Lawrence Goncalves Jr., LICSW - Therapist in Washington

About Lawrence

Lawrence Goncalves Jr. is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker with 25 years of experience. He focuses on helping families and parents manage stress, parenting challenges, mood concerns, and relationship strains. He draws on grounded methods to make changes that feel useful in everyday life.

Lawrence aims to leave people thinking or functioning better than when they first started. He began his work after earning a Bachelor of Arts in Juvenile Counseling from the University of Washington.

Background and approach

Early roles included youth and family counseling in community mental health, work with juvenile offenders, domestic violence shelters, community centers, and youth group homes. He later earned a Master of Social Work from the University of Washington and holds the LICSW credential. In sessions he emphasizes the therapeutic relationship as central.

That means prioritizing safety and building trust before introducing tools. He pulls from several approaches depending on needs, including Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Lawrence works with a wide range of concerns such as anxiety, trauma, depression, addictions, grief, sleep problems, anger, and self-esteem.

He also addresses family issues like blended family challenges, fatherhood concerns, communication problems, and divorce or separation impacts. Practical skills, problem-solving, and coping strategies are common parts of his work. He also attends to attachment and abandonment issues, codependency, dissociation, impulsivity, and infidelity when these arise in family or parenting contexts.

How therapeutic approaches work in online family care

Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and building a respectful relationship. It helps people feel heard and safe enough to try new ways of handling family stress and parenting challenges.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts, feelings, and actions connect. It teaches concrete skills to change unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviors, which can reduce anxiety, improve mood, and help with sleep and anger management.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, EMDR, is used to reduce the intensity of traumatic memories. It offers a structured way to revisit difficult events and lessen their hold on day-to-day life, which can support family functioning after trauma.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences, and what feels most useful, then adapt methods to match each family's needs. This is a collaborative process aimed at practical change.

Online sessions make it easier to fit therapy into busy family schedules. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation, phone sessions offer a simpler option, and live chat or text-based messaging let parents check in between sessions. These formats increase flexibility so parents can access support from home or work while using the same therapeutic methods they would in person.

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.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

Concrete skills for riding out strong emotion, tolerating distress, and handling relationships without things escalating. The skills are practised in daily life, so between-session support by message or phone fits naturally.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of problems does Lawrence address?

He works with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, bipolar disorder, depression, addictions, grief, sleep difficulties, parenting and family problems among other concerns.

What is his general therapy style?

His approach centers on building a trusting relationship and then teaching practical skills. He uses a mix of client-centered listening and structured methods like CBT and DBT as needed.

How much clinical experience does he have?

He brings 25 years of experience working in community mental health, juvenile services, shelters, group homes, and outpatient therapy.

What are his credentials and where is he based?

He is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker - LICSW - licensed in Washington with license number WA LICSW LW00009741.

Which languages are supported for sessions?

Sessions are offered in English.

Can he work with people outside the country?

He does not accept international clients at this time.

What formats are available for sessions?

Sessions can take place via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging.

How are fees and starting therapy handled?

Cost varies with location and therapist availability and uses a subscription that can be canceled at any time; to begin, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.

Specialties and expertise

Top specialties

Also works with

Therapeutic approaches

Experience: 25 years
Licensed: Washington
Languages: English

Next step

Talk to Lawrence

Takes a few minutes
Nothing to set up just to look
Stop at any point

Book with Lawrence