About Rita
Rita Varano is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) with 20 years of experience helping people through stress, anxiety, grief, low self-esteem, depression, and major life changes. She offers calm, straightforward support for those feeling overwhelmed by loss, transitions, or the everyday pressures that erode well-being. Her style is practical and compassionate.
Sessions focus on clear steps clients can try between meetings. Rita listens closely, helps people name what matters most, and breaks bigger problems into manageable pieces.
How Rita works
Over two decades she has worked with people facing aging and geriatric concerns, caregiver strain, chronic illness and pain, and the demands placed on first responders. She also supports those coping with attachment and communication problems, control issues, impulsivity, and intense shame or guilt. Rita uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques to address trauma, increase motivation, and reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Work in therapy can include developing healthier routines, improving communication, and building strategies to manage difficult feelings. Located in Pennsylvania, she brings a steady, nonjudgmental presence to sessions and partners with each person to set realistic goals. Clients are invited to move at a pace that feels manageable while learning skills they can use in daily life.
What Rita works with
The areas below are the ones Rita selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
Also listed
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Avoidant personality
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Depression
- Emptiness
- Fatherhood issues
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Young adult issues
Training and background
| Register | LCSW |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 20 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | Pennsylvania |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
How evidence-based techniques translate to online care
Rita draws on evidence-based therapeutic techniques that focus on practical change and emotional processing. One common approach helps people notice and shift patterns of thinking and behavior to reduce anxiety and depression; it focuses on small, measurable changes that add up over time. Another approach centers on processing traumatic experiences and their effects, helping people feel safer in daily life and regain motivation and activity.Choosing the right approach is collaborative. Rita will talk with each person about their goals, strengths, and what has or hasn’t worked before. Together they will decide which techniques to try and adjust the plan as progress is made.
If you are considering online therapy, confirm the current session options before booking since formats are not specified here. Many people find online work helps fit care into busy schedules, makes it easier to keep consistent appointments, and allows focused check-ins without travel. Online sessions can be scheduled at times that work with work and caregiving responsibilities, and can support steady progress when in-person visits are difficult to arrange.
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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