About Stuart
Stuart Riskin is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 28 years in the helping professions. He speaks plainly and listens closely to make therapy feel workable for people juggling busy lives. Stuart focuses on practical change and wants clients to feel respected while they try new ways of coping.
He draws on experience from both public and personal sectors, including an earlier career in the entertainment business. That background shaped his flexible, down-to-earth style and helps him meet people where they are.
Background and approach
Stuart views clients as experts on their own lives and treats sessions as a team effort. Stuart helps people address a wide range of concerns such as stress, anxiety, depression, addictions, relationship strain, trauma and grief. He also supports those managing ADHD, parenting stress, mood shifts, career difficulties, and compassion fatigue.
His work includes practical skills for emotion regulation, communication, and day-to-day routines. His approach is strength-based and supportive. He blends client-centered listening with methods drawn from cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, emotionally focused work, and relationship-focused techniques.
Sessions emphasize clear goals and small, realistic steps. People who choose Stuart often want straightforward guidance and a collaborative tone rather than heavy clinical language. He aims to help clients make concrete changes that fit their lives and values.
The process begins by talking through current struggles and agreeing on next steps together.
Approach and access in online therapy
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and meeting each person where they are, helping clients set their own goals and guiding change at their pace. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) breaks problems into thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and teaches concrete skills to shift unhelpful patterns; it is useful for anxiety, depression, and routine challenges. Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) helps people understand emotions and improve how they relate to others, which can aid intimacy and communication.Choosing the right approach is a shared process. The therapist will talk with clients about goals, try different methods when needed, and adjust the plan based on what feels most helpful. This collaborative stance means the approach can change as progress is made or new needs appear.
Online sessions are available by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging, giving flexibility for different situations. Video calls are good for full conversations and visual cues. Phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited or for a simpler check-in. Live chat and text messaging can fit brief check-ins, notes between sessions, or people who prefer not to be on camera. These options help clients fit therapy into work, travel, or busy home routines while keeping the focus on practical tools and steady progress.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
Also listed
- Abandonment
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Attachment issues
- Avoidant personality
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Dependent personality
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Parenting issues
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 28 years
- Licensed
- California
- Languages
- English
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