Wendy Goffena, LCSW

Wendy Goffena is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with nine years of clinical experience and a total of 24 years working in mental health. She practices in Montana and works with adults on concerns such as depression, anxiety, trauma and abuse, anger, grief, relationship problems, parenting strain, and codependency-related patterns.

She has worked across many settings, including community mental health, medical social work, inpatient programs for youth, correctional facilities, and outpatient day treatment. That range means she often meets people who are juggling complex stressors, chronic illness, caregiving demands, or long-term mood challenges such as bipolar disorder.

Her style is collaborative and client-centered. She treats each person as the expert on their life and helps them set realistic goals. Wendy uses strengths-based work and motivational interviewing to help people notice what already works and build on it.

In sessions she draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to link thoughts, feelings, and actions. She also uses Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills for mood regulation and distress tolerance, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy ideas for values-based action, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing for processing trauma when appropriate.

People who come to her often want concrete skills for coping, clearer boundaries, and steadier emotional regulation. She blends skill teaching with practical problem-solving so clients can try small changes between sessions.

Outside work she spends time hiking, fishing, gardening, and making art. Her Montana background and years in rural practice shape a direct, practical approach to therapy.

How therapeutic approaches are used in online sessions