About Paula
Paula Knighton is a licensed professional counselor in Virginia with 25 years of experience. She helps people manage stress, anxiety, depression, addictions, and trauma in straightforward, practical sessions. Paula listens closely and focuses on what matters most to each person she meets.
Clients can expect a calm, nonjudgmental setting where honest conversation comes first. Paula uses clear techniques to address self-esteem, motivation, relationship struggles, and problems with sleep or anger.
Background and approach
She also supports people facing grief, career change, or the challenges of chronic illness. Her work draws on several therapy styles so she can match methods to a person's needs. Sessions often include skills practice for coping, steps for changing unhelpful patterns, and time to process painful experiences.
Paula pays attention to real-life routines and small changes that add up over time. Practical matters are kept simple. Appointments follow a regular schedule and late arrivals may require rescheduling.
Paula explains next steps clearly and helps people set achievable goals for home and work life. Over her career she has helped people with a wide range of concerns including ADHD, mood disorders, addiction, intimacy problems, and family issues. Her emphasis is on steady progress and usable tools that fit daily life.
Approaches that translate well to online care
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps people notice their thoughts without getting stuck in them and choose actions that match their values; it can be useful for anxiety, depression, and life transitions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns and replacing them with more effective responses, which often helps with mood, anxiety, and sleep. Client-Centered Therapy centers on respectful listening and empathy, giving people space to make sense of their feelings and decide on next steps.Finding the right approach is part of the work. Paula will talk with each person about goals and preferences, and she will recommend techniques that fit those aims. That collaborative process means methods can be adjusted as progress is made or needs change.
Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to increase flexibility. Video lets people use visual cues and longer conversations, phone calls can be easier when bandwidth is limited, live chat works well for brief check-ins, and text messaging supports ongoing reflection between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule and to use different formats for different kinds of work.
Questions people ask
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What this counselor works with
Also listed
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
- Career difficulties
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Hoarding
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Life purpose
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Paranoia
- Parenting issues
- Personality disorders
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sleeping disorders
- Workplace issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 25 years
- Licensed
- Virginia
- Languages
- English