About Paula
Paula Knighton is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) practicing in Virginia with 25 years of experience. She focuses on practical steps people can take to reduce anxiety, manage stress, and navigate major life changes. Paula listens with attention and treats each person with respect and steadiness.
Paula helps people address addictions, trauma and abuse, depression, and low self-esteem. She also supports those facing relationship strain, grief, anger, parenting challenges, and career crossroads.
How Paula works
Her work includes dealing with sleep problems, ADHD concerns, bipolar mood issues, and compulsive behaviors. Her style is straightforward and collaborative. Paula creates a calm space where clients can say what they need to say and try out new ways of coping.
She uses practical tools that fit each person’s daily life rather than one-size-fits-all techniques. Paula draws on several therapeutic approaches to shape treatment, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Client-Centered methods. These approaches guide how she helps clients identify values, change unhelpful thinking, and build coping skills.
Sessions can include short-term coaching goals or deeper work on long-standing problems. Paula works with people dealing with addiction, chronic pain or illness, first responder stress, hoarding, infidelity, money worries, and other focused concerns. She aims to make progress feel manageable and realistic for everyday life.
Paula lists 8 ways of working on the entry:
What Paula works with
The areas below are the ones Paula selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
Also listed
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
- Career difficulties
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Hoarding
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Life purpose
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Paranoia
- Parenting issues
- Personality disorders
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sleeping disorders
- Workplace issues
Training and background
| Register | LPC |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 25 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | Virginia |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
Therapeutic approaches and online care
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people name what matters to them and take small actions toward those values, even when feelings are difficult. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on spotting unhelpful thoughts and trying practical experiments to change behaviors and mood. Client-Centered Therapy centers the client's own experience, giving space for reflection and growth at the client's pace.Paula treats finding the right approach as a team effort. She will discuss goals, preferences, and what has or hasn’t helped in the past, and then recommend ways of working together. That collaborative planning can include short coaching goals or longer emotional work, and it can change as needs evolve.
Online therapy offers flexible ways to connect. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues. Phone sessions work well for brief check-ins or when bandwidth is low. Live chat and text-based messaging let clients send updates, ask questions between sessions, or fit a check-in into a busy day. These options make it easier to keep therapy consistent and to use approaches like ACT and CBT in ways that fit a client's routine.
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Common questions
What concerns does Paula work on?
What is Paula's therapeutic style?
How much experience does Paula have?
What credentials and location apply?
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How is cost handled for sessions?
How do I begin working with Paula?
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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