Gabrielle (Gabbi) Schwenzfeier

Gabrielle (Gabbi) Schwenzfeier is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) based in Minnesota. She practices a client-centered approach and encourages people to guide their own treatment. Gabbi aims to make therapy practical and approachable for everyday life concerns. Gabbi draws from several therapy models to meet different needs. She uses cognitive behavioral ideas to link thoughts and behaviors and DBT skills like mindfulness and distress tolerance for emotion regulation. Attachment-based and psychodynamic lenses inform her work with relationship patterns and past experiences. Her background includes work in homes, schools, and residential treatment centers. She has supported people dealing with depression, anxiety, trauma, obsessive-compulsive concerns, substance use, bipolar disorder, and borderline personality challenges. She has also worked with parents on attachment and parenting skills. Gabbi has five years of clinical experience and completed a Master of Social Work at the University of St. Thomas in 2017. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from St. Catherine University. These roles have involved individual, group, and family therapy across a wide age range. In sessions she focuses on collaboration and clear goals. She uses CBT and DBT skills for immediate coping, and solution-focused conversations to set practical next steps. She adapts the approach to what feels helpful and comfortable for each person. Outside of work she enjoys being outdoors, exercising, and spending time with family. Gabbi welcomes inquiries from people who want to explore therapy and see if her style fits their needs.

How therapy approaches translate to online care

Gabbi uses client-centered work and cognitive behavioral therapy to make sessions practical and goal-focused. Client-centered work means she listens carefully and follows the person's priorities, helping shape each session around what matters most. Cognitive behavioral therapy looks at how thoughts influence behavior and teaches straightforward skills to change unhelpful patterns. She also draws on Dialectical Behavior Therapy for skills like mindfulness and distress tolerance. Those skills are useful when emotions feel overwhelming and people need tools to cope in the moment. Together these approaches can address mood concerns, anxiety, trauma-related reactions, relationship patterns, and everyday stressors. Finding the right approach is part of the process. Gabbi works collaboratively to figure out which methods and skills match a person’s goals and preferences. She adjusts the plan as needed and checks in about what is or isn’t working. The therapist biography does not list specific session formats, so confirm current online options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, allow for shorter check-ins when needed, and remove travel time. It can also let people practice skills between sessions in their usual settings, which often helps transfer coping strategies into daily life.