01 · Who Dr. works with

Dr. works with stress, Anxiety, relationship issues and trauma and abuse

Dr. lists 15 specialisms and 1 further focus area. Specialisms are the subjects Dr. chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Dr.'s own words

What Dr. says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

My name is Lourna Charles. I am a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) in Pennsylvania. I have over 11 years of experience in the mental health field. I have worked with individuals, couples and families seeking counseling for various challenges. I appreciate the courage you displayed in seeking professional help. Many have endured these challenges in silence. This journey ahead may be challenging. It is my hope that I can assist you with finding peace, strength, and to develop appropriate strategies to cope and overcome life’s challenges. Through your therapeutic journey, I hope to empower and motivate you to make the necessary changes that would promote personal growth. This may involve discovering a different path, building skills to manage obstacles or working to eliminate obstacles altogether. My role also consists of helping you find courage, inspiration, and simply being present with you as you face and navigate through life’s challenging moments. My style of therapy involves providing a welcoming, warm, and encouraging environment. The two theoretical approaches that influence my style of therapy are Cognitive and Humanistic perspectives. I believe that everyone should be treated with dignity and respect. My approach to therapy is to meet people where they are. As your therapist, I would guide you in navigating your challenges and provide the appropriate support to help you reach your goals. Sharing personal problems with a stranger can be difficult. I provide a safe, nonjudgmental, and empathetic environment for you to discuss sensitive issues with assurance of confidentiality and emotional support. I believe that each significant event in one’s life impacts them in a unique way which creates resiliency. I hope to create a therapeutic setting where you feel safe to be open and honest with yourself about what you need and desire out of life. I am excited about the opportunity to assist you in identifying your strengths and natural supports to improve your overall happiness.

Dr. Lourna Charles, on the BetterHelp listing · read 8 Nov 2026

03 · How Dr. works

The 4 approaches Dr. lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Dr. lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Dr.'s - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Dr. runs a session.

Cognitive Behavioural TherapyCBT

Structured, present-focused work on the loop between what you think, how you feel and what you then do. Usually means noticing a thought pattern in the room, testing it against evidence, and practising something different between sessions. Among the most heavily researched talking therapies for depression and anxiety.

Mindfulness-Based TherapyMBCT

Trains attention on what is happening right now - body, breath, the thought as it arrives - so distress can be observed rather than automatically acted on. Strongest evidence is in preventing depression from recurring, and it is usually taught as a practice you keep doing outside the session.

Motivational InterviewingMI

A way of talking about change with somebody who is genuinely in two minds about it. The therapist does not argue for the change; they help you say your own reasons out loud, which is the part that predicts whether it happens. Common around substance use and health behaviour.

Solution-Focused Brief TherapySFBT

Starts from where you want to end up rather than from how you got here. Sessions look for the times the problem is already smaller and work out what is different about those, so the number of sessions tends to be short and the work concrete.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Dr. practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Dr.'s own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

   BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Dr. at this point.

2. Naming Dr. specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Dr. is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Dr..

3. If the caseload is full

   You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

4. The first conversation

   A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

5. If the fit is wrong

   Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

2 questions worth asking Dr.

Built from what Dr. actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Dr.'s - Dr. has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

• “How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

  Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

• “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

  On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LCSW

Licensed in

Pennsylvania

Licence

PA LCSW CW020300

Licence number

CW020300

Licence expires

28 Feb 2027

NPI

1962687731

Years in practice

11

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Dr.'s name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 8 Nov 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Dr.. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

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