- Emotionally-Focused Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
About Tonya
Tonya Pleasant is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) in Maryland with 25 years of experience. She helps people manage stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and intimacy questions, parenting and family concerns, grief, and issues with sleep, eating, anger, and addiction. Her work also addresses caregiver stress, communication problems, divorce and separation, forgiveness, life purpose, seasonal mood changes, and concerns common to women and young adults.
She uses Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) alongside Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). In practical terms that means she listens, reflects the felt emotions in a session, and helps name patterns that keep people stuck. She offers ways to notice thoughts and to try small changes in behavior between sessions.
Sessions focus on concrete skills and on understanding feelings that are hard to name. Clients can expect to talk about what matters most in their day-to-day life and to practice strategies aimed at clearer communication and steadier mood. Progress is tracked by the goals the person brings to therapy.
Pleasant draws on decades of counseling experience across many settings. She combines insight about relationship patterns with evidence-based techniques to address current problems. Her background in rehabilitation counseling and family-focused study informs how she frames coping strategies and next steps.
To begin, she asks people to identify clear goals and to try specific exercises between sessions. That practical emphasis is meant to help people notice small shifts and build on them over time.
How her approaches translate to online work
Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) focuses on helping people identify and name deep emotions and the patterns those feelings create in relationships. It is useful when someone wants to understand why certain situations trigger strong reactions and to learn new ways to respond. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) teaches practical ways to notice thoughts and feelings without being controlled by them, and to take actions that match personal values. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the connections between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and offers concrete exercises to change unhelpful patterns.Finding the right approach is part of the work. She will collaborate with each person to choose which methods to emphasize based on their goals, concerns, and what feels most useful in sessions. That may mean using EFT to name and process emotions, ACT skills to build acceptance, or CBT exercises to shift thinking habits.
The original biography does not specify session formats, so confirm current online options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit appointments into a busy week, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when schedules are tight. They also let people practice communication and emotion regulation skills in real life between meetings. A thoughtful choice about format helps therapy fit everyday life and the goals a person brings.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
25+ years
Listed in
Maryland
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she work with?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and intimacy issues, grief, parenting and family concerns, addictions, sleep and eating problems, anger, career stress, and compassion fatigue.
How does she approach therapy?
Her approach blends Emotionally-Focused Therapy with ACT, Client-Centered methods, CBT, and DBT. Sessions combine exploring feelings with practical skills to try between appointments.
How much experience does she have?
She has 25 years working in counseling and mental health settings and has worked with a wide range of people and concerns over that time.
What are her credentials and where does she practice?
She is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) in Maryland and practices there.
Does she offer sessions in other languages or to international clients?
Sessions are offered in English. She is not accepting international clients.
What session formats does she use?
The original biography does not list specific session formats. Confirm current session options before booking.
How are costs handled?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I get started?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Profile details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. Credential and registration rules differ between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.