- 35 years experience
- Warm and attentive
- Addiction and trauma
About Diana
Diana Elstad is a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) in Washington with 35 years of experience. She helps people dealing with addiction and recovery, depression, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, relationship struggles, stress, and a range of other life challenges. Diana also supports concerns around eating and sleeping, parenting strain, self-esteem, and identity issues relevant to LGBT clients.
She has worked in community clinics, treatment centers, hospitals, and private practice. That background gives her a broad view of how problems show up in daily life. Diana describes her approach as warm, kind, and respectfully attentive. She listens for the feelings that may lie beneath a person’s words.
Her counseling style is eclectic. She draws from client-centered work, cognitive-behavioral tools, dialectical behavior strategies, motivational interviewing, and narrative ideas. Sessions focus on practical steps, clearer thinking, and understanding the stories people tell about themselves.
Clients can expect a collaborative atmosphere where the therapist meets them where they are. Diana pays attention to safety and coping skills when trauma or addiction are part of the picture. She also offers support for aging and caregiver stress, codependency and attachment concerns.
Diana aims to help people find manageable changes that fit their lives. She invites conversation about goals, setbacks, and what matters most to each person. Her long experience informs a calm, steady way of working that values respect and real listening.
How Diana’s approaches translate to online therapy
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening, empathy, and meeting each person where they are. It helps people feel heard and clarifies personal goals during conversations that follow the client’s lead. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, focuses on identifying patterns in thoughts and behaviors and then testing small, practical changes to reduce anxiety or depression. Dialectical Behavior Therapy, DBT, adds skills for regulating emotions, tolerating distress, and improving relationships, which can be useful for strong mood swings or intense reactions.Finding the right approach is part of the work. Diana will collaborate with each person to decide which methods feel most useful. That choice is based on the concerns, goals, and preferences the person brings to sessions, and it can shift as progress is made.
Session formats are not specified in the biography, so confirm current options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy schedule, allow a shorter check-in when needed, and remove travel time so people can use an appointment slot during a work break or between errands. Many people find that working through CBT or DBT skills remotely supports steady progress when techniques and homework are practiced between sessions.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
35+ years
Credentials
Washington
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does Diana commonly address?
Diana works with a wide range of concerns including addiction, depression, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, relationship challenges, stress, eating and sleeping problems, parenting strain, and issues related to LGBT identity.
How would you describe her therapeutic approach?
Her style is eclectic and client-centered, combining practical tools with listening and connection. She uses methods like CBT, DBT, motivational interviewing, and narrative approaches to match each person's needs.
What kind of experience does she bring?
She has 35 years of clinical experience working in community clinics, treatment centers, hospitals, and private practice, including work with many people facing substance use and trauma.
What credentials and location are listed?
She is a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) practicing in Washington.
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can international clients work with this therapist?
International clients are not currently accepted.
How does cost and payment work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working together?
Choose the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions according to therapist availability.