Kayla Sterling , LCSW, CSW

Kayla Sterling is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who brings 11 years of experience working in community mental health settings to a wide range of clinical concerns. She holds LCSW and CSW credentials - LCSW indicates Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and CSW denotes Certified Social Worker - and has worked with clients across the lifespan, from young children to older adults. Her clinical background includes treating PTSD, generalized anxiety, depression, OCD, ADHD, bipolar disorder, personality disorders, and co-occurring substance use challenges, using individual, couples, family, group, and play therapy formats.

She has specialized training in EMDR and experience delivering EMDR through tele-health, and she describes trauma treatment as a central focus of her practice. Kayla favors a warm and inviting therapeutic presence and combines a client-centered stance with an eclectic, evidence-informed toolkit so interventions can be tailored to each person and situation. She approaches people with unconditional positive regard and acceptance and prioritizes developing treatment plans that reflect the client’s needs, goals, and life context.

Kayla values the courage it takes to share personal stories in therapy and supports clients through the process of healing and growth. Her practice emphasizes individualized care, collaborative planning, and clinical approaches that match each client’s unique presenting concerns.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Kayla Sterling integrates several evidence-informed approaches to address trauma, anxiety, relationship concerns, and life transitions. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps clients clarify their values, accept difficult thoughts and feelings, and take committed action toward meaningful goals - it is often helpful for stress, anxiety, and patterns that keep people stuck. Attachment-Based Therapy explores how early relationships shape current emotional patterns and interpersonal dynamics - this work can be especially useful for intimacy-related issues, abandonment concerns, and family or adoptive placement matters.

Her practice also emphasizes client-centered principles, offering a nonjudgmental, empathetic stance that prioritizes the client’s perspective and fosters collaborative planning. Choosing the right approach is part of the therapeutic process; she works together with clients to identify methods that fit their needs, goals, and preferences and adjusts the plan as progress unfolds.

Online therapy options include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, which increase flexibility for people managing busy schedules, mobility limits, caregiving responsibilities, or geographic constraints. These formats make it easier to maintain continuity of care and to access therapists who use approaches suited to each person’s unique situation.