- 30 years experience
- Focus on skills
- Grounded guidance
About Ellen
Ellen Thrasher is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) based in Hawaii with 30 years of professional experience. She works with people who are dealing with stress, anxiety, trauma, grief, anger, and depression. Ellen emphasizes the client as the expert in their own life and offers steady support for taking difficult first steps.
She uses straightforward conversation and practical tools to help people manage symptoms and move toward goals. People can expect clear, short-term strategies as well as space to talk about painful experiences. Ellen helps people develop skills to navigate workplace strain, relationship difficulties, and challenges related to illness or chronic pain.
Her work addresses more specific concerns such as attachment and abandonment issues, money and financial stress, communication problems, and social anxiety or phobia. She also helps people facing narcissistic dynamics and those coping with post-traumatic stress or past abuse. Panic disorder and panic attacks are included among the concerns she lists.
Ellen draws on cognitive behavioral approaches and dialectical behavior strategies to build coping skills. She also uses trauma-focused methods when past events continue to affect day-to-day life. Throughout, she keeps explanations simple and focuses on what someone can do between sessions.
People who choose to work with Ellen begin by describing what matters to them. She helps set goals that make sense for daily life and adjusts the plan as progress is made. The tone of her work is practical, respectful, and grounded in long experience.
How her approaches translate to online therapy
Many of Ellen's methods are structured and skills based, which can work well in online sessions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new actions to reduce anxiety and depressive patterns. It often includes homework and short exercises to practice between sessions.Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, emphasizes building specific skills in emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and effective communication. These skills can be taught in conversation and practiced during weekly check-ins. Trauma-Focused Therapy concentrates on understanding how past events affect current reactions, then uses careful, paced strategies to lessen those ongoing effects.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. Ellen will collaborate with each person to choose methods that match their needs, goals, and preferences. She adjusts plans over time as people notice what helps and what does not.
Session formats are not specified in the biography, so confirm current options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule, allow for shorter check-ins when time is limited, and avoid travel time. Licensed professionals can use skills-based sessions to help people practice coping strategies between meetings.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
30+ years
Listed in
Hawaii
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does Ellen commonly help with?
She helps people facing stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, anger, and depression, plus related worries such as panic disorder and panic attacks.
What is Ellen's therapy style like?
Her style is practical and collaborative, combining clear skills training with time to talk through difficult experiences.
How long has she been practicing?
She brings 30 years of professional experience to her work with clients.
What credential does she hold and where is she based?
She is an LCSW - Licensed Clinical Social Worker - and she practices in Hawaii.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside the United States work with her?
International clients are not currently accepted.
How does payment and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with Ellen?
Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.