Vikki GardnerLPC, LPCC

Vikki Gardner is a licensed counselor with 23 years of professional experience who helps people dealing with stress, anxiety, relationship concerns, trauma and abuse, and low self-esteem. She supports those coping with depression and related mood problems. Her tone is straightforward and affirming for someone taking a first step toward help.

Vikki sees the person as the expert on their own life and looks for strengths to build on. In sessions she listens carefully, asks practical questions, and helps clients set achievable steps. She emphasizes small, concrete changes that can steady mood and improve day-to-day functioning.

Her background includes long-term clinical work in Michigan and Ohio, which has given her experience with a wide range of issues such as postpartum depression, dissociation, communication problems, and challenges tied to family of origin. She also addresses concerns like abandonment, self-harm thoughts, and the effects of prejudice and discrimination.

Vikki aims to make the process collaborative. She will help identify patterns that keep problems stuck and work with clients to try different strategies. The approach is task-focused when useful and open to exploring thoughts and feelings when that helps clarify goals.

Starting therapy involves a few practical steps: a short questionnaire to match with a clinician and a scheduling step once a fit is found. Vikki notes the courage it takes to begin and acknowledges that small progress is still progress.

Therapeutic approaches and how they translate online

Vikki uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques that emphasize clear steps and measurable progress. One common approach she uses focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking and testing new, more balanced ways of thinking to reduce anxiety and low mood. This kind of work helps with stress, depression, and many mood-related concerns.

Another approach she uses concentrates on safety and stabilization for people who have experienced trauma. That work teaches grounding skills, emotion regulation strategies, and ways to manage dissociation so daily life is less overwhelming.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Vikki will talk with each person about their goals and preferences, try techniques that seem likely to help, and adjust the plan as needed. Clients and therapist decide together which methods feel useful and which to change.

If you are considering online therapy, confirm the session formats available before booking since the biography does not list them. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule, reduce travel time, and allow for shorter check-ins when that suits the day. They can also let people use video or audio based on what they prefer or what works with their internet and daily routine.