Therapist profile
Virginia Ballantyne, LCSW
Licensed Clinical Social Worker - Relationships and Family
Continue with VirginiaAbout
- CBT tools
- DBT skills
- LGBTQ+ affirming
About Virginia
Virginia Ballantyne is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) practicing in California with 12 years of experience. She works with adults on relationship strain, trauma and abuse, depression, anxiety, stress, addictions, grief, and parenting challenges. Sessions are offered in English and she supports LGBTQ+ people and discussions about sexual identity and intimacy without judgment.
Her work draws on Client-Centered Therapy alongside cognitive and skills-based approaches. She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to help people notice how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors interact and to learn practical tools for managing intense emotions. Motivational Interviewing is used when someone wants to change patterns like substance use or other behaviors they find harmful.
Virginia describes her overall stance as strengths-based and client-centered. That means she seeks a collaborative tone and focuses on what a person already knows and can build on. She also brings narrative and psychodynamic ideas when helpful, looking at life stories and past relationships that influence current problems.
She has years of work in nonprofit and county services supporting disadvantaged communities and first responders. That background informs her attention to social context, caregiver stress, blended family issues, adoption and foster care concerns, and other family-related stresses.
Practical help in sessions may include communication skills, strategies to reduce anxiety or depressive symptoms, relapse prevention work for substance concerns, and coping tools for parenting stress. To begin, clients complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule a first session.
How sessions work
How therapeutic approaches are used in online sessions
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and following the person’s priorities. The therapist offers reflective listening and helps clarify values and goals to guide practical work on relationship and parenting concerns.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, helps people notice and change unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns. It is useful for anxiety, depression, stress, and some addiction-related issues because it breaks big problems into small, manageable steps.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy, DBT, teaches concrete skills for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and better interpersonal communication. These tools can be helpful when emotions feel intense during conflict with a partner or family member.
Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. The therapist will discuss goals and preferences and adapt methods collaboratively. Sessions are meant to be practical, with skill practice and check-ins to see what helps over time.
The original biography lists phone, video, and live chat as session options. If you are unsure which format fits your schedule and needs, confirm the current session options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit meetings into a busy day, allow shorter check-ins when needed, or avoid travel time, which helps keep consistent progress without promising specific results.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
12+ years
Listed in
California
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of family concerns does she address?
She helps people with family problems, blended family issues, adoption and foster care questions, and communication problems within families.
How would she approach relationship or parenting stress?
She uses a client-centered, strengths-based approach with CBT and DBT techniques to teach communication skills and emotion regulation for stressful family situations.
How much experience does she have working with trauma and addiction?
She has 12 years of clinical experience and has worked with intimate partner violence, trauma/PTSD, and people affected by family substance use.
What credential does she hold and where does she practice?
She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW, licensed in California and practices with that credential in California.
Can she work with people who speak other languages or live abroad?
Sessions are offered in English and she is not accepting international clients at this time.
What session formats are available?
The biography indicates sessions are offered by phone, video, or live chat; confirm current session options before booking.
How are fees handled?
Costs vary with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I get started with her?
Click the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is in danger, use the crisis numbers.