Dorothy Pedro , LCSW

Dorothy Pedro is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) who brings decades of experience supporting individuals and families through major life challenges. She has worked as a counselor and therapist for over 40 years, including 25 years practicing in acute care hospitals where she responded daily to grief, trauma, suicide, and life changing illnesses. That hospital experience sharpened her clinical judgment and ability to help people and their families make decisions and find a path forward during the most difficult moments.

In less acute settings she has used motivational interviewing to help people in chaotic situations clarify goals and build practical plans to reach them. Her background includes work with military families and two years in a school-based homeless program where she provided meals, counseling, home visits, and resource coordination for families facing complex needs. She has collaborated with schools, courts, and child protective services to support families who are striving to remain together.

Dorothy has provided couples counseling, family therapy, group work, and parenting skills education while learning from the strengths parents bring. She often uses systems theory to identify indirect routes to change - focusing on strengths in one part of a family system that can produce positive ripple effects elsewhere. She trusts the family process, emphasizes safety and well being, and approaches work as a collaborative team effort with the family. Sometimes brief supportive interventions are appropriate, and other times more intensive work is needed; she aims to be of service in whatever way best meets each family\'s needs. If a different resource would be more helpful, she will guide families to someone who can help. Dorothy welcomes the opportunity to work with families and individuals as much as they need.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps clients notice painful thoughts and feelings without being driven by them, and it focuses on choosing values-based actions to build a meaningful life. This approach can support people facing anxiety, grief, or major life changes by clarifying what matters and taking small, committed steps toward those goals.

Attachment-Based Therapy explores patterns in relationships that stem from early bonds and current attachments, helping clients and families improve trust, connection, and emotional regulation. It is often useful for relationship challenges, parenting concerns, and issues related to abandonment or attachment difficulties.

Dorothy works collaboratively with each person to determine which approaches fit their needs and preferences, combining methods when appropriate. She views finding the right approach as a shared process - assessing goals, trying strategies, and adjusting methods as the work unfolds.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility for people who need different ways to connect. Through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging, clients can arrange sessions that suit their schedules and energy levels. These options make it easier to maintain continuity of care, attend sessions from home or on the go, and choose the format that best supports progress with a licensed professional.