About Frances
Frances McNamara is a Licensed Professional Counselor with 15 years of clinical experience in Pennsylvania. She focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, depression, and life changes. Her work also addresses addiction, grief, anger, self-esteem, and phobias.
Frances has supported people across a wide range of concerns, from common mood issues to more complex conditions such as bipolar disorder and personality challenges. She uses practical talking and active listening to help clients make sense of what they are facing.
Background and approach
Sessions are straightforward and grounded in real-life goals. She draws on cognitive and dialectical ideas to teach skills for thinking differently and coping better. Client-centered and emotionally focused methods guide how she listens and responds, giving people room to name feelings and try new ways of relating to themselves.
Mindfulness and acceptance strategies are woven into sessions when they fit the situation. Frances aims to create a calm, respectful space where people can say what matters to them. She encourages short-term skill building alongside longer work on deeper patterns.
The approach emphasizes what helps in daily life. People who reach out can expect clear, practical suggestions and gentle challenge when it will move progress forward. Frances describes therapy as a collaborative process and works with each person to set realistic next steps.
Approaches for online work and how they help
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy focuses on helping people notice difficult thoughts and feelings while committing to actions that match their values. It can be useful for anxiety, stress, and coping with life changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps people identify unhelpful thinking patterns and try different behaviors to reduce symptoms of anxiety, panic, and depression. It often includes practical exercises and tracking between sessions.Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with each client about goals, preferences, and what feels most helpful. Together they will try strategies, adjust as needed, and build a plan that fits the person’s daily life.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video is good for fuller conversations and visual cues, phone works when bandwidth is limited, live chat can fit short check-ins, and messaging lets people reflect in writing between sessions. These options make scheduling easier and help therapy fit into busy routines.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
Also listed
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
- Career difficulties
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Grief
- Mood disorders
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Trauma and abuse
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 15 years
- Licensed
- Pennsylvania
- Languages
- English
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