Gabrielle (Gabbi) Schwenzfeier , LICSW

Gabrielle (Gabbi) Schwenzfeier is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) practicing in Minnesota who brings a blend of practical experience and client-centered care to her work. She has provided services across a variety of settings, including in-home support, school-based programs, and residential treatment centers, and has experience treating concerns such as depression, anxiety, trauma, OCD, substance use, bipolar disorder, and borderline personality disorder.

Gabrielle has worked with people from early childhood through older adulthood, serving clients aged 2 to 75. She employs individual, family, and group therapy formats and has spent focused time supporting parents with attachment and parenting skills. Her approach is rooted in the belief that clients are the experts in their own lives, and she emphasizes collaboration and respect for each person’s goals and comfort level.

Educationally, Gabrielle earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from St. Catherine University and completed a Master of Social Work at the University of St. Thomas, graduating in 2017. She draws from multiple therapeutic models, including client-centered techniques, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to explore how thoughts influence behavior, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to build skills like mindfulness and distress tolerance, as well as solution-focused and narrative methods to address present goals and process traumatic experiences.

Gabrielle invites prospective clients to reach out if scheduling appears limited so they can explore possible options together. Outside of her clinical work she enjoys spending time outdoors, exercising, and being with family.

Collaborative Approaches and Online Care

Gabrielle integrates client-centered therapy into her online practice, creating a space where the client’s perspective and goals guide each session. This approach emphasizes empathy, respect, and collaboration, and is useful for those working on self-esteem, relationship concerns, and life transitions.

She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which focuses on identifying and shifting unhelpful patterns of thinking and behavior. CBT is commonly helpful for anxiety, depression, and many everyday coping challenges because it offers practical skills to change how thoughts influence actions.

In addition, Gabrielle draws on Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills to teach mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. These tools are valuable for managing intense emotions, impulsivity, and stress in relationships.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and Gabrielle works collaboratively with each client to determine which methods best match their needs, goals, and preferences. She will adjust strategies over time based on what proves most helpful.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility - sessions by video, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging make it easier to fit therapy into busy lives and to maintain continuity when schedules or locations change. Licensed professionals and therapists use these formats to provide consistent care that adapts to each client’s circumstances.