Stephanie Southard, LCSW

Stephanie Southard is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) with 26 years of experience. She creates a warm, nonjudgmental space where people can talk about their most worrying thoughts and everyday habits. Sessions center on the person and their goals, with practical exercises aimed at changing thought patterns that feed difficult behaviors.

She favors cognitive behavioral therapy because it links thoughts, feelings, and actions in clear, usable ways. She also draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, attachment-focused work, client-centered counseling, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy tools when those fit a person's needs. Role-play and hands-on exercises are common in sessions to practice new skills.

Her work covers a broad range of concerns including stress, anxiety, depression, addiction, bipolar disorder, ADHD, trauma and abuse, grief, sleep problems, parenting struggles, and relationship and family issues. She also helps with body image, blended family challenges, caregiver stress, chronic illness, codependency, and communication or commitment issues.

Stephanie trained at Adelphi University where she earned a Master of Arts in Social Work in 1999 and she practices in New York. She brings experience with community resources, child protective systems, court-related matters, and psychiatric care topics. Her approach is steady and practical, focused on helping people live with less stress and more meaning.

People who want to begin can expect straightforward talk, clear goals, and exercises to try between sessions. Stephanie aims to guide and support each person as they make changes they value.

Using targeted approaches for online work

Stephanie blends cognitive behavioral therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy into online sessions. CBT helps identify and change unhelpful thoughts and the behaviors they lead to, which can reduce anxiety, depression, and habit-driven problems. ACT focuses on values and acceptance - it helps people move toward what matters even when difficult feelings remain.

She also uses attachment-based ideas to look at how early relationships shape current patterns in close connections. That work can help with trust, communication, and family dynamics. Together these approaches give practical tools and a clearer sense of goals in therapy.

Finding the best approach is collaborative. The therapist will talk with each person about what feels most useful and shape the work around personal goals and preferences. That conversation helps decide which techniques and exercises to try first.

The biography lists video, phone, live chat, and text as session formats, so confirm the available options when you schedule. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life - shorter check-ins, scheduling around work, and practicing skills between meetings are common benefits. Ask about formats and session length to find what fits your routine.