- Addictions support
- Relationship work
- CBT and DBT skills
About Desireah
Desireah Riley is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) practicing in Texas with four years of clinical experience. She focuses on concerns such as addictions, relationship strain, family issues, grief, and low self-esteem. Clients can expect direct, practical work aimed at everyday problems rather than abstract theory.
She uses client-centered methods to listen first and build on what each person already knows about themselves. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps identify unhelpful thoughts and change small behaviors. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills are used when emotions feel overwhelming and steadier coping is needed.
Desireah also draws on the Gottman Method when relationship patterns are the main concern, and solution-focused techniques to set concrete, short-term goals. Her approach tends to break big problems into manageable steps like clearer communication, boundaries, or relapse planning for substance concerns. She addresses attachment and codependency by looking at how past relationships shape present choices.
She works with people dealing with blended family stress, fertility-related distress, caregiver strain, and forgiveness challenges. Practical topics such as communication problems, commitment fears, body image, and control issues are common in sessions. She also has experience with grief, dissociation, DMDD-related questions, and addiction to drugs or alcohol.
Sessions aim to clarify what matters most and to practice small changes between meetings. For people carrying guilt or shame about relationships, choices, or past actions, the work focuses on understanding the emotions and learning different ways to respond. To begin, follow the site steps to match and schedule a first session.
How her approaches translate to online work
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and following each person's priorities. Online sessions using this approach involve the therapist reflecting what she hears and helping clients choose the next steps that feel most useful. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) online uses straightforward exercises to spot unhelpful thoughts and practice different behaviors between sessions, which can be tracked with short homework tasks. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) brings practical emotion regulation and distress-tolerance skills that clients can rehearse during appointments and apply in real time.Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will check what the client needs and prefer, and then suggest one or a mix of methods like CBT, DBT, or solution-focused techniques. Clients and therapist decide collaboratively which tools to try and how to measure progress.
The biography does not list specific session formats, so confirm the current online options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into busy days, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and let clients practice skills in the settings where problems actually happen. Therapists who offer online sessions also adapt homework and communication to suit each person's routine, helping make small changes that can be used between meetings.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
4+ years
Listed in
Texas, Washington
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she help with related to guilt or shame?
She works with addictions, relationship and family problems, grief, and low self-esteem, which often involve feelings of guilt or shame.
How does she approach feelings of guilt and shame?
Her work is client-centered and practical, using CBT to identify unhelpful thoughts and DBT skills to manage intense emotions.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has four years of experience offering counseling for a range of concerns including addiction, grief, and relationship issues.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She holds LPC and LMHC credentials and practices in Texas; credential details include TX LPC and WA LMHC as listed.
Does she work in languages other than English?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside the United States work with her?
She is not currently accepting international clients.
What session formats are offered?
The biography does not specify session formats; please confirm current options before booking.
How does cost and scheduling work for the first session?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time; begin by completing the matching questionnaire and scheduling a first session through the site.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, use the crisis numbers.