About foster care
This page lists therapists who specialize in foster care and related challenges, including support for children, caregivers and families. Browse the listings below to review profiles, approaches, languages and credentials to help guide your search.
What to compare in entries
| Credentials | A US state licence, or membership of a professional body such as BACP or NCPS. They are different kinds of thing; each profile shows what was supplied. |
|---|---|
| Focus | Whether foster care is listed as a main focus or among the wider list of areas. Entries show both. |
| Way of working | The approaches named on the entry. Two people working with the same concern can describe very different sessions. |
| Time in practice | Years in practice, as supplied. A fact to weigh, not a ranking. |
| Language | The languages sessions can be held in, where that matters to you. |
Common questions
How were these entries chosen?
Everyone listed on this page has foster care among the areas they told the platform they work with. They are not ranked, rated or endorsed by this directory, and the order is not a recommendation.
Do I need a referral to start?
No. You can contact a therapist through their entry directly. A GP referral is not required for independent online therapy.
What if the first therapist is not right?
Changing therapist is normal and expected, and can be done at any point. One session is a small sample of how someone works.
Entries for foster care
Savithri (Savi) Jayaweera, NCPS
Ref 151058
Compassionate counsellor for complex life challenges
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Trauma and abuse Languages: English, Hindi, Sinhala
View listingCarmen Chaney, LIMHP
Ref 48397
Therapist blending practical skills and compassion
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Family, Trauma and abuse Languages: English
View listingJoanne Maddison, BACP
Ref 276861
Compassionate counsellor blending insight and practical tools
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Grief, Parenting Languages: English
View listingDavid Potts, LCSW
Ref 23255
Practical, compassionate therapy for life changes
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Trauma and abuse, Grief Languages: English
View listingNicola Claydon, NCPS
Ref 183763
Calm, practical support for complex life issues
Works with: Relationship, Trauma and abuse, Intimacy-related issues Languages: English
View listingJoanne Rothery, NCPS
Ref 179003
Compassionate counsellor for stress and trauma
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Addictions, Trauma and abuse Languages: English
View listingJennifer Lee Sylvester, LCSW
Ref 116075
Experienced LCSW offering respectful, practical care
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Trauma and abuse, Self esteem Languages: English
View listingSara Lowe, LPC
Ref 104527
Practical, compassionate therapy for life changes
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Self esteem, Depression Languages: English
View listingJulie Peterson, LCSW
Ref 315653
Compassionate, practical support for life changes
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Family, Trauma and abuse Languages: English
View listingLauren Anzelone, LCSW
Ref 70436
Supportive LCSW guiding practical change
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Anger, Self esteem Languages: English
View listingJade Round, BACP
Ref 180505
Practical, person-focused therapy for life challenges
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Self esteem Languages: English
View listingDestiny York, LPC
Ref 340789
Compassionate, practical counseling for life changes
Works with: Addictions, LGBT, Relationship Languages: English
View listingSarah Anderson, NCPS
Ref 133882
Practical support for stress and life changes
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, LGBT, Self esteem Languages: English
View listingFaith Beaulieu, LCMHC
Ref 23986
Somatic-minded counselor for focused change
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, LGBT, Relationship Languages: English
View listingAndrea Antrobus, BACP
Ref 121857
Warm counsellor blending practical therapy and listening
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Self esteem Languages: English
View listingRose Sanford, LPC
Ref 150546
Practical support for stress and relationship struggles
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Family Languages: English
View listingMaria Wilson, LCSW
Ref 138055
Understanding, practical support for everyday struggles
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Family Languages: English
View listingPaul Bryan, LPC
Ref 175985
Compassionate counselor guiding steady change
Works with: Family, Self esteem, Career Languages: English
View listingDonna Watts, BACP
Ref 219020
Compassionate, practical support for real-life struggles
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Addictions, Relationship Languages: English
View listingKelley Sullivan, LCSW
Ref 526
Compassionate, practical therapy for real life struggles
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Trauma and abuse Languages: English, Spanish
View listingDr. Robert Hunt, LPC
Ref 187307
Experienced therapist for life changes and emotion work
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Addictions, Relationship Languages: English
View listingSally Henderson, ACA, PACFA
Ref 224972
Compassionate trauma and addiction counsellor
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Addictions, Relationship Languages: English
View listingSusan Sigl, LPC
Ref 82483
Experienced counselor focusing on practical support
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Addictions, Trauma and abuse Languages: English
View listingLisa Spears, LPC
Ref 101050
Hopeful, practical counseling for life
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Family Languages: English
View listingChris Rottcher, NCPS
Ref 167547
Compassionate integrative counsellor for life challenges
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Trauma and abuse Languages: English, Afrikaans
View listingJamie Finkelstein, LPC
Ref 16744
Compassionate counselor for practical change
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, LGBT, Trauma and abuse Languages: English
