- Guilt and shame focus
- ACT and CBT methods
- Grief and loss support
About Lesley
Lesley Schmaltz is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in Indiana with 16 years of clinical experience. She has worked across hospice, schools, and virtual settings, helping people with anxiety, depression, trauma, family concerns, and parenting challenges. Lesley lists guilt and shame among her focus areas and often includes those themes when addressing relationship or family issues.
Before and after earning her Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Louisville in 2005, Lesley worked in hospice care supporting people facing serious illness and their families. She also provided school-based psychotherapy across elementary, middle, and high school settings, and has offered virtual psychotherapy for a wide range of concerns including PTSD and ADHD.
Her approach draws on several well-known methods such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT), Attachment-Based Therapy, and Client-Centered Therapy. In sessions she helps people identify thoughts and behaviors that keep them stuck and practices ways to respond differently in relationships and everyday life.
Lesley describes working collaboratively to develop treatment plans that fit each person's situation. She has experience with grief counseling, trauma-informed care, behavioral approaches, parenting support, and relationship work. Those experiences inform how she addresses guilt, forgiveness, and family conflict.
People who want to begin are asked to use the site's matching steps and schedule an initial session. Costs vary with location and the service uses a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How her methods translate to online work
Lesley uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help people notice difficult thoughts and choose actions that align with their values. ACT can help with anxiety, depression, and lingering shame by shifting the focus from fighting painful feelings to building a life that matters.She also draws on Attachment-Based Therapy, which looks at relationship patterns formed early in life. This approach is helpful for people who struggle with trust, closeness, or repeated conflict in relationships. Client-Centered Therapy is part of her style too, which emphasizes listening and following the client’s concerns in session.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. She will collaborate with each person to decide which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences. That choice can change as therapy progresses and as different issues come up.
If you plan to work online, confirm the current session options before booking. Online work can make scheduling easier, help fit sessions into a busy life, and reduce travel time. Some formats need less bandwidth or can be shorter check-ins when time is limited, so the practical benefits vary by the session type offered.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
16+ years
Listed in
Indiana, Kentucky
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she address?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, trauma and family or relationship problems, and lists guilt and shame among her focus areas.
How does she approach guilt and shame in sessions?
She uses approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice thoughts and practice different responses over time.
What is her clinical background and experience?
She has 16 years of experience, including hospice care, school-based psychotherapy, and virtual work with issues like PTSD, ADHD, and family concerns.
What are her credentials and where does she practice?
She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) licensed in Indiana and Kentucky and is based in Indiana.
Does she offer sessions in languages other than English?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside the U.S. work with her?
International clients are not currently accepted.
How are costs handled for sessions?
Cost varies with location and services use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, use the crisis numbers.