Ellen Silbert, LICSW

Ellen Silbert is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) in Massachusetts with 40 years of clinical experience. She works with adults coping with stress, anxiety, grief, addiction, relationship strain, parenting pressures, trauma and abuse, and patterns such as codependency. Ellen also supports people facing eating or sleeping struggles, mood concerns including depression and bipolar, and caregiving or chronic illness stress.

Her approach is straightforward and person-focused. She draws on client-centered methods to listen and help people name what matters to them. She uses cognitive behavioral techniques to spot unhelpful thinking and shift small, practical habits that get in the way. Emotionally-focused ideas help when relationships or intimacy issues are central.

Ellen has worked across many settings including labor and delivery and hospice care. That broad background means she is used to supporting both medical and emotional concerns. She aims to help people build clearer boundaries, handle addictive patterns, and manage overwhelming emotions in daily life.

Sessions tend to be conversational and goal-oriented. Ellen uses mindfulness and motivational interviewing tools when helpful to support coping and decision-making. She encourages honest, direct discussion about what feels hard and what a person wants to change.

People who choose her often want practical steps and steadiness from a clinician with long experience. To start, she asks a few questions about current struggles and goals, then together they shape an initial plan to address priorities.

How therapy approaches translate to online work