View listingBrittany Meredith, LCPC
Ref 310847
Practical support for stress and life changes
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Trauma and abuse, Self esteem Languages: English
View listingKeith Brown, LCSW-R
Ref 74478
Collaborative, practical therapy for real life
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Trauma and abuse, Depression Languages: English
View listingMichele San Martin, LPC
Ref 84464
Therapist who offers steady practical support
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Trauma and abuse Languages: English
View listingLaDreamer Harrison, LCSW
Ref 267200
Supportive LCSW helping people find practical change
Works with: Relationship, Family, Trauma and abuse Languages: English
View listingLeanne Kemp, BACP
Ref 133101
Warm client-centred counsellor with practical focus
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Trauma and abuse, Self esteem Languages: English
View listingPuja Attul, NCPS
Ref 173304
Compassionate therapist offering practical tools
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Trauma and abuse Languages: English
View listingKimberley Roberts, LCSW, CSW
Ref 103862
Practical support for stress and relationships
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Family Languages: English
View listingRhonda McEntire, LMHC
Ref 243401
Compassionate counselor focused on practical change
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Addictions, Self esteem Languages: English
View listingElizabeth Wilson, LCMHC
Ref 126846
Everyday support for stress and life changes
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Addictions, Family Languages: English
View listingStacy Tallman, LISW
Ref 263912
Compassionate, practical support for life's hard moments
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Trauma and abuse, Self esteem Languages: English
View listingWilliam Signey, BACP
Ref 113870
Practical, person-focused counselling for life challenges
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Trauma and abuse, Grief Languages: English
View listingDr. Panayiotis Papahristopoulos, HCPC
Ref 158922
Experienced HCPC-registered counsellor
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Family, Trauma and abuse Languages: English, Greek
View listingCora Benedict, LMFT
Ref 143297
Compassionate practical therapy for life challenges
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Trauma and abuse, Grief Languages: English
View listingIoana Mitrache, BACP
Ref 144658
Practical, relational counselling for everyday struggles
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Addictions, Trauma and abuse Languages: English, Romanian
View listingCara Smith, LCSW, CSW
Ref 126884
Compassionate, practical therapy for real life
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Self esteem Languages: English
View listingAfsha Merchant, LCPC
Ref 354619
Practical support for stress and relationships
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Trauma and abuse Languages: English, Spanish, Hindi
View listingEmma Lewins, BACP, NCPS
Ref 125613
Empathic, person-centred psychotherapy with psychodynamic insight
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Grief, Self esteem Languages: English
View listingChristopher Gerou, LPC
Ref 45343
Experienced counselor focused on practical coping
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Family Languages: English
View listingDeborah Faulkner, BACP
Ref 159288
Calm, practical therapy for life’s hardest moments
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Trauma and abuse, Grief Languages: English
View listingLisa Russo, PACFA
Ref 231484
Compassionate counsellor for women
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Trauma and abuse, Self esteem Languages: English
View listingJehalin Anandam, LPCC, LPC
Ref 118221
Compassionate practical therapy for life challenges
Works with: Stress, Anxiety, Family, Grief Languages: English
View listingTina Resneck, LMHC
Ref 205499
Experienced, practical, compassionate mental health counseling
Works with: LGBT, Trauma and abuse, Self esteem Languages: English
View listingMore about foster care
What foster care is and how it commonly affects people
Foster care refers to a system in which children and adolescents live with caregivers when their birth families cannot provide for their ongoing needs. It includes emergency placements, short-term stays, long-term foster parenting, kinship care and reunification efforts. The experience of entering foster care can bring complex practical and emotional changes. You may face changes in routine, school transitions, legal visits and shifts in relationships. Caregivers often take on new responsibilities while navigating agency requirements, court dates and the emotional needs of the child in their home.
The impact of foster care can look different depending on age, prior experiences and the stability of placements. Some children show immediate behavioral changes such as increased irritability, withdrawal or difficulty sleeping. Others may present with learning or attention challenges that become more visible when routines are disrupted. Young adults who previously lived in care may carry questions about identity, belonging and autonomy as they transition to independence. Birth parents, foster parents and kinship caregivers each experience their own stresses and griefs tied to separation, loss or efforts at reunification. Therapy can offer a space to sort through these layered responses and build strategies for daily life and relationships.
Signs that therapy for foster care may help
You might consider therapy when symptoms or situations begin to interfere with school, work or relationships. For a child, signs can include changes in sleep or appetite, frequent temper outbursts, sudden regression in skills like toileting or language, or a drop in academic performance. For adolescents, increased risk-taking, self-harm thoughts, ongoing avoidance of trusted adults or escalating conflict with caregivers can be signals that added support would be useful. Caregivers may notice persistent worry, burnout, difficulty managing behavior, or confusion about the best ways to support a child through court or reunification processes.
