About Allyson
Allyson Coats is a licensed professional clinical counselor (LPCC) based in California with seven years of clinical work. She focuses on helping people who feel stuck, overwhelmed, or burned out take practical steps toward feeling steadier. Allyson meets people where they are and aims to make the first steps feel manageable.
She uses straightforward, person-centered conversations to understand what matters most to each person. From there she introduces skills drawn from cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy to help change unhelpful thoughts and handle strong emotions.
Background and approach
Mindfulness and motivational interviewing are woven into sessions when they suit a person's style and goals. Sessions often include practical exercises, short skill-building tasks, and experiments to try between meetings. Allyson also uses creative options such as journaling or music when that helps someone express what words alone can't.
The work is collaborative - the person sets priorities and Allyson helps map a path toward them. Her practice covers a wide range of concerns including stress, anxiety, depression, addiction, trauma and grief, sleep problems, self-esteem, anger, and life transitions. Additional focuses include chronic health challenges, attachment issues, body image, and career or purpose questions.
All sessions are offered in English and delivered online by phone, video, live chat, or text-based messaging. People in California can expect a pragmatic, down-to-earth style that aims for steady, usable change.
Approaches that guide online counseling
Client-centered therapy focuses on the relationship and the person's own goals. It involves open listening and reflections to help someone feel understood and to clarify what they want to change.Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions. It uses simple exercises to test unhelpful beliefs and to build new coping strategies for anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and similar concerns.
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) teaches concrete skills for managing intense emotions and improving distress tolerance. It can be helpful for people who struggle with impulsivity, anger, or rapidly shifting moods.
Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with each person about their needs, goals, and preferences, and then suggest approaches to try together. Plans are adjusted based on what works and what feels manageable.
Online therapy offers practical flexibility. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues, while phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or a camera isn’t wanted. Live chat and text-based messaging can support quick check-ins, daily coaching, or brief skill practice between longer sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, caregiving, or other busy schedules.
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What this counselor works with
Also listed
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Attachment issues
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Bipolar disorder
- Body image
- Career difficulties
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Family conflicts
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Money and financial issues
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Parenting issues
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Relationship issues
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexuality
- Sleeping disorders
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 7 years
- Licensed
- California
- Languages
- English