Eleanor Kiarsis, LMFT
Eleanor’s pronouns are: She/Her
Eleanor helps children and adults find clarity, confidence, and healthier ways to cope.
If you or your child are dealing with anxiety, emotional ups and downs, family stress, or life transitions that feel like too much, Eleanor offers a calm, supportive space where you can slow things down and feel truly understood—without judgment.
Eleanor earned her Bachelor's Degree in Child and Family Development and her Master’s Degree in Marital and Family Therapy from the University of San Diego. She began her clinical work in California, supporting children, teens, and families in school-based and community mental health settings. She brings that experience with diverse populations and complex cases into her work with clients to private practice in Richmond, VA.
Child & Teen Therapy
Eleanor has extensive experience working as a child and teen therapist supporting children and adolescents with anxiety, behavior challenges, emotional regulation, and family stress.
Some kids come to therapy because they’re having meltdowns, struggling at school, or acting out at home. Others are quieter—they hold things in, feel anxious or overwhelmed, or have a hard time expressing what they’re feeling. Many simply need a safe place where they can be themselves, explore their emotions, and learn healthy coping skills.
Eleanor creates a space where kids and teens feel comfortable opening up at their own pace. She uses play and art-based therapy, along with age-appropriate strategies, to help them build emotional awareness, improve self-control, strengthen social skills, and feel more confident navigating everyday challenges.
She also works closely with parents seeking support for their child’s behavior, emotions, or family dynamics—helping you better understand what’s going on, strengthen your connection, and learn tools that actually work at home.
She moves at each child’s pace, creating a space where they feel safe to open up, build trust, and express themselves without pressure. Over time, this helps reduce shame, build confidence, and strengthen their ability to understand and manage their emotions.
Therapy for Adults
Eleanor works with adults who feel overwhelmed, disconnected, or stuck in patterns that aren’t working anymore. You might be struggling with depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, relationship challenges, or feeling unsure of your direction. Many clients come in wanting to set better boundaries, improve communication, build healthier relationships, or feel more confident and grounded in themselves.
Many adults also feel disconnected from their own voice or unsure how to trust themselves. Eleanor helps you build self-awareness, reduce self-criticism, and develop a stronger sense of confidence in your decisions, relationships, and direction in life.
She focuses on both insight and action—helping you understand your patterns while also taking meaningful steps toward a life that feels more balanced, fulfilling, and aligned with who you are.
Trauma, Anxiety & Emotional Overwhelm
Eleanor is trained in Trauma-Focused CBT and provides therapy for children, teens, and adults experiencing anxiety, trauma, and emotional overwhelm.
If you or your child feel constantly on edge, easily overwhelmed, or stuck in emotional patterns that don’t make sense, there’s often a deeper reason. Eleanor helps clients understand how past experiences may be shaping present reactions—and builds tools for emotional regulation, coping, and resilience.
She also supports teens navigating identity exploration, self-harm, substance use, or more intense emotional experiences, offering a steady and nonjudgmental space to work through what’s going on.
Approach To Therapy
Eleanor’s style is warm, nonjudgmental, and collaborative. She meets clients where they are and moves at a pace that feels safe and manageable.
She draws from a range of approaches depending on each client’s needs, including CBT, DBT, ACT, mindfulness, somatic techniques, family systems work, and solution-focused therapy. She may incorporate mindfulness and body-based approaches to help clients feel more grounded, regulated, and present in their day-to-day lives. With younger clients, she incorporates play and creative expression to make therapy engaging and effective.
Clients often leave sessions feeling heard, supported, and more grounded. She balances compassion with gentle accountability—helping clients feel supported while also recognizing patterns and taking meaningful steps toward change.
Eleanor believes therapy should be a place where you can feel safe being yourself while building the tools and confidence to move forward. Her goal is to help clients feel more understood, more capable, and more in control of their lives.
Eleanor meets with clients in person in Richmond, VA and offers virtual therapy across Virginia.
Interested in learning more about Therapy with Eleanor?
Practice Areas & Client Focus
Licenses And Certifications:
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) - Virginia
Certified in TF-CBT
Trauma-Informed Yoga certificationAges Served: Children (5+), Teens (13+), Adults (18+)
Areas of Expertise:
Children & Teens: Anxiety, Stress, Depression, PTSD, Trauma, Grief/Loss, Parenting Concerns, Parental Separation, Handling Life Changes/Transitions, ADHD, Behavioral Issues, Neurodivergence, Identity Exploration, Self-harm, Eating disorders, Body image.
Adults: Grief, Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, Young Adulthood, Neurodivergence, ADHD, Women’s Issues, adjusting to changes, dealing with life's stressors.
Treatment Approaches: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), LGBTQ-Affirming, Neuro-Affirming, Play Therapy, Person-Centered Therapy.
Insurance & Logistics
In-Network with: Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS), Aetna, Cigna, Sentara, Optum, Optum/United Behavioral Health (UBH).
Out-Of-Network insurances: We can file claims directly with any other insurance (so you don’t have to).
Availability: In-Person and Online Counseling (Telehealth).
Office Address: 5540 Falmouth St, Suite 100, Richmond, VA 23230. Conveniently located near Willow Lawn and St. Mary's Hospital, serving the West End, Midlothian (20 min), and Hanover (25 min). View regional directions here.
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