Frances Patton

Frances Patton is a licensed marriage and family therapist who focuses on helping people make real changes in their lives. She listens, offers direction, and works with clients to move past stuck patterns. Frances aims to help people who feel overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and intimacy challenges, grief, or major life transitions.

She uses approaches built around relationships and behavior to address problems that come from attachment wounds, family issues, and past trauma. Frances draws on Attachment-Based Therapy and Emotionally-Focused Therapy to help people understand how early bonds affect their current relationships. She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors.

Frances has 13 years of clinical experience as an LMFT practicing in South Carolina. She says she understands difficult seasons personally, including struggles with depression and divorce, and she uses that perspective to inform her work. She offers both faith-informed Christian counseling and non-religious therapy depending on a client's preference.

In sessions she aims to be direct without being harsh, and to offer practical steps rather than only reflections. Common concerns she addresses include parenting strain, family conflict, sleep and eating problems, anger, codependency, and feelings of isolation or emptiness. She also helps people coping with life changes and those recovering from abuse or post-traumatic stress.

Frances encourages people to be honest about what they want to change and to take an active role in the work. Her goal is to guide clients toward clearer communication, steadier moods, and more satisfying relationships over time.

How attachment and behavior work in online therapy

Frances uses Attachment-Based Therapy to look at how early relationships shape current bonds and emotional reactions; this approach helps when connection, abandonment, or family of origin issues cause pain. She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which focuses on noticing and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors to reduce anxiety, depressive symptoms, and sleep or eating difficulties.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Frances will collaborate with each person to choose methods that fit their goals and comfort level. She adjusts strategies over time based on what is helping and what feels right for the client.

If you are considering online sessions, confirm the current session options before booking since formats are not listed here. Online therapy can make it easier to fit appointments into a busy life, shorten check-ins on hectic days, and reduce travel time. Many people find remote sessions allow them to keep therapy consistent during life changes while still working on relationships, mood, and coping skills.