Virginia Ballantyne, LCSW
Calm, narrative-focused therapy for real life
Details
| Name | Virginia Ballantyne |
|---|---|
| Credentials | LCSW |
| Based in | California |
| Licensed in | California |
| Session format | Online |
| Languages | English |
| Years in practice | 12 |
About Virginia
Virginia Ballantyne is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) based in California who uses Narrative-informed, client-centered methods to help people navigate hard moments. She brings 12 years of experience working in nonprofit and county settings. Her style is nonjudgmental and strengths-based, with attention to each person’s values and goals.
She supports people facing relationship struggles, trauma and abuse, anxiety, depression, and addiction-related challenges. Virginia also helps those coping with grief, career transitions, parenting strain, and major life changes.
Background and approach
She offers a sex-positive stance and affirms LGBT identities, including questions around gender and sexual expression. In sessions she combines Narrative Therapy with practical skills drawn from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy. Motivational Interviewing guides conversations when people are weighing change.
The result is an approach tailored to the person rather than a single recipe. Her background includes long-term work with disadvantaged populations and people affected by substance use in their families. That experience shapes how she listens for family-of-origin dynamics, blended family concerns, caregiver stress, and issues tied to adoption or foster care.
Virginia offers phone, video, live chat, and text-based messaging formats to match different needs. She aims to help people name the stories that shape their lives, try new responses, and build better day-to-day coping tools.
What this therapist works with
Her listing names Relationship issues, Trauma and abuse, Career difficulties among the things Virginia works with, alongside the areas below.
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
- Career difficulties
- Depression
- Coping with life changes
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- LGBT
- Family conflicts
- Grief
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Adoption and foster care
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Blended family issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Gender dysphoria
- HIV / AIDS
- Jealousy
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexuality
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches listed
- Narrative Therapy: Named in her listing among her approaches.
- Client-Centered Therapy: Listed by Virginia among the ways she works.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Listed by Virginia among the ways she works.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Listed by Virginia among the ways she works.
- Motivational Interviewing: Listed by Virginia among the ways she works.
- Psychodynamic Therapy: Listed by Virginia among the ways she works.
- Solution-Focused Therapy: Listed by Virginia among the ways she works.
- Trauma-Focused Therapy: Listed by Virginia among the ways she works.
- Training stated: This directory copies the approaches a therapist names and does not check training records. Ask Virginia directly how much of the work is narrative and what a session usually looks like.
Narrative Therapy in this listing
Narrative Therapy appears in this therapist's own list of approaches. That tells you it is part of how she works. It does not tell you how much of a session it shapes, and this directory does not check or rate training.
If a narrative approach is what you are looking for, it is worth asking Virginia directly how she uses it and what a session usually looks like.
Online session options
How Narrative and Skill-Based Approaches Work Online
Virginia blends Narrative Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people make sense of their struggles and try new actions. Narrative Therapy looks at the stories someone tells about their life and helps separate problems from who they are, which can be useful for relationship, identity, and trauma concerns. Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and empathy to help people feel heard and understood while they decide what matters most. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy teaches practical skills to change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, which can help with anxiety, depression, and stress.Choosing the right approach is a team effort. Virginia will discuss goals, preferences, and what feels helpful in early sessions and adjust methods as needed. The process is collaborative, and she tailors techniques to fit each person’s situation rather than following one fixed plan.
Online therapy here is offered by phone, video calls, live chat, and text-based messaging to make care more flexible. Video calls allow face-to-face interaction for in-depth work. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or when someone prefers not to use video. Live chat and texting are useful for shorter check-ins, quick skill practice, or when a written format feels more comfortable. These options help fit therapy into busy lives and varying schedules.
Common questions about this listing
What kinds of concerns does she help with?
Virginia works with people facing relationship problems, trauma and abuse, depression, anxiety, stress, and addiction issues. She also supports those dealing with grief, parenting strain, career changes, and LGBT-related questions.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is client-centered and narrative-informed, focusing on a person’s strengths and stories. She mixes practical skills with listening to help clients try new ways of responding to problems.
What is her professional background?
She has 12 years of experience working in nonprofit and county services, often with disadvantaged populations and people impacted by family substance use or mental illness.
Where is she licensed and practicing?
She holds a Licensed Clinical Social Worker credential in California and practices with clients who reside in that state.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available?
Sessions can be conducted by video calls, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different preferences and schedules.
How is pricing handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability. Sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Click the Start Therapy button, fill out a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a time based on the therapist’s availability.
Contacting this therapist
Sessions with Virginia are arranged through our partner platform. It asks a few questions about what you are looking for, then shows you the therapists available to you, including Virginia where she has space. Ask about fees, and whether she holds a licence or registration where you live.
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