01 · Who Dr. works with

Dr. works with stress, Anxiety, trauma and abuse and anger management

Dr. lists 9 specialisms and 22 further focus areas. 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.

I am a licensed clinical social worker licensed in North Carolina and Georgia with over 12 years of experience working as an active duty Army Officer in Military Treatment Facilities and community partners. In my 22 years as an active duty Army Soldier, I have worked with clients of different ages with a wide range of concerns including depression, anxiety, relationship issues, parenting problems, self-harm, conduct disorder or oppositional defiant disorder, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. In the U.S. Army my specialty was combat and military sexual trauma-related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Combat Operational Stress. I currently provide counseling services for individuals over 18 years of age, but I also provide behavior modification or Applied Behavioral Analysis therapy for children under 18 who are diagnosed with a neurological condition.

My counseling style is warm, humorous, and interactive. I am empathetic and nonjudgmental, and I strive to create a therapeutic environment rooted in acceptance, openness, and unconditional positive regard. However, I am also realistic and honest, and I will always tell you the truth, but in a kind and supportive way. My approach combines cognitive-behavioral, humanistic or client-centered, reality and rational-emotive counseling. I will work collaboratively with you to create a treatment plan to meet your unique and specific needs and together we will track your progress and revise the treatment plan when necessary.

In our journey together, you will be the driver and I will be the passenger reading your map. Sometimes we may take a wrong turn and that is OK, but together we will use your map to get back on the track to the destination of your choice.

My regular schedule is: Monday - Friday: 5:00 pm - 9:00 PM (EST) Saturday & Sun: Out of the office (Appointments may be considered on a case-by-case basis)

I typically check my messages after 5 PM every day (sometimes more) and try to respond within 24 hours of your message, but this is not always possible, but I will do my best to give a timely response.

Please note: Periodically my schedule may change. I try to be as flexible as I can when there are specific appointment requests, and we can always discuss other convenient times when I may be able to open up a one-time slot on another day.

MY CANCELLATION POLICY Just a quick message to inform you about my cancellation policy. Your appointments and well-being are very important to me, and I understand that sometimes, unexpected delays can occur, making schedule adjustments. If you need to cancel your appointment, I respectfully request at least three days’ notice. Appointments are in high demand, and your advanced notice will allow another client access to that appointment time. Please note: It is Betterhelp’s cancellation policy that you cancel at least 24 hours before the appointment.

I look forward to working with you!

V/R Dr. Natalia R. Rivera, DSW, LCSW, CADC

Dr. Natalia Rivera, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Dr. works

The 9 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.

Acceptance and Commitment TherapyACT

Rather than trying to argue a painful thought away, ACT works on loosening its grip and getting on with what matters to you anyway. Sessions spend real time naming your values, then building action around them while difficult feelings are still present.

Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian

The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.

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.

Dialectical Behaviour TherapyDBT

A structured skills-led adaptation of CBT built around holding two things at once: accepting yourself as you are and working to change. Teaches concrete skills for distress tolerance, emotion regulation and relationships. Developed for people whose feelings arrive at overwhelming intensity, and strongest-evidenced there.

Eye Movement Desensitisation and ReprocessingEMDR

A structured trauma protocol in which you hold a distressing memory in mind while following a repeated side-to-side cue. The mechanism is still debated; the outcome data in post-traumatic stress is strong enough that it appears in national treatment guidelines.

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.

Trauma-Focused TherapyTF-CBT · trauma-informed

CBT adapted for people whose difficulty is rooted in a frightening or overwhelming event. Pacing is the point: safety and stabilisation come first, the memory itself is approached gradually and only when you are ready, and the aim is that recalling it stops hijacking the present.

Internal Family SystemsIFS

Treats the mind as made up of parts - the critic, the one who withdraws, the one that keeps everything running - each of which is trying to protect you. The work is getting to know them rather than overruling them.

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

3 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.

• “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Client-Centred Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

  Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

• “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

Georgia

Licence

GA LCSW CSW006608, NC LCSW C009986

Licence number

CSW006608

Licence expires

30 Sep 2028

NPI

1821458720

Years in practice

13

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

9 Jun 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 9 Oct 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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