Wendie Vanderwater, LCSW

Licensed in Montana · 22 years in practice

Wendie Vanderwater welcomes people who are feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or unsure where to begin.

License and registration

LCSW, Montana: BBH-LCSW-LIC-32399 · expires December 2026
NPI: 1619438074 · national provider identifier
Years in practice: 22
Languages: English

Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check any license with the state board and any NPI with the national registry.

About Wendie

Wendie Vanderwater welcomes people who are feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or unsure where to begin. She writes plainly and directly in sessions and focuses on practical steps people can use right away. Wendie is a licensed clinical social worker - LCSW - and offers steady guidance without judgment.

She uses a mix of approaches chosen to match each person’s needs. Sessions can include skills from Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy alongside mindfulness exercises.

Background and approach

Wendie asks questions to understand what works best and adapts homework and techniques to each person’s comfort level. Her style is honest and straightforward. She encourages small actions outside of sessions, like volunteering or joining a group, to support day-to-day wellbeing.

People decide whether they want structured homework or a more conversational rhythm in therapy. Wendie draws on more than two decades of experience in the field. That background informs how she blends strategies for stress, anxiety, grief, relationship struggles, trauma, and life transitions.

She also supports concerns such as ADHD, bipolar challenges, eating issues, and compassion fatigue. In sessions she pays attention to family of origin patterns, communication problems, and feelings of emptiness or abandonment. She also offers help around parenting stress, adoption and foster care questions, aging and caregiver strain, and gender dysphoria.

Wendie works with people in Montana and conducts sessions in English.

Focus areas and approaches

Everything Wendie lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.

Stress, Anxiety
Relationship issues
Trauma and abuse
Self esteem
Depression
LGBT
Family conflicts
Grief
Intimacy-related issues
Eating disorders
Parenting issues
Anger management
Career difficulties
Bipolar disorder
Coping with life changes
Coaching
Compassion fatigue
ADHD
Abandonment
Adoption and foster care
Aging and geriatric issues
Autism and Asperger Syndrome
Caregiver issues and stress
Co-morbidity
Communication problems
Control issues
Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
Emptiness
Family of origin issues
Family problems
Fatherhood issues
Forgiveness
Gender dysphoria
Guilt and shame
Impulsivity
Intellectual disability
Isolation / loneliness
Life purpose
Mood disorders
Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
Panic disorder and panic attacks
Paranoia
Personality disorders
Phobias
Postpartum depression
Post-traumatic stress
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
Self-harm
Self-love
Social anxiety and phobia
Traumatic brain injury
Young adult issues

Approaches Wendie names

Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.

Online support

Practical approaches for online therapy

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and building a trusting connection. The therapist follows the person's lead, asks questions, and offers support that respects each person’s pace and goals. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts and behaviors connect and teaches simple skills to change unhelpful patterns; it is often used for anxiety, depression, and stress. Dialectical Behavior Therapy, DBT, provides concrete skills for regulating emotions and improving coping under stress and can be paired with other methods for more complex issues.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, preferences, and what has or hasn’t helped before. Together they decide whether to focus on skill building, mindfulness, structured homework, or a gentler conversational path and adjust the plan as needed.

Online sessions can take place by video calls, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to offer flexibility. Video lets people work face to face without travel, phone works well when bandwidth is limited, live chat and texting allow brief check-ins or threaded conversations, and all formats make it easier to fit therapy around work, caregiving, or school schedules.

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Questions people ask

What kinds of concerns does Wendie address?

She helps with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, relationship and intimacy issues, grief, self esteem, parenting strain, and a range of other concerns such as ADHD and bipolar-related challenges.

How would you describe her therapeutic style?

Her style is honest and straightforward. She combines talk with practical exercises and offers either homework or a conversational approach based on what the client prefers.

What experience does she bring to sessions?

She has 22 years of experience working in mental health and draws on that background to blend methods and tailor care to each person.

What credentials and location are listed for this therapist?

She is listed as an LCSW, which stands for licensed clinical social worker, and practices in Montana.

In which languages can sessions be held?

Sessions are offered in English.

What session formats are available?

Sessions can be conducted by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different schedules and needs.

How much does therapy cost?

Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.

How do I begin working with Wendie?

Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.

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