Stuart Riskin, LCSW

Stuart Riskin is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with 28 years of experience. He focuses on helping people who are dealing with stress, anxiety, addiction, grief, relationship and intimacy concerns, and major life changes. He writes and speaks plainly, and aims to make therapy straightforward and useful for everyday life.

Stuart followed a nontraditional path to social work after an earlier career in the entertainment business. Those varied roles in public and private settings gave him practical skills and real-world perspective. He draws on that background when helping people consider options and plan next steps.

In sessions he treats clients as partners who bring important knowledge about their lives. He uses a supportive, strength-based stance and helps clients set clear, achievable goals. Change comes from collaboration and a client’s decision to try different behaviors.

His work includes approaches such as client-centered therapy, cognitive behavioral techniques, emotionally-focused methods, the Gottman Method ideas for relationships, and mindfulness practices. He combines these tools to fit the needs of each person rather than offering one fixed method.

Stuart works with a wide range of concerns including parenting stress, career transitions, ADHD, trauma and abuse, and substance issues. He encourages people to reach out, describe what feels most urgent, and begin building a practical plan for the next steps.

Approaches that guide online work and progress

Client-centered therapy focuses on listening closely and following the client's lead, helping people feel understood and find their own solutions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at patterns of thought and behavior and teaches practical strategies to reduce symptoms and change unhelpful habits. Emotionally-Focused Therapy helps people identify and shift emotional responses that keep them stuck in distress, useful for grief, trauma, and relationship strain.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. The therapist will work together with the client to pick techniques that match the person’s goals, values, and pace. That might mean trying a few methods and adjusting as progress and needs become clearer.

The biography does not list specific session formats, so confirm available options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into busy days, reduce travel time, and let people choose a quieter setting or a shorter check-in when needed. Licensed professionals can adapt tools like CBT exercises, mindfulness practices, and emotionally-focused conversations to an online setting to keep therapy practical and goal oriented.