- Skill focused
- History aware
- Hope oriented
About Alison
Alison McCandless is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) who moved to Denver, Colorado after three years working in community mental health in Chicago. She holds LCSW and CSW credentials and has helped people facing a range of mental health challenges. Alison listens for each person's story and treats that story as important when planning care.
Her background includes supporting people with stress, anxiety, mood disorders, trauma, and life changes. She also has experience with addictions, grief, workplace concerns, and money and financial issues. Alison has worked with clients who face severe symptoms as well as everyday struggles, and she pays attention to how life circumstances affect functioning.
Alison blends practical skill-building with a look into personal history. She uses coping skills and behavior-focused strategies while asking about past experiences to help clients make connections. She also uses a biopsychosocial assessment to understand functioning and symptom patterns.
In sessions she draws from Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, psychodynamic ideas, Motivational Interviewing, and attachment-based perspectives when appropriate. That mix lets her focus on immediate tools and on deeper patterns that show up in relationships and choices.
Her style is nonjudgmental and hopeful. Alison aims to help people build skills, name patterns, and move toward clearer goals. To begin, clients use the site Start Therapy button to complete a short matching questionnaire and then schedule according to her availability.
How her approaches translate to online care
Alison often uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy in ways that work well online. CBT focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new behaviors; it is useful for anxiety, depression, and coping with life changes. DBT teaches concrete skills for managing strong emotions, improving distress tolerance, and handling intense interpersonal moments.She also draws from attachment-based ideas to look at how early relationships shape current patterns. That work involves noticing how people relate, naming recurring patterns, and trying new ways of connecting. Finding the right mix is a collaborative process - Alison will discuss goals, preferences, and what feels most helpful, then adjust the approach as therapy progresses.
Confirm the current session options before booking, as formats are not specified in her biography. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. It can also let people focus on skill practice between meetings and bring real-life situations into sessions for immediate feedback.
Areas of focus
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does Alison commonly help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and related struggles. Alison also addresses issues such as addictions, grief, eating and food-related problems, workplace stress, and money and financial issues.
How would you describe her therapy style?
Alison mixes practical skill building with exploring life history. She uses concrete coping tools alongside discussion of patterns in relationships and past experiences.
What kind of clinical experience does she have?
She has three years of experience working in community mental health in Chicago, supporting people with a wide range of mental health needs and life stressors.
Where is she licensed and located?
Alison is licensed as an LCSW in Illinois and Colorado and is based in Colorado.
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside the U.S. work with her?
She is not accepting international clients at this time.
How are session costs handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I start a session with Alison?
Use the Start Therapy button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and then schedule based on the therapist's availability.