Richard Banton

Richard Banton is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) with 25 years of experience. He practices in New Mexico and works from a mental wellness perspective that emphasizes strengths and possibility. He speaks English and accepts international clients.

He focuses on helping people with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, and anger. He also supports those facing life changes, grief, addictions, relationship and intimacy concerns, sleep and eating issues, parenting strain, career questions, ADHD, and compassion fatigue. Additional areas of focus include abandonment, attachment concerns, body image, chronic illness and caregiver stress.

His approach highlights Mindfulness Therapy alongside Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and client-centered methods. He teaches simple ideas about mind, consciousness, and thought to help people notice how they create moment-to-moment experience. That noticing is used to reduce reactivity and build steadier emotional balance.

Sessions emphasize practical change rather than labels. He invites people who want to move toward mental wellness and who prefer not to see themselves as damaged or broken. The work aims to shift how people relate to painful thoughts and feelings so they can live with more calm and clarity.

Over his career he has applied these perspectives across many life challenges. He frames therapy as a collaborative process where clients learn tools and new ways of noticing their inner life. The goal is greater contentment, clearer choices, and more consistent peace in everyday moments.

How mindfulness and acceptance work in online sessions

Mindfulness Therapy helps people notice their thoughts and bodily experience without immediately reacting. In practice this might mean learning short attention exercises and simple ways to step back from painful thinking so daily life feels less overwhelming.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on clarifying values and taking committed action toward them despite difficult thoughts or feelings. It can help when someone wants to rebuild routine, improve relationships, or move through big life changes with more purpose.

Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes a supportive, nonjudgmental space where the therapist follows the person's lead. That approach helps people feel heard and build confidence in their own insights and choices.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with each person about needs, goals, and preferences and then adapt techniques collaboratively. People often mix mindfulness practice, ACT exercises, and client-centered conversations to suit what feels most useful.

The practical upside of online therapy is making sessions fit into everyday life. Confirm the specific session formats before booking, since the biography does not list them. Online sessions can make it easier to schedule shorter check-ins, avoid commuting, and keep therapy consistent during busy weeks. Licensed professionals can guide selection of techniques that work well in remote sessions and help clients practice between meetings.