Robin Ristenbatt , MD, LCSW-C

Robin Ristenbatt is a Maryland-based clinician with 40 years of professional experience who brings both medical and social work training to her practice. She holds an MD (medical doctor) and an LCSW-C (licensed clinical social worker), and she focuses her work on relationship and family concerns, grief across life stages, trauma and abuse, intimacy-related issues, and the challenges of coping with significant life changes.

Her practice emphasizes respect, sensitivity, and compassion. She strives to create an open, nonjudgmental space where thoughts and feelings can be explored freely. Conversations and treatment plans are tailored to each person’s unique circumstances, with attention to issues such as abandonment, caregiver stress, commitment and communication problems, control issues, divorce and separation, domestic violence, family-of-origin dynamics, guilt and shame, hospice and end-of-life counseling, infidelity, midlife transitions, non-monogamous relationship dynamics, and post-traumatic stress.

Robin approaches change as a collaborative process and supports people who are taking the courageous step of seeking a more fulfilling life. She aims to empower individuals and families as they navigate transitions and healing. She is not currently accepting new clients.

Approaches for Online Relationship and Grief Work

Robin often uses client-centered therapy, which emphasizes empathetic listening and collaboration so individuals feel understood and can explore their values and goals. This approach is helpful for relationship concerns, grief, and emotional processing because it creates space for personal meaning and healing.

She also draws on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a practical method that helps people identify and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. CBT can be effective for coping with stress, anxiety, trauma-related symptoms, and patterns that affect relationships.

Mindfulness therapy is another tool she incorporates to help people build present-moment awareness and reduce reactivity to difficult emotions, which can support resilience during life transitions and grief.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and Robin works collaboratively with each person to determine which methods best match their needs, goals, and preferences. She adapts her style over time as those needs evolve.

Online therapy sessions can take place by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging, offering flexible options to fit different schedules and comfort levels. These formats make it easier for people to access licensed professionals and continue care during busy or transitional periods.