Works with
- Anger
- LGBT
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Anger management
How Polly works
Practical facts
- Credentials
- LCSW
- Licensed in
- California
- Years in practice
- 14
- Languages
- English
- Session format
- Online, through our partner platform
About Polly
Polly Parks is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with 14 years of clinical practice in California. She uses practical, down-to-earth approaches to help people facing anger, grief, trauma, depression, anxiety, and challenges related to gender and sexuality. Polly blends acceptance and commitment methods with client-centered listening.
She focuses on helping people live in line with their values, notice painful feelings without getting stuck, and build healthier emotional responses. Sessions are conversational and goal-oriented rather than overly technical.
Background and approach
Her background includes working with survivors of trauma and people coping with loss and addiction. Polly has experience supporting LGBTQ2+ concerns and gender dysphoria. She also has experience responding to high-impact community events, including work following the Saugus High School shooting in Santa Clarita in 2019.
Polly has maintained California licensure for 14 years and is active in professional groups such as the National Association of Social Workers and the World Association for Transgender Health. She completed the California Board of Behavioral Sciences required telehealth training course and brings that experience to remote care.
Polly is in long-term recovery from alcohol and draws on that lived experience when helping people with substance use and process addictions. She offers afternoon, evening, and weekend sessions and does not conduct sessions while a client is driving. Getting started begins with a short matching questionnaire and scheduling a time that fits the client.
What Polly works with
Everything Polly lists, in the therapist's own terms. Anger is the reason this directory exists; the rest tells you what usually sits alongside it in Polly's practice.
- LGBT
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Anger management
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Self-love
- Sexuality
- Women's issues
Approaches Polly lists
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
How Polly’s Approaches Work Online
Polly frequently draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help clients notice difficult thoughts and feelings and then act toward what matters to them. ACT is useful when strong emotions like anger or grief get in the way of daily life. She also uses Emotionally-Focused Therapy to address patterns in how people experience and respond to feelings, which can help when emotions lead to repeated conflict or withdrawal.Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Polly will discuss your needs, goals, and preferences and decide collaboratively which tools to try first. She adapts methods as progress is made and checks in regularly about what is working for you.
Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to make therapy fit into busy lives. Video lets you use visual cues and do deeper emotional work, phone is useful when bandwidth is limited or you prefer not to be on camera, and chat or text can support brief check-ins or ongoing reflection between sessions. These options make it easier to schedule afternoons, evenings, or weekend times that suit your routine.
Questions people ask about Polly
What concerns does Polly address?
Polly helps people with anger, trauma and abuse, grief, depression, anxiety, and issues related to gender and sexuality. She also works with addiction, domestic violence concerns, and feelings of isolation or shame.
What is her therapeutic style like?
She uses acceptance and commitment ideas alongside client-centered and emotionally-focused work. Sessions are conversational and focused on practical steps people can try between meetings.
How much clinical experience does she have?
Polly has 14 years of professional therapeutic experience and has worked in community and crisis settings, including responding after the Saugus High School shooting in 2019.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She holds a California Licensed Clinical Social Worker credential, listed as LCSW, and practices from California.
Which languages are supported in sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can international clients work with her?
International clients are not currently accepted; she works with people within her licensed jurisdiction.
What session formats are available?
She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to accommodate different needs and schedules.
How does the subscription and cost work?
Cost varies by location and therapist availability and uses a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.