Denise Owen , LCSW

Denise Owen is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), a clinical social work credential that authorizes her to provide therapeutic services. She has been licensed since 1993 and first entered the field of social work as an undergraduate intern in 1986, earning a Masters in Social Work in 1990 and moving into formal clinical practice thereafter.

Her career spans both inpatient and outpatient environments, including work at a state psychiatric hospital in North Carolina, a medical hospital in South Carolina, a military base in Virginia, and several outpatient agencies in Pennsylvania. Over nearly three decades she has worked across four states while supporting a wide range of populations, such as children with behavioral and developmental challenges, long-term psychiatric patients, hospice clients, state and federal inmates, military service members and their families, and people coping with domestic violence, addictions, grief, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress.

She continues to participate in seminars and conferences to maintain her social work license and to broaden her cultural and clinical perspective beyond her primary experience with long-term psychiatric care. She is not currently working in inpatient settings.

In practice she centers therapy around client goals and collaborative decision-making, using a variety of clinical techniques and preferring to assess each person before choosing therapeutic work. If one approach does not fit, she will try another, valuing the process of building rapport before beginning focused interventions. As Stephen Covey advised, she aims to "diagnose before prescribing."

Outside of clinical work she has taught in the homeschool network in South Carolina for over a decade, offered Psychology 101 and Sociology 101 at a community college in North Carolina, and authored two children’s books, Turtle Gliding (2009) and Why Does God Pull Teeth? (2018). She respects the courage it takes to seek counseling and likens therapy to going to the gym - it can feel difficult to start, but it often feels worthwhile afterward.

Therapeutic Approaches and Virtual Care

Denise Owen uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Client-Centered Therapy as part of her clinical toolkit. ACT focuses on helping people clarify what matters most to them and take committed action toward those values while learning to accept difficult thoughts and feelings; it is often helpful for stress, anxiety, and life transitions. CBT targets the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, offering practical strategies to change unhelpful thinking patterns and coping behaviors, which can benefit depression, anxiety, and many day-to-day challenges. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes empathy, active listening, and collaboration, creating space for clients to explore their experiences and set their own goals, which can support growth around relationships, self-esteem, and parenting concerns.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and she works collaboratively with each person to assess needs, preferences, and goals before deciding which methods to use. If one approach is not effective, she will adapt the plan together with the client to find a better fit.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility by allowing sessions via video calls, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging. These options make it easier to attend sessions from different locations, fit therapy into busy schedules, and maintain continuity of care when in-person appointments are difficult, while still working with licensed professionals and therapists who tailor treatment to individual needs.