Profile / United States
Alison McCandless, LCSW, CSW
Colorado
Licensed Clinical Social Worker - Anxiety and Mood
See online therapy options- CBT and DBT methods
- Biopsychosocial assessment
- Skills for emotion regulation
About Alison
Alison McCandless is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with three years of experience. She is licensed in Illinois and Colorado and practices in Colorado. Alison works with people facing stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, bipolar disorder, depression, and other life changes and challenges.
Before relocating to Colorado, she worked at a community mental health agency in Chicago. There she supported many low-income clients with a range of mental health needs, including mood and psychotic disorders, anxiety, depression, and trauma. That hands-on experience shapes how she approaches care today.
Alison uses several practical methods based on what each person needs. She draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to build coping skills and change unhelpful patterns. She also uses attachment-based ideas and psychodynamic thinking to help people connect current struggles with past experiences.
Her work balances skill-building with thorough assessment. Alison gathers a person’s history and uses a biopsychosocial assessment to get a clear picture of functioning and symptoms. From there she helps people make connections and try concrete changes in thinking and behavior.
She describes therapy as a place to work without judgment and with hope. Alison focuses on practical steps - spotting unhelpful thoughts, testing new behaviors, and strengthening emotion regulation. If someone wants structured, skills-oriented support that also takes life history into account, she offers that mix of approaches.
How her approaches translate to online sessions
Alison uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. CBT focuses on concrete exercises and experiments to test new ways of thinking and acting, which can fit well into short weekly tasks between sessions.She also draws on Attachment-Based Therapy to look at patterns in relationships and how early bonds shape current reactions. That work usually involves talking through relationship history and practicing new interaction skills.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy is part of her approach for building emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness. DBT skills are practical and can be practiced between meetings to handle intense emotions or conflict more effectively.
Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Alison will work with each person to decide which methods match their goals and daily life. She combines skills training with gathering personal history to make those choices together.
Session format options are not specified in the biography, so confirm current session options before booking. In general, online sessions can make it easier to fit meetings into a busy schedule, allow for shorter check-ins when needed, or reduce travel time. Talk with Alison about how sessions can be scheduled and structured to match work, caregiving, and other commitments.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
3+ years
Listed in
Illinois, Colorado
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she commonly address?
She works with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, bipolar disorder, depression, addictions, grief, and related issues such as eating and anger problems.
How would she describe her therapeutic style?
She combines skills-based methods with history-focused work. That means building coping skills and also looking at how past experiences connect to current patterns.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has three years of experience, including work in a community mental health setting in Chicago supporting people with a wide range of needs.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She holds LCSW and CSW credentials and is licensed in Illinois and Colorado. Her practice is located in Colorado.
Which languages are offered for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside the United States work with her?
International clients are not currently accepted.
How does payment and cost work?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What are the first steps to begin?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are not safe, use the crisis numbers.