Penny Gifford is a licensed professional counselor with three decades of clinical experience.
01About Penny
Penny Gifford is a licensed professional counselor with three decades of clinical experience. She works with adults in individual sessions and focuses on helping people build skills to manage stress, anxiety, mood concerns, and life transitions. Penny creates a calm, nonjudgmental space where clients can talk through immediate problems and practical next steps.
Her approach is collaborative and straightforward. Sessions focus on identifying what is causing distress and trying small, doable changes that lead to relief.
Background and approach
She often blends problem-solving strategies with emotional support so people feel heard while they learn new habits. Penny draws from cognitive behavioral ideas to help people notice unhelpful thinking and change behaviors that keep problems going. She also uses elements of dialectical behavior therapy to teach emotion regulation and coping tools when feelings feel overwhelming.
Motivational interviewing guides conversations about making lasting changes, especially around substance use and addictive behaviors. Her background includes long experience with grief, trauma and abuse, relationship and family concerns, eating and sleeping problems, and mood disorders including bipolar and ADHD-related struggles. Penny also addresses issues such as codependency, communication problems, and caregiver stress.
People who come to her typically want focused, practical work with plenty of time for questions. She helps clients set clear goals, practice new skills between sessions, and measure small steps of progress over time.
02Credentials
- LPC (Colorado)
- License 5992 · expires August 2027
- LCPC (Montana)
- License BBH-LCPC-LIC-4727 · expires December 2026
- LPCC (California)
- License 17861 · expires October 2026
- NPI
- 1962608174 · 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 Penny lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Self esteem
- Depression
- Coping with life changes
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Eating disorders
- Sleeping disorders
- Anger management
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Avoidant personality
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Dependent personality
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Personality disorders
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trichotillomania
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Methods Penny names
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Motivational Interviewing
- Solution-Focused Therapy
These are the methods Penny names on their own professional profile. Naming an approach is not evidence of training or certification in it, and this directory checks no training records. Ask directly if it matters to you.
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04Online support
Therapeutic approaches and online sessions
Penny often uses cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy in her online practice. Cognitive behavioral therapy helps people notice patterns of thinking that increase stress or depression and replace them with clearer, more helpful thoughts and actions. Dialectical behavior therapy focuses on concrete skills for managing strong emotions, improving distress tolerance, and strengthening relationships.She also uses client-centered methods that prioritize listening and understanding each person's goals. Deciding which approach to use is a team effort - the therapist will talk with the client about needs, goals, and preferences and then try approaches that fit. Sessions can be adjusted over time as progress is tracked and goals change.
Online options include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video sessions let people talk face-to-face and use visual cues, while phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and text-based messaging can be used for quick updates, shorter conversations, or when typing feels easier than speaking. These formats make it simpler to fit therapy into a busy life and to keep consistent momentum between sessions.
05Questions people ask
What concerns does Penny commonly help with?
Penny works with a wide range of concerns including stress, anxiety, depression, addictions, relationship and family issues, trauma and grief, eating and sleeping problems, anger, career struggles, bipolar disorder, and ADHD.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is collaborative and practical. She blends client-centered listening with targeted strategies to change thinking and behavior.
What is her clinical background?
She has 30 years of experience supporting adults through life changes, mood disorders, addiction issues, grief, and relationship conflict.
Which credentials and region are listed for this therapist?
The profile lists LPC and LCPC credentials and notes a California practice location.
In what languages are sessions offered?
Sessions are offered in English and international clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats are available?
Sessions can be scheduled as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different needs and schedules.
How does cost and billing work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What are the steps to begin working together?
Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions based on therapist availability.
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