01 · Who Leona works with

Leona works with stress, Anxiety, self esteem and depression

Leona lists 13 specialisms and 19 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Leona chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Leona's own words

What Leona says about the work

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

Hello, Thank you for taking time to read my profile. I am a licensed clinical social worker and a certified qualified supervisor for social work interns. With my 33 years of social work experience in multiple settings, and belief in the power of the proper alignment of mind body and spirit, I am confident that I can support you wherever you are in your life struggles. I will intentionally help you identify and tap into your own abilities and strengths to achieve your goals of improving your quality of life. I strongly believe that the therapeutic relationship impacts therapy outcomes, and I therefore endeavor to establish the relationship based on a non-judgmental approach, showing respect, compassion, and validation. I understand that asking for help can be sometimes difficult and I acclaim your strength for doing so at this time. I look forward to becoming an integral part of your journey and am humbled to be chosen as your guide and cheerleader.

Case types include: mood disorders/anxiety and depression, faith and religion, guilt and shame, aging and adjustment, life transitions, family conflict, grief loss and bereavement, medical and end of life, immigration, prejudice and discrimination, workplace, women's issues.

My therapeutic interventions combine cognitive-behavioral, person centered, solution focused, motivational interviewing and mindfulness.

I will establish your treatment plan to meet your unique and specific needs. I look forward to working with you.

**Please note I only provide therapy via live video with occasional telephone mode.

Leona Pusey-Rigg, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Leona works

The 6 approaches Leona lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Leona lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Leona'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 Leona 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.

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

Leona 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 Leona'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 Leona at this point.

2. Naming Leona specifically

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

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 Leona

Built from what Leona actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Leona's - Leona 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 15 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

LCSW

Licensed in

Florida

Licence

FL LCSW SW13424

Licence number

SW13424

Licence expires

31 Mar 2027

NPI

1831654441

Years in practice

15

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Leona'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 Leona. 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.