Gretchen Raring

Gretchen Raring is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) and Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with more than two decades in practice. She focuses on practical support for people coping with stress, anxiety, relationships, depression, grief, addiction, ADHD, and other life stresses. Gretchen combines straightforward guidance with a warm, collaborative stance to help people find clearer footing.

She uses mindfulness practices alongside cognitive and acceptance-based tools to calm intense feelings and build everyday habits that make life easier. Attachment-focused work helps when relationship patterns keep repeating. Gretchen pairs short, doable exercises with conversations that deepen self-understanding.

Her experience spans mental health, addiction, homelessness, incarceration settings, and work with veterans. This background informs a flexible approach that adapts to each person’s circumstances and goals. She aims to meet people where they are and move at a pace that feels right.

Sessions emphasize practical strategies you can use between meetings, plus moments of reflection that increase self-awareness. Gretchen balances acceptance with action so progress feels steady rather than overwhelming. She works from New Jersey and provides services in English.

To begin, she asks people to share their immediate concerns and goals, then shapes a plan suited to those priorities. Her work is oriented toward real-world changes such as better sleep, calmer reactions, clearer communication, and more consistent coping skills.

How mindfulness and acceptance translate to online work

Gretchen draws on Mindfulness Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help people notice unhelpful thoughts and return attention to values and actions that matter. Mindfulness practices teach simple awareness skills that reduce reactivity and improve sleep and focus. ACT focuses on choosing actions that fit a person’s values even when emotions feel intense.

She also uses Attachment-Based ideas to look at how early connection patterns shape current relationships. That work helps people recognize repeating patterns and try new ways of relating that lead to clearer communication and less conflict. These approaches are presented in plain language with doable exercises to practice between sessions.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapy process. Gretchen works collaboratively to test techniques, adjust based on what helps, and set small, achievable goals. She will help tailor methods to your needs, goals, and preferences so the work fits your life.

Session formats are not listed here, so confirm current online options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit meetings into busy schedules, reduce travel time, and allow brief check-ins on a hectic day. Different methods also suit different situations - some meetings may focus on short skills practice while others dive into relationship patterns and longer change work.