Therapy may also be helpful when you feel stuck in patterns you do not understand, or when the emotional weight of foster care is affecting your ability to make decisions. You do not need to wait for a crisis to seek help. Many people find therapy useful for building skills such as emotional regulation, attachment repair, trauma processing and family communication. If you are a caregiver, therapy can offer strategies to set limits with warmth, manage reactivity and support a child through visits and transitions. If you are an adult who spent time in foster care, therapy can be a place to explore identity, unresolved grief and planning for independent living.
What to expect in foster care therapy sessions
When you begin working with a therapist about foster care matters, the first sessions usually focus on understanding the current situation and goals. Your therapist will ask about the history of placements, relationships with birth family and caregivers, school and social functioning, and any legal or agency processes that are part of the picture. This intake phase is meant to build a clear map of stressors and strengths so that sessions can be paced appropriately. You should expect a collaborative approach where goals are set together and adjusted as needs change.
For children and adolescents, therapy often includes developmentally appropriate methods such as play, art, narrative work or structured activities that help express feelings that might be hard to say in words. Caregiver involvement is commonly part of the work because improving the caregiving environment and communication patterns supports better outcomes for the child. Sessions may include skill-building around behavior management, emotion coaching and routines that create predictability. For adults connected to the foster care system, sessions often center on processing past experiences, building coping strategies, addressing relational patterns and planning for future steps in education, housing or work.
Common therapeutic approaches used for foster care
Therapists working with foster care issues draw on a range of approaches to match the needs of children and families. You will find clinicians who list trauma-focused methods among their approaches, as well as those who list attachment-based work, family therapy, cognitive approaches and expressive modalities like art or play therapy. Therapists who list trauma-focused approaches often emphasize safety, stabilization and a gradual process of working with distressing memories or reactions. Therapists who list attachment-oriented approaches focus on the caregiving relationship and ways to strengthen trust and responsiveness between child and caregiver.
Family-focused work can involve sessions with multiple caregivers and sometimes birth parents, with attention to communication, boundary-setting and planning around visits or reunification. Some therapists describe strategies derived from cognitive techniques that help people reframe unhelpful beliefs and develop practical skills for managing emotions and behavior. Others list expressive therapies that let children use symbols, stories or drawing to make sense of experiences that feel too big for words. When exploring profiles, you may notice listings that describe a combination of approaches. That combination can be helpful because foster care typically involves both past trauma and current relational and practical challenges.
How online therapy works for foster care and tips for choosing the right therapist
How online therapy works for this specialty
Online therapy offers a way to connect with clinicians regardless of geographic distance, which can be useful if local options are limited or if you need a match based on language or cultural background. Sessions usually take place through video chat, phone calls or messaging platforms provided by the therapist or practice. You should expect most online sessions to follow similar structures to in-person work - an initial assessment followed by regular meetings focused on agreed goals. For children, caregivers often participate in sessions to practice strategies and support generalization to home and school settings.
Online work has practical considerations specific to foster care. You will want to pick a setting that minimizes interruptions during sessions, and caregivers should plan how to manage supervision during youth appointments. Therapists who work with schools and agencies can sometimes coordinate with caseworkers or teachers to support consistency across environments. Not every intervention requires in-person contact; many skills-based and attachment-focused strategies can be practiced and reinforced through remote sessions, while some evaluations or court-related procedures may still need an in-person component.
Tips for choosing the right therapist for foster care
When evaluating profiles, focus on factors that align with your needs. Look for clinicians who list experience or interest in foster care, child welfare, trauma or family work. Note the approaches they list rather than assuming formal certification in a method. Pay attention to languages spoken, age ranges served and whether they describe work with caregivers, birth families or adolescents. Consider how a therapist frames their approach to collaboration with schools, caseworkers or other professionals, since coordinated care is often part of foster care work.
Think about practical fit as well - styles of communication, cultural background and whether the therapist describes a trauma-informed, strengths-based stance. It can be helpful to identify a few therapists whose profiles resonate and then use initial contacts to ask specific questions about how they work with court processes, visitation planning and caregiver coaching. You may want to inquire how they involve caregivers in sessions and what kinds of homework or between-session supports they recommend. A thoughtful initial conversation can give you a sense of whether the clinician's approach and values match what you and the child need.
Finding a therapist to support foster care-related concerns is a process of matching needs with therapeutic style, practical logistics and cultural fit. Whether you seek help for a child, an adolescent or as a caregiver, a clinician who listens, explains their approach and partners with you on goals can provide steady support through transitions. Use the listings on this page to explore profiles and approaches so you can make an informed decision about the kind of help that will be most helpful for your family or for you personally.