- Acceptance-based care
- Practical coping tools
- Strengths focused
About Gretchen
Gretchen Raring is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) and Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) practicing in New Jersey. She brings 24 years of experience helping people manage stress, anxiety, relationships, depression, addiction, and life transitions. Gretchen focuses on practical change and emotional connection in sessions. She also lists Men's wellbeing among her areas of focus.
Gretchen centers her work on acceptance, authenticity, and teamwork. She uses a client-centered way of working that mixes warmth with clear tools. Sessions often include exploring patterns, learning new skills, and trying small changes between meetings. Her background includes work in mental health, addiction services, homelessness outreach, incarceration settings, and support for veterans.
She draws on approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, attachment-based ideas, cognitive behavioral methods, emotionally-focused work, and mindfulness. Those methods are used to address issues like trauma, grief, intimacy questions, sleep problems, ADHD, and compassion fatigue. The aim is to build on a person’s strengths while addressing painful patterns.
Gretchen adapts to each person’s pace and priorities. She emphasizes collaboration, so clients help set goals and choose techniques that fit their lives. This can include short-term coping strategies or longer work on relationships and identity.
Her training and long experience shape a practical style that balances emotion and action. People who want both understanding and concrete next steps may find this approach helpful.
How therapy approaches translate to online work
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) encourages people to notice thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them and to commit to actions that reflect their values. ACT can help with anxiety, depression, and motivation when life feels overwhelming.Attachment-Based Therapy looks at patterns in close relationships and how those early bonds affect current connections. It can be useful for relationship problems, intimacy concerns, and healing from abandonment or attachment wounds.
Finding the right approach is part of the process. The therapist will work collaboratively to choose methods that match goals, needs, and preferences. This means trying different strategies and adjusting them over time until a workable fit is found.
Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, allowing meetings without travel and helping people keep continuity when schedules change. It can also allow shorter check-ins or sessions that avoid being on camera if that feels better. Because the biography does not list specific session formats, confirm current online options before booking to know what is offered.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
24+ years
Credentials
New Jersey, Florida, Massachusetts, North Dakota, Arizona
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she address?
Gretchen works with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and intimacy issues, addiction, trauma and grief, sleep problems, parenting stress, career concerns, ADHD, and related challenges.
What is her therapeutic style like?
She uses a client-centered, collaborative style that combines emotional exploration with practical tools and skills. Sessions aim to balance understanding with actions you can use between meetings.
How much experience does she have?
Gretchen has 24 years of professional experience working in mental health, addiction services, homelessness outreach, incarceration settings, and with veterans.
What credentials and region are listed?
She holds LICSW and LCSW credentials and practices in New Jersey.
Which languages are supported and are international clients accepted?
Sessions are offered in English, and international clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats are available?
Session formats are not specified in the biography; please confirm current session options before booking.
How are fees handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to the therapist's availability.