Gianna LaLota (she/her)

My work with DBT focuses on helping clients build core skills in mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. DBT’s balance of acceptance and change is especially effective for anxiety, intense emotions, and patterns of overthinking. I integrate DBT skills to support clients in becoming more grounded, resilient, and able to navigate life’s stressors.

I specialize in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, helping clients notice and gently shift thoughts and behaviors that fuel anxiety and stress. CBT offers practical, real-world tools to manage anxious thoughts, cope with uncertainty, and make daily life feel more manageable. I also drew on my experience writing Think, Act, and Feel Better with CBT, published by Penguin Random House, to guide readers and clients in applying these skills in everyday life.

I use ACT to help clients develop psychological flexibility, learning to make space for difficult thoughts and feelings while taking action toward meaningful goals. ACT techniques like values clarification and mindfulness help clients move beyond avoidance and toward a life they care about, even in the presence of anxiety. ACT complements CBT and DBT to support holistic change.

I have experience working with clients navigating OCD, including intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors. I provide evidence-based interventions that help reduce distress, increase flexibility, and improve control over daily life, combining CBT, ACT, DBT, and mindfulness to guide clients toward lasting change.

I have experience supporting clients struggling with low mood, hopelessness, or lack of motivation. My approach focuses on understanding the thought and behavior patterns that maintain depressive symptoms and teaching practical strategies to reengage with meaningful activities, improve daily functioning, and restore a sense of hope and energy.

I have extensive experience helping young adults manage anxiety, from generalized and social anxiety to panic, phobias, and high-functioning stress. I help clients identify patterns that fuel worry, learn coping strategies, and reduce the physical and mental tension that can make everyday life feel overwhelming.