Lisa Armstrong

I'm a licensed clinical social worker with over 35 years in social services, the last 9 as a licensed clinician. My background spans direct practice, public health, domestic violence services, and end-of-life care. I hold a Master of Social Work and a Master of Public Health. My clinical work draws from Gestalt therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy, and other evidence-based approaches. I also do end-of-life doula work.

My practice, Empowered Transitions Therapy, is built around the belief that transitions don't just require coping strategies. They require honest reflection, real support, and sometimes a complete rethinking of what you want your life to look like going forward.

I work with adults and couples navigating grief and loss, caregiver burnout, life transitions, domestic violence recovery, and relational conflict. I specialize in complicated grief and work with clients whose losses have been layered, unacknowledged, or unresolved for years. Much of my work centers on women who are in the middle of reinventing themselves and aren't sure yet what that looks like.

I'm direct without being cold. I ask hard questions and I sit with you in the answers. If you've been managing everything on your own and you're tired of it, this might be the right place.

My approach starts with you. Not a diagnosis, not a checklist. You.

I draw from Gestalt, relational, narrative, and cognitive-behavioral therapies because no single framework fits every person. What I'm looking for is what's actually happening beneath the surface, the patterns, the places you've been stuck, the things you've been carrying long enough that they've started to feel like just "who you are."

I work collaboratively and at a pace that respects where you are. Some clients come in knowing exactly what they need to work on. Others arrive with a vague but persistent sense that something isn't right. Both are valid starting points. My job is to help you move from awareness to clarity to actual change.

Sessions are direct, reflective, and grounded. I'll ask hard questions. I'll also sit with you in the answers.

The first session is about getting oriented. I want to understand what brought you in now, not just what's been hard, but why now. What shifted? What finally made you pick up the phone?

We'll talk about your history, what you're carrying, and what you're hoping for. I'll ask questions. You don't have to have the answers perfectly formed. This isn't an intake checklist. It's a conversation.

By the end of the first session, you should have a sense of whether this space feels right for you, and I'll have a clearer picture of where we start. Sometimes people leave the first session with a word, an image, or a question that stays with them. That's usually a good sign.