PuttingFamilyFirst

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PH Portrait of Phyllis Hartman
Online therapist

Phyllis Hartman

Kind, practical help for family and parenting challenges

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Credentials
LCSW
Experience
25 years
Licensed in
Pennsylvania
Languages
English
Format
Online sessions

About Phyllis

Phyllis Hartman greets people who are juggling parenting, family stress, mood changes, or substance concerns. She writes plainly and focuses on practical steps to reduce anxiety, manage anger, and address addictive behaviors. Phyllis uses straightforward conversation to help people figure out next steps and feel less overwhelmed.

Phyllis earned a Master of Social Work and holds an LCSW, a licensed clinical social worker credential in Pennsylvania. She has been in practice for about 25 years and has experience across mood disorders, trauma, grief, ADHD, and caregiver stress.

Background and approach

Her background includes long-term work with people facing life changes and relationship challenges. In sessions she treats therapy as a kind of focused teaching. She helps clients learn skills and try new ways of handling difficult feelings.

That can mean practicing breathing and present-moment attention, testing a different thought, or working through how to set boundaries with family. Her approach draws on client-centered work, cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, mindfulness, and motivational interviewing. Those methods give both short-term tools and chances to look at deeper patterns that keep repeating.

Phyllis names family, faith, and connection with friends as supports in her own life. She aims to bring calm, practical guidance and steady encouragement to people trying to navigate parenting and family concerns in everyday life.

Therapeutic approaches brought to online family and parenting work

Client-centered therapy emphasizes listening and adapting to each person's needs. The therapist creates a respectful, nonjudgmental space and follows the client's goals while offering guidance for parenting and family concerns.

Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, focuses on the connection between thoughts, feelings, and actions. It teaches concrete tools for coping with anxiety, depression, and mood swings, and helps people change unhelpful thinking patterns that affect family life.

Dialectical behavior therapy, DBT, offers practical skills in emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and clearer communication. Those tools can be useful when anger, strong emotions, or relationship stresses make parenting harder.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will discuss options and try methods that match a client's needs, goals, and preferences. This happens collaboratively so the plan fits what feels most useful and doable.

Online therapy makes it easier to fit sessions into a busy family schedule. Video calls let people see facial cues and practice skills in real time, while phone, live chat, and text messaging offer alternatives when video is difficult. These options aim to provide flexible ways to keep therapy consistent while managing everyday demands.

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 she address?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, mood disorders, addictions, trauma and related grief. Parenting, relationship and family issues are also areas she addresses.
What is her general therapy style?
She takes a practical, teaching-oriented approach that mixes listening with skill building. Sessions often include learning tools for managing emotions and changing unhelpful patterns.
How long has she been practicing?
She has roughly 25 years of experience and has worked with people in clinical settings since the 1980s, with a Master of Social Work earned in 1999.
What are her credentials and where is she licensed?
She holds an LCSW, a licensed clinical social worker credential in Pennsylvania with license number PA LCSW CW013975.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available?
She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to accommodate different needs and schedules.
How does payment and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions are provided through a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Begin by selecting the Start Therapy button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and then scheduling according to the therapist's availability.

Specialties and expertise

Top specialties

Also works with

Therapeutic approaches

Experience
25 years
Licensed
Pennsylvania
Languages
English

Next step

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