Dr. Carissa Ferguson-thomas, LCSW
Experienced LCSW offering practical, CBT-based care
Book with CarissaWorks with
- Anger
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Grief
- Depression
How Carissa works
Practical facts
- Credentials
- LCSW
- Licensed in
- New Jersey, Pennsylvania
- Years in practice
- 22
- Languages
- English
- Session format
- Online, through our partner platform
About Carissa
Dr. Carissa Ferguson-thomas brings more than 22 years of clinical practice to her work in New Jersey. She holds a Doctorate and a Master of Science in Clinical Psychology and also trained in social work, holding a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in Social Work.
Dr. Ferguson-thomas is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW, and she combines those backgrounds when meeting people who are stressed or facing life changes. Her style is practical and down-to-earth.
Background and approach
She typically uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and she pairs that with a person-centered, trauma-informed stance. Sessions focus on clear goals, hands-on tools, and steps you can try between meetings. The therapist listens first, then helps build specific plans to reduce symptoms and improve day-to-day coping.
Dr. Ferguson-thomas works with concerns such as stress, anxiety, depression, grief, trauma and abuse, and anger. She also addresses relationship and family matters, parenting stresses, self-esteem, and issues like control, guilt, and forgiveness.
Panic attacks, communication problems, and feelings of emptiness are included among common topics she helps people talk through. People who prefer a direct but warm approach tend to fit well. Expect a calm, nonjudgmental tone and an emphasis on practical strategies.
Sessions aim to identify strengths, reduce upsetting symptoms, and create workable routines. Her background includes a mix of clinical settings and long-term practice with adults facing life transitions. That experience informs her focus on usable techniques and steady progress rather than quick fixes.
What Carissa works with
Everything Carissa lists, in the therapist's own terms. Anger is the reason this directory exists; the rest tells you what usually sits alongside it in Carissa's practice.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Grief
- Depression
- Trauma and abuse
- Intimacy-related issues
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Coping with life changes
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Divorce and separation
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Phobias
- Postpartum depression
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
Approaches Carissa lists
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
CBT-focused care delivered online
Dr. Ferguson-thomas uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which looks at how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors interact. CBT helps identify unhelpful thinking patterns and teaches practical skills to change reactions and reduce symptoms such as anxiety, panic, and low mood.She pairs CBT with a person-centered, trauma-informed approach that keeps the client's experience central. Together the therapist and client decide which strategies to try and how to adapt them to everyday life. This is a collaborative process that often includes homework and skill practice between sessions.
Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different needs and schedules. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and nonverbal cues, phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited, live chat suits brief check-ins or quick processing, and messaging supports ongoing reflection and short updates. These options make it simpler to fit therapy into work, caregiving, or busy family days while keeping consistent progress.
Questions people ask about Carissa
What concerns does this therapist address?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, trauma and abuse, anger, relationship and family issues, parenting strains, self-esteem, panic attacks, and related problems.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her style blends Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with a person-centered, trauma-informed approach. She focuses on clear goals, practical tools, and steady collaboration.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 22 years of clinical experience working in a variety of settings with adults facing mood, anxiety, and life transition problems.
What credentials does she hold and where is she based?
She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and practices in New Jersey.
Are sessions available in other languages or internationally?
Sessions are offered in English and international clients are not currently accepted.
Which session formats are offered?
She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging as session formats.
How is cost handled for sessions?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
What is the first step to begin therapy?
Use the Start Therapy button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to therapist availability.