Stephanie Howard , LCSW

Stephanie Howard is a licensed therapist based in California with 17 years of clinical experience. She holds a master’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley and is credentialed as an LCSW, which stands for Licensed Clinical Social Worker, a professional credential for social work clinicians. Throughout her career she has worked across inpatient and outpatient mental health settings, schools, and community-based non-profits and clinics, gaining a broad perspective on treatment needs and systems of care.

Her practice integrates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and psychodynamic techniques within a strengths-based, client-centered framework. This blend supports practical skill-building for symptoms such as stress, anxiety, and depression while also exploring deeper patterns related to relationships, family of origin issues, and trauma. She has experience addressing parenting concerns, addiction, grief, self-esteem struggles, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and workplace or career challenges.

Stephanie emphasizes respect, sensitivity, and compassion in therapeutic work and adapts conversation and treatment plans to reflect each person’s unique circumstances and goals. She focuses on empowering individuals to move toward greater well-being by combining evidence-informed strategies with attention to personal history and resilience.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care with Stephanie Howard

Stephanie integrates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and psychodynamic techniques alongside a client-centered stance to address a wide range of concerns. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, offering practical tools for anxiety, depression, stress, and coping with life changes. Psychodynamic therapy explores patterns that arise from past relationships and experiences to help people understand underlying themes contributing to relationship difficulties, trauma responses, and self-esteem issues. Client-centered therapy emphasizes the individual’s strengths and priorities, creating a collaborative environment where the person’s goals guide the work.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and Stephanie works collaboratively with clients and with input from licensed professionals to determine which combination of methods best matches each person’s needs, goals, and preferences. She tailors strategies over time to reflect what is most helpful.

Online therapy offers flexibility in how care is delivered, including video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. These options make it easier to fit sessions into busy schedules, access support from different locations within her service area, and choose the communication style that feels most comfortable while engaging in meaningful therapeutic work.