About Ardella
Ardella (Della) VanDyke is a Minnesota-based therapist who focuses on helping people facing depression, anxiety, grief, addiction, and life changes. She brings 25 years of experience as a licensed independent clinical social worker, LICSW. Her manner is warm and steady, aimed at helping people feel heard and find practical ways to move forward.
Della works with adults who are coping with relationship stress, parenting strain, chronic health concerns, or the pain of past trauma and abuse.
How Ardella works
She also supports people dealing with anger, self-esteem struggles, intimacy concerns, and the long shadows of guilt or shame. Sessions concentrate on day-to-day skills and clearer thinking to ease distress. Her approach combines several evidence-based methods, including acceptance and commitment therapy, cognitive behavioral ideas, dialectical skills, and client-centered listening.
She helps clients notice what matters, shift unhelpful thoughts, and practice new coping habits. Existential perspectives are used when people are wrestling with meaning and purpose. In sessions Della mixes practical tools and reflective conversation.
That may mean setting short goals, trying a coping skill, or talking through difficult memories at a pace the person can handle. She pays attention to how health, caregiving, and life stage affect emotional energy and problem solving. She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging.
Sessions are conducted in English and follow Minnesota licensing standards. To begin, a person uses the Start Therapy button and completes a brief matching questionnaire, then schedules according to therapist availability.
Ardella lists 7 ways of working on the entry:
What Ardella works with
The areas below are the ones Ardella selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
- Grief
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Parenting issues
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Women's issues
- Young adult issues
Training and background
| Register | LICSW |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 25 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | Minnesota |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
How Della’s Approaches Work Online
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people clarify what matters most and take small steps toward those values. It uses mindfulness and behavioral experiments to reduce getting stuck in painful thoughts and feelings. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, focuses on spotting unhelpful thought patterns and testing new ways of thinking and acting to reduce anxiety and depression. It often includes homework such as brief behavior experiments or thought records. Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, teaches emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal skills that help with intense emotions and relationship strain.Choosing an approach is collaborative. The therapist will discuss goals, try techniques in session, and adjust the plan based on what helps. Clients often blend methods so therapy matches their needs rather than fitting a single label.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different schedules and preferences. Video lets people work face to face when conversation and body language matter. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or when someone prefers not to be on camera. Live chat and text support quick check-ins, shorter coaching-style work, or ongoing reflection between longer sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, caregiving, or health constraints while keeping the focus on practical change.
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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