calm, practical support for parenting and stress
- Credentials
- MD, LCSW-C
- Experience
- 11 years
- Licensed in
- Maryland
- Languages
- English
- Format
- Online sessions
About Lacey
Lacey Gaters, MD, LCSW-C welcomes parents and individuals seeking help with parenting stress, family concerns, anxiety, depression, or trauma. She keeps sessions straightforward and focused on what the client wants to change. She listens without judgment and helps people name goals and barriers so they can take practical steps forward.
Her approach often uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which looks at how thoughts shape feelings and actions. She also draws on client-centered methods that prioritize the person's own goals, and trauma-focused strategies when past events are causing current pain.
Background and approach
Sessions are tailored to what each person needs instead of following a fixed formula. Lacey trained in psychology and social work and brings over 11 years of practical experience. Her background includes work in hospitals and outpatient clinics in Maryland.
That range gave her practice with a variety of concerns from mood disorders to ADHD and grief. In sessions she focuses on building respect and trust through active listening. She will help clients challenge unhelpful thinking and develop skills to manage stress, behavior, and relationships.
Parents may get tools for parenting stress and communication around family problems. She holds an MD and is a Licensed Certified Social Worker-Clinical, credential number LCSW-C 16623. Lacey conducts therapy in English and offers several remote formats to fit different schedules and needs.
Therapeutic approaches and how they work online
Client-centered therapy puts the person's goals first and relies on respectful listening to help people decide what to change. It helps when someone wants a space to sort priorities and feel understood.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, focuses on the link between thoughts, feelings, and actions. It teaches simple, practical skills to reduce anxiety, manage mood, and change unhelpful behavior.
Trauma-focused therapy addresses the effects of past hurt on current life. It uses focused strategies to reduce the power of traumatic memories and improve day-to-day coping.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. Lacey will talk with each person about goals, symptoms, and preferences, and then try methods that fit best. She collaborates on plans and adjusts techniques based on what helps most.
Online therapy offers flexibility for busy parents and people with tight schedules. Video calls can mirror in-person visits, while phone, live chat, and text messaging give options for brief check-ins or ongoing support. These formats make it easier to keep appointments, practice skills between sessions, and stay connected when life is hectic.
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.
Mindfulness Therapy
Attention training: noticing thoughts and physical feelings as they arrive without being carried off by them. Much of it is practice you do yourself, so guidance over video or audio works much as it would in person.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
Also works with
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- Anger management
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Depression
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Family problems
- Grief
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Parenting issues
- Post-traumatic stress
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 11 years
- Licensed
- Maryland
- Languages
- English
Next step
Talk to Lacey
- Takes a few minutes
- Nothing to set up just to look
- Stop at any point