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Therapists Who Hold an LCSW for Mood Disorders

This page lists licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs) who work with mood disorders across the United States. Browse the therapist profiles below to review each LCSW's practice focus, approaches, languages, and experience.

Understanding mood disorders and how they affect you

Mood disorders cover a range of conditions where your mood - the way you feel most of the time - becomes a primary source of difficulty. That can mean prolonged periods of sadness or low energy, dramatic shifts between low and elevated mood, or persistent irritability that affects how you relate to work, family, and daily tasks. These patterns often touch more than your inner life. Because social work training emphasizes a person-in-environment perspective, an LCSW will look at your housing, work, relationships, finances, and access to care alongside your symptoms. That broader view helps identify practical stressors - like a recent job loss, caregiving burden, or housing instability - that can keep mood problems going or make them harder to treat.

When mood symptoms persist, they can change how you think, how you behave, and how you get along with others. You might notice problems concentrating, reduced interest in activities you used to enjoy, changes in sleep and appetite, or difficulties meeting responsibilities. For some people symptoms come in episodes with clear starts and ends. For others mood struggles are more chronic and shifting. An LCSW can help you map these patterns and consider how your environment interacts with your emotional experience so you can pursue realistic, sustainable changes.

Signs you might benefit from therapy for mood disorders

Deciding whether to seek help is personal, but there are common signs that therapy could be helpful. If your mood changes are interfering with daily functioning - affecting work or school performance, straining relationships, or making it hard to care for yourself - talking with an LCSW can help you identify contributing factors and develop coping strategies. You may find that symptoms persist despite self-help efforts, or that mood shifts are accompanied by sleep disruption, loss of interest, or difficulty concentrating. You might also be concerned about impulsive behaviors during mood highs or persistent hopelessness during lows.

If you are experiencing thoughts of harming yourself or others, or you feel unable to keep yourself safe, you should contact local emergency services or a crisis line right away. Outside of emergencies, therapy can be a place to explore the causes and consequences of mood symptoms, try practical strategies for day-to-day coping, and address the contextual issues that sustain distress. Because LCSWs combine clinical skills with attention to social and environmental factors, they can help you navigate supports such as workplace accommodations, community resources, or family systems as part of your care.

What to expect in therapy sessions and how treatment is planned

Initial assessment and planning

When you begin with an LCSW, expect an assessment that asks about your mood history, medical and medication status, substance use, relationships, work and housing, and any safety concerns. The assessment is an opportunity to tell your story and to identify priorities. An LCSW will typically discuss goals with you and collaborate on a plan that can include short-term strategies and longer-term work. Because licensing rules and scopes of practice vary by state, LCSWs will practice within the limits set by their state board while drawing on their clinical training and supervised experience.

Session structure and working toward goals

Sessions often balance talking through your experiences with practical skill-building. Early work may focus on stabilizing mood and improving sleep, diet, and routines. Over time you can expect to address thinking patterns, relationship dynamics, and problem-solving in real-life situations. Progress is usually reviewed regularly so you can adjust goals or try different strategies if something is not helping. Therapy is collaborative - you and your LCSW work together to set priorities that match what you want to change.

Common approaches you may encounter

Therapists who hold an LCSW may use a range of therapeutic frameworks, and on this site you can see which approaches a clinician lists in their profile. You may notice that some LCSWs list cognitive behavioral therapy among their approaches, while others list interpersonal therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, behavioral activation, or psychodynamic approaches. Listing an approach on a profile indicates that the therapist includes that framework among their ways of working, but it does not by itself guarantee a particular certification or outcome.

Because mood disorders often have both emotional and practical components, many LCSWs blend clinical techniques with problem-solving around housing, employment, or family responsibilities. For example, behavioral activation focuses on reconnecting you with meaningful activities to improve mood. Interpersonal approaches look at how relationships affect mood and help you develop new ways of interacting. Skills-based methods may teach emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and communication skills that reduce immediate distress while you work on deeper patterns. A practitioner who emphasizes a person-in-environment perspective will talk about how social conditions and daily stresses shape your symptoms and recovery.

How online therapy works for mood disorders

Online sessions have become a common way to work with an LCSW, and they can make therapy more accessible when in-person meetings are difficult. Online care typically happens through video calls, phone conversations, or messaging, depending on what a clinician lists in their profile. If you choose remote sessions, you will want to consider technical needs like a stable internet connection and a quiet space where you can speak without interruption. You should also know that licensing rules affect where an LCSW can legally provide services - many clinicians are licensed to practice only in the state that issued their license - so geographic considerations can matter for remote work.

Online therapy can allow you to maintain continuity of care during life transitions, reduce travel time, and fit sessions into a busy schedule. It also presents different challenges - reading body language can be harder, and you may need to be more explicit about session boundaries and emergency plans. A thoughtful LCSW will discuss how to handle crises and coordinate with local resources if you are ever at risk. Whether you meet in a clinic or online, the therapeutic relationship and the fit between you and the clinician are central to progress.

Choosing the right LCSW for mood disorders

When you look through profiles, focus on factors that matter to your situation. Consider the populations the LCSW lists - for example adolescents, older adults, couples, or people managing chronic health conditions - and whether their experience aligns with your needs. Look for mentions of mood disorders or related focus areas, and note the therapeutic approaches they list so you can identify which frameworks resonate with you. Language and cultural background can also be important if you prefer to work with someone who shares or understands your cultural context.

Practical questions like session length, fee structure, and whether the clinician accepts your insurance are relevant, but they are operational details you will need to confirm directly. Instead of assuming a fit from a single detail, think about how a clinician describes their work and whether their person-in-environment perspective matches your priorities. Early sessions are a chance to evaluate how comfortable you feel sharing sensitive material and whether the clinician listens to your goals. If something about the fit is not working, you can raise it in session or consider looking for someone whose approach aligns more closely with what you want to do.

Remember that therapy is a process. You may notice changes in mood and functioning at different rates, and it is reasonable to reassess goals periodically. Choosing an LCSW who pays attention to your social context can open doors to supports beyond talk therapy, such as community resources and practical problem-solving, which are often essential parts of recovery for mood disorders.

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

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