- Client-centered approach
- Cognitive-behavioral tools
- Internal Family Systems
About Alissa
Dr. Alissa Putman is a Psychologist licensed in Maryland with 20 years of experience. She works with people who are handling stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and self-esteem concerns. She also helps with career questions, parenting strain, grief, and intimacy-related issues.
Her approach centers on understanding what is going well and what someone wants to change. She uses client-centered methods alongside cognitive-behavioral ideas and Internal Family Systems to address thoughts, feelings, and internal parts. Sessions include setting practical goals influenced by principles of positive psychology and coaching when that fits the person’s aims.
Dr. Putman has worked in higher education and healthcare settings and has experience supporting people through job burnout, competing demands, and life transitions. She checks in regularly with clients about progress and whether therapy is headed in the desired direction. This helps keep work focused and respectful of the client’s time.
Her background also includes volunteer work teaching suicide prevention and mentoring underrepresented minority teens. Those activities inform how she thinks about crisis awareness and community supports without replacing clinical care. Her practice attends to multicultural concerns, identity exploration, and issues of guilt, shame, and isolation.
People often contact her when they feel stuck and want a clear plan for change. She encourages collaborative goal-setting and practical steps people can try between sessions. To begin, clients follow the practice process for matching and scheduling a first appointment.
How her approaches translate to online sessions
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and understanding the person’s experience. In online sessions this means the therapist follows the client’s priorities and checks in about direction and goals. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at helpful ways to notice and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. It often includes concrete exercises and small experiments to try between sessions. Internal Family Systems treats difficult feelings as parts of a person’s inner system; the work helps people relate differently to those parts and reduce inner conflict.Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will discuss options and help decide which methods fit the client’s needs, goals, and preferences. Decisions are collaborative and may change as progress is made.
Session options are not listed in the biography, so confirm current formats before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life - for example, shorter check-ins between obligations, or arranging meetings that avoid travel time. It can also let people try structured CBT exercises in daily settings, or use parts work from Internal Family Systems while reflecting on real-life interactions. Ask about the session formats and scheduling when you complete the matching questionnaire.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
20+ years
Listed in
Maryland
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she address?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and self-esteem issues, plus career, parenting, grief, and related topics such as body image and isolation.
What is her therapy style like?
She uses a client-centered style that emphasizes collaboration and goal-setting, drawing on cognitive-behavioral ideas and Internal Family Systems when useful.
How long has she been practicing?
She has 20 years of experience in higher education and healthcare settings and in private practice.
What are her credentials and location?
She is a Psychologist licensed in Maryland and sees people from that regional base.
Does she work in languages other than English?
Sessions are offered in English only.
Can international clients be seen?
She is not currently accepting international clients.
How does payment work?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What should I do to start?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule your first session.