Talk to a Social Worker.org

Therapist listings are provided by BetterHelp. We will earn a commission at no additional cost to you if you use our links to purchase.

Family Therapists Who Hold an LCSW

This page lists licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs) in the United States who indicate a family focus. Each profile highlights focus areas, approaches, languages and experience. Browse the listings below to learn more about practitioners who hold an LCSW and how they describe their family work.

What we mean by family and how it affects daily life

Family in its many forms

Family can mean different things to different people. It may be the people who live under one roof, an extended network of relatives, blended and step families, chosen family, caregivers for an older relative, or the partnership between two parents. Major life events - a birth, loss, move, divorce, or a job change - also reshape family life. For many, family relationships are the core context where identity, support and stress interact. When tensions arise there, they often ripple outward, affecting work, school, finances and overall wellbeing.

A social work lens

Licensed clinical social workers bring a person-in-environment perspective to family concerns. That means an LCSW pays attention not only to feelings and interactions inside the family but also to housing, work, community supports, income and access to services. If you are juggling caregiving, navigating systems like schools or healthcare, or managing financial strain alongside relationship stress, an LCSW’s training is oriented to that wider picture. This perspective can help you and your family see patterns shaped by circumstance as well as by personal history.

Signs you might benefit from seeing an LCSW for family issues

When everyday patterns become draining

You might consider reaching out to a licensed clinical social worker when recurring conflicts dominate interactions, communication breaks down, or household roles feel unclear. Parenting disagreements that lead to ongoing arguments, behavior concerns with children or adolescents that feel overwhelming, and repeated cycles of blame or withdrawal are common reasons families seek help. If you notice persistent stress that affects sleep, work performance, or mood, addressing family dynamics can be an important step.

Transitions, crises and unmet needs

Transitions such as separation, a new partner, relocation, or the arrival of a child can expose unresolved patterns and create new stressors. Crises such as a health condition, substance-related problems, or legal and housing instability often have strong family impacts. You may also be looking for help coordinating services, understanding options for school or healthcare, or accessing community resources. An LCSW’s training in systems and social resources can be helpful when life events interact with relationship strain.

What to expect in family-focused sessions with an LCSW

Initial assessment and goals

Early sessions typically involve an assessment of relationships, routines and stressors. An LCSW will often ask about family history, roles, daily patterns and the practical pressures you face. This is a chance to set goals together - for example, improving communication, resolving a specific dispute, supporting a child’s behavior change, or planning for a caregiving transition. You and the practitioner will decide whether to meet as a whole family, with partners, with individual members, or with a combination of formats as the work evolves.

How sessions often unfold

Sessions may include attention to interactions in the room - how people listen, speak, and respond - alongside exploration of external factors like school, work and housing. You can expect conversations that connect feelings and history to current patterns, and tasks that translate insight into different behaviors at home. Because social work emphasizes systems, an LCSW may also help you identify and connect with resources in the community, such as school supports, parent education, or financial assistance, when those resources are relevant to your goals.

Common approaches you will see listed and how LCSWs apply them

Approaches commonly listed by practitioners

Family practitioners list a range of approaches on their profiles. You may find therapists who list structural family therapy, Bowen family systems ideas, attachment-focused work, solution-focused methods, narrative approaches, trauma-informed frameworks, or cognitive-behavioral techniques among their approaches. On this site you can compare the approaches that individual LCSWs list. Keep in mind that a listed approach indicates the practitioner references it among their work, not that a credentialed certification is implied.

The LCSW contribution

What distinguishes many licensed clinical social workers is the integration of therapeutic methods with an emphasis on environment and resources. In practice that might look like combining conversation about patterns and emotions with practical planning around housing, food, school advocacy, or community supports. If you want help that links interpersonal change with real-world problem solving, the LCSW perspective aims to do that. You can look at profiles to see which practitioners highlight community resources, systems navigation, cultural and contextual sensitivity, or experience with specific family stages in their descriptions.

How online sessions work for family work and tips for choosing the right LCSW

Online family sessions - logistics and what to expect

Online sessions can make it easier to include family members who live apart or who have tight schedules. Typically, technology allows for live video meetings that approximate face-to-face interaction and let an LCSW observe family communication patterns in your home setting. Before a session, you and your practitioner will agree on meeting norms - who will be present, how interruptions will be handled, and how to create a private space if needed. You should expect the practitioner to explain how they handle records, privacy safeguards and emergency steps in your state, and to clarify whether they hold a license in the state where you or family members are located.

Choosing a good match

When selecting a family-focused licensed clinical social worker, pay attention to the areas of focus and experience listed in profiles. Look for practitioners who list family and relationship work among their focus areas and whose descriptions mention stages or challenges similar to yours, such as parenting adolescents, blended family dynamics, caregiving for older adults, or post-separation co-parenting. Consider language ability, cultural background and any populations that practitioners highlight. You can compare the approaches they list and the practical experience they describe so you treat the profile as a set of signals about fit rather than guarantees.

Practical considerations

Think about practical needs such as session format preferences - whether you prefer whole-family meetings, couples sessions, or individual work for particular members. Note whether a practitioner mentions experience working with children or adolescents if that is relevant. Licensing matters too - LCSW licensure and scope vary by state, so confirm that the practitioner lists licensure as an LCSW and that their profile indicates the state in which they are licensed. Finally, you may want to ask about how the practitioner coordinates with schools, pediatricians or other service providers if you anticipate that broader collaboration will be useful.

Choosing someone to help with family concerns is a personal decision. Using the profiles below, you can review how individual licensed clinical social workers describe their family focus, the approaches they list, their experience and languages. That information can help you identify LCSWs whose perspectives and practical experience align with what your family needs at this time.

Browse therapist profiles by location

Alabama

26 therapists

Alaska

18 therapists

Arizona

94 therapists

Arkansas

58 therapists

California

696 therapists

Colorado

143 therapists

Connecticut

115 therapists

Delaware

36 therapists

District of Columbia

7 therapists

Florida

827 therapists

Georgia

164 therapists

Hawaii

37 therapists

Idaho

41 therapists

Illinois

401 therapists

Indiana

195 therapists

Iowa

9 therapists

Kansas

27 therapists

Kentucky

142 therapists

Louisiana

134 therapists

Maine

50 therapists

Maryland

22 therapists

Massachusetts

14 therapists

Michigan

38 therapists

Minnesota

13 therapists

Mississippi

68 therapists

Missouri

151 therapists

Montana

57 therapists

Nebraska

2 therapists

Nevada

56 therapists

New Hampshire

16 therapists

New Jersey

227 therapists

New Mexico

50 therapists

New York

535 therapists

North Carolina

358 therapists

North Dakota

11 therapists

Ohio

31 therapists

Oklahoma

80 therapists

Oregon

65 therapists

Pennsylvania

225 therapists

Rhode Island

3 therapists

South Carolina

35 therapists

South Dakota

2 therapists

Tennessee

95 therapists

Texas

483 therapists

Utah

89 therapists

Vermont

3 therapists

Virginia

187 therapists

Washington

16 therapists

West Virginia

5 therapists

Wisconsin

122 therapists

Wyoming

19 therapists

Find a therapist