About Venessa
Venessa Ellington Alston is a licensed clinical social worker who helps people navigate stress, anxiety, addiction concerns, anger, low self-esteem, and depression. She speaks plainly and focuses on practical steps to make daily life feel more manageable. Venessa aims to offer steady support and encouragement through change.
She brings three decades of experience working with adults in Colorado and beyond. Her approach is flexible and tailored - conversations and plans are shaped around each person’s needs and goals.
How Venessa works
She pays attention to cultural context and issues that often affect women and people facing shame or guilt. Sessions address both immediate coping skills and longer-term patterns. Venessa helps clients work through codependency, substance and process addictions, impulsive behavior, and smoking or vaping cessation.
She also supports those handling postpartum depression, midlife shifts, post-traumatic stress, and social anxiety. Her style centers on respect, sensitivity, and compassion. She uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques, explained in everyday language so clients can try new strategies between sessions.
The focus is on clear, doable steps rather than confusing jargon. Starting therapy is described as a brave step, and Venessa frames her role as supportive and empowering. She helps people set realistic goals, track progress, and adjust the plan as life changes.
The result is collaborative care that aims to restore confidence and healthier habits.
What Venessa works with
The areas below are the ones Venessa selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Anger management
Also listed
- Codependency
- Depression
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Midlife crisis
- Multicultural concerns
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Young adult issues
Training and background
| Register | LCSW |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 30 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | Colorado |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
How evidence-based techniques work online
Venessa uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques to help people manage symptoms and build new habits. One approach focuses on practical coping skills for anxiety and stress, teaching breathing, grounding, and task-oriented strategies to reduce overwhelm and improve daily functioning. Another approach addresses addictive behaviors by identifying triggers, developing alternative routines, and practicing relapse-prevention skills to reduce harmful patterns.Choosing the right method is a collaborative process. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences, and what has or hasn’t worked in the past. Together they will try approaches and adjust the plan so it fits the client’s needs and life circumstances.
Online therapy makes these methods accessible through multiple formats. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation for skill practice and deeper discussion. Phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited or when being off camera helps someone focus. Live chat and text-based messaging support quick check-ins, brief coaching, and between-session work that keeps progress moving. These options give flexibility for different schedules and comfort levels, while letting therapists and clients continue structured, evidence-informed work remotely.
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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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