Lisa Tomala is a Licensed Professional Counselor who helps people facing anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, addiction, and stress.
01About Lisa
Lisa Tomala is a Licensed Professional Counselor who helps people facing anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, addiction, and stress. She also supports those coping with relationship and intimacy concerns, parenting strain, sleep problems, ADHD, and major life changes. Lisa combines steady listening with clear, practical steps so people can feel less stuck and more able to handle day-to-day challenges.
She brings 20 years of experience in counseling work. Lisa previously provided care to active-duty service members with PTSD and to teens and adults managing grief, substance use, and mood concerns.
Background and approach
That background shapes a calm, straightforward approach in sessions. Lisa uses a mix of psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, motivational interviewing, and solution-focused methods. She pays attention to early life patterns that affect current choices and helps clients reframe thoughts and habits that hold them back.
Sessions move at a pace that fits the person and focus on practical changes for daily life. She is comfortable integrating a client’s religious or philosophical beliefs when that matters, including principles of Thomistic philosophy. Lisa aims to create a nonjudgmental space where people can talk honestly about painful feelings and begin to build new meaning.
Outside of work she spends time with family, paints, hikes, and cares for an Australian Cattle dog. These activities inform a warm, balanced perspective she brings to the work.
02Credentials
- LPC (Virginia)
- License 0701013799 · expires June 2027
- NPI
- 1124716360 · national provider identifier
Both are public records. A state board register will confirm a license and its standing, and the national registry will confirm an NPI. This directory copies what the counselor lists and checks neither.
03Focus areas and approaches
Everything Lisa lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Bipolar disorder
- Depression
- Compassion fatigue
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Intimacy-related issues
- Sleeping disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Coping with life changes
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Avoidant personality
- Body image
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Divorce and separation
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
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04Online support
Approaches you can use in online sessions
Lisa often draws on cognitive-behavioral techniques to help people notice and change unhelpful thought patterns. This approach teaches simple strategies for managing anxiety, mood, sleep, and attention so daily life feels more manageable.She also uses psychodynamic ideas to look at how early relationships shape current reactions. That helps make sense of repeating patterns in relationships, attachment concerns, and issues like abandonment or avoidant personality traits.
Finding the right fit is a team effort. She will help clients decide which approach or combination feels most useful based on their goals, needs, and preferences, and adjust the plan as progress unfolds.
Online therapy offers several practical benefits. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation when tone and facial cues matter. Phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and text-based messaging give more flexible ways to pause, reflect, and respond between longer sessions. These options make it easier to maintain continuity of care around work, family, and other commitments.
05Questions people ask
What concerns does Lisa help address?
She supports people dealing with trauma and abuse, grief, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, addictions, relationship and intimacy issues, parenting strain, sleep problems, ADHD, and related life changes.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is direct and collaborative with steady listening and practical steps. Sessions focus on current symptoms and small changes that add up over time.
What is her clinical background?
She has 20 years of counseling experience and has worked with active-duty service members with PTSD as well as teens and adults managing depression, trauma, substance issues, and grief.
What credentials and location are listed?
She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) practicing in Virginia.
In which languages are sessions offered?
Sessions are offered in English.
What formats are available for sessions?
Therapy can be conducted via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging.
How is cost handled for sessions?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to therapist availability.
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