Elizabeth McDermott, LCSW

Introduction

Reaching out for therapy can feel like a significant step, especially when you have been managing difficult emotions, life circumstances, or mental health symptoms on your own. Elizabeth McDermott, LCSW, understands that beginning therapy requires vulnerability, courage, and trust. She strives to make that first step feel a little easier by creating a safe, welcoming, and nonjudgmental environment where clients can feel heard, respected, and accepted for who they are.

Elizabeth works with clients across the lifespan, including teens, adults, and older adults, and welcomes individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. Her clinical experience includes working with substance use, homelessness, trauma, serious behavioral conditions, relationship concerns, family conflict, mood disorders, anxiety, depression, and other complex challenges.

Elizabeth believes therapy should address the whole person rather than focusing solely on symptoms. She takes a collaborative approach, working alongside each client to understand their unique experiences, identify meaningful goals, and develop practical strategies that support lasting change. She also recognizes that healing does not happen in isolation. Social circumstances, relationships, culture, and larger systems can all influence mental health, and Elizabeth makes space to explore these factors as part of the therapeutic process.

Whether you are looking for practical solutions, need someone to truly listen, or are somewhere in between, Elizabeth offers compassionate support combined with thoughtful accountability.

What I Offer

Elizabeth provides individualized therapy designed around each client's needs, strengths, values, and goals. She works with clients who are ready to make meaningful changes as well as those who may simply need a safe place to process what they are experiencing.

Her areas of focus include anxiety, depression, trauma and PTSD, substance use and addiction, anger management, behavioral concerns, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), mood and thinking disorders, impulse-control concerns, psychosis, emotional disturbances, and chronic illness. She also supports clients navigating family and relationship challenges, peer relationships, school concerns, self-esteem, life transitions, sleep difficulties, stress, and coping with significant changes.

Elizabeth is also affirming and inclusive in her practice, with experience and interest in supporting LGBTQ+ clients, women, teens, adults, and geriatric clients. She is sex-positive and kink-allied and welcomes clients exploring open relationships and other relationship structures. She is also misophonia-informed and recognizes the unique emotional, social, and practical challenges that can accompany misophonia.

Elizabeth's goal is not to fit every client into the same therapeutic model. Instead, she draws from multiple approaches to create care that is responsive to the individual sitting across from her.

Why Choose Elizabeth?

Elizabeth believes that effective therapy begins with a genuine therapeutic relationship. Clients can expect unconditional positive regard, compassion, honesty, and respect throughout the process.

Her approach balances support with accountability. She recognizes that meaningful change can be difficult and that clients deserve compassion for where they are while also being encouraged to identify opportunities for growth.

Elizabeth's clinical perspective is influenced by feminist and existential approaches, allowing her to explore not only what a client is experiencing internally but also how relationships, culture, identity, expectations, and social systems may influence their experiences.

Her broad clinical background allows her to work comfortably with complex and sometimes overlapping concerns. Whether someone is coping with trauma, substance use, behavioral challenges, relationship difficulties, mental health symptoms, or a major life transition, Elizabeth works collaboratively to help clients better understand themselves and identify realistic steps forward.

Most importantly, Elizabeth understands that asking for help is not easy. She recognizes the courage it takes to walk through the door—or make the first call—and is committed to honoring that vulnerability while building trust over time.

Client Focus

Elizabeth works with teens, adults, and geriatric clients experiencing a variety of emotional, behavioral, relational, and life challenges.

She welcomes clients who may be seeking:

• Support navigating anxiety, depression, or mood changes
• Help processing trauma or difficult experiences
• Strategies for managing anger, stress, or emotional distress
• Support with substance use, addiction, or dual-diagnosis concerns
• Assistance navigating family, peer, or romantic relationships
• Help adjusting to major life transitions
• Support with self-esteem, body positivity, and personal identity
• Strategies for coping with chronic illness or other ongoing challenges
• Help with OCD, impulse-control concerns, or other behavioral symptoms
• Support with school-related difficulties and behavioral concerns
• A safe space to explore sexuality, relationships, or identity
• Affirming support for LGBTQ+ clients
• A therapist who understands sex-positive and kink-affirming perspectives
• Support related to misophonia and its impact on daily life and relationships

Elizabeth welcomes clients who have clearly defined goals as well as those who are unsure where to begin. Therapy can start with simply being heard and understood.

Therapeutic Modalities I Use

Elizabeth uses an integrative, individualized approach, drawing from a variety of evidence-informed therapeutic modalities based on each client's needs and goals. Her approaches include Attachment-Based Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Compassion-Focused Therapy, Culturally Sensitive Therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy, Existential Therapy, Feminist Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Person-Centered Therapy, Positive Psychology, Schema Therapy, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), Somatic approaches, Strength-Based Therapy, and Trauma-Focused Therapy.

This flexibility allows Elizabeth to meet clients where they are rather than expecting clients to adapt to a single therapeutic style. Treatment may focus on developing practical coping strategies, understanding patterns and behaviors, processing difficult experiences, strengthening relationships, increasing self-compassion, or identifying meaningful steps toward change.

What Clients Say

"Elizabeth creates a space where I feel genuinely heard and respected. I never feel judged for what I bring into therapy, and I appreciate that she helps me work toward practical solutions while still giving me room to process."

"I appreciate Elizabeth's ability to see the whole person. She listens, asks thoughtful questions, and helps me understand how my experiences have shaped the way I think and respond."

"Therapy felt intimidating at first, but Elizabeth made it easier to open up. I felt accepted from the beginning and never like I had to pretend to be someone I wasn't."

Ready to Start?

Taking the first step toward therapy is an act of courage. You do not have to have everything figured out before reaching out, and you do not have to know exactly what you need from therapy.

Elizabeth McDermott, LCSW, is here to meet you where you are—with compassion, respect, curiosity, and genuine acceptance. Whether you are ready to make a meaningful change, looking for practical strategies to manage symptoms, or simply need a safe place to be heard, therapy can provide an opportunity to better understand yourself and move toward the life you want.

You have already taken an important step by considering support. Elizabeth would be honored to help you take the next one.