01 · Who Ellen works with

Ellen works with stress, Anxiety, family conflicts and grief

Ellen lists 20 specialisms and 44 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Ellen chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Ellen's own words

What Ellen says about the work

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

Ellen Silbert, LICSW;

ABOUT ME

My name is Ellen Silbert. I'm a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Massachusetts. I am also a certified Telehealth clinician. I earned my Master's degree in Clinical Social Work from New York University in 1984. I've literally worked with people from birth to death. I worked in the labor and delivery room with young mothers and have expertise in hospice care. I have worked in many different settings with individuals and families who have a variety of personal and medical issues such as depression/anxiety, stress, family struggles trauma/abuse, addictions , eating disorders relationships and parenting .

My 38 years of experience has taught me that the connection and comfort you feel with your therapist is very important. You need to feel trust and emotional comfort from your therapist to grow through challenging experiences. It would be my pleasure to be that person for you. I believe it's very important for a therapist to create an environment that is open-minded, non-judgmental and supportive. This allows for self-awareness and insight when trying to work through life's issues.

You are welcome to message me through Better Help. I usually check messages each day. I offer messaging, live chat and phone sessions with limited availability in the evenings and weekends. Please note that what you see in my calendar may not reflect my only availability so you always want to check that out with me through messaging first.

I look forward to working with you!

SPECIALTIES Stress, Anxiety, Addictions, LGBTQ support, Grief and Depression, Relationship issues, Family conflicts, Trauma and abuse, Intimacy-related issues, Eating disorders, Parenting issues, Anger management, Self-esteem, Career difficulties, Bipolar D and basic emotional support. please feel free to reach out and I will be in touch within 24 hours.

Years of Experience: 35

SERVICES OFFERED MESSAGING  LIVE CHAT  PHONE LICENSING

Ellen Silbert, on the BetterHelp listing · read 8 Nov 2026

03 · How Ellen works

The 8 approaches Ellen lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Ellen lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Ellen'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 Ellen runs a session.

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.

Emotionally Focused TherapyEFT

Built for couples and rooted in attachment: the recurring argument is treated as a cycle two people are stuck in rather than as one person's fault. Sessions work to interrupt the cycle and get to what each person is actually asking for underneath it.

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.

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

Ellen 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 Ellen'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 Ellen at this point.

2. Naming Ellen specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Ellen 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 Ellen.

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

4 questions worth asking Ellen

Built from what Ellen actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Ellen's - Ellen 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.

• “With 40 years in, what has changed most in how you work?”

  Long experience is only an advantage if it has been examined. This tends to surface whether it has.

• “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

LICSW

Licensed in

Massachusetts

Licence

MA LICSW 117806

Licence number

117806

Licence expires

28 Jun 2027

NPI

1578578142

Years in practice

40

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

9 Jun 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Ellen'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 Ellen. 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.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.