About Dana
Dana Hicks is a licensed clinical social worker in New Jersey who helps people facing stress, anxiety, relationship strain, trauma and grief. She speaks plain, direct language and focuses on practical steps parents and adults can use right away.
Dana aims to create a steady, respectful space where people can talk through what feels overwhelming and start to feel more able to cope. Dana uses a mix of evidence-based therapeutic techniques tailored to each person’s needs.
Background and approach
Sessions focus on concrete tools for managing strong emotions, improving communication, and rebuilding self-worth after painful events. She pays close attention to what matters most to each person and adjusts the pace to match their goals. Clients can expect a collaborative process that includes goal-setting and regular check-ins about progress.
Dana draws on five years of clinical experience and her New Jersey LCSW credential to guide treatment choices. She keeps explanations simple and prefers to show how strategies work in everyday life. Issues Dana commonly addresses include trauma and abuse recovery, grief, anxiety, stress, relationship concerns, and self-esteem.
Additional focus areas listed include caregiver stress, divorce and separation, domestic violence, guilt and shame, infidelity, veteran and armed forces issues, post-traumatic stress, self-love, sexual assault and women’s issues. Her approach balances practical skill-building with emotional support. People who want clear, actionable steps and a steady therapeutic ally will find this style useful.
Sessions are offered in English and take place online using different formats to suit needs.
Evidence-based approaches and online flexibility
Many of the techniques Dana uses are evidence-based and focused on practical change. One common approach teaches skills for managing overwhelming emotions and anxiety by breaking problems into smaller, manageable steps. This helps people reduce stress and build steady routines that feel doable.Another approach emphasizes processing trauma and difficult memories in a paced, supported way so painful events lose some of their power over daily life. This work often includes learning grounding and self-soothing skills to reduce intense reactions and improve sleep and focus.
Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to choose methods that match their needs, goals, and preferences, and will adjust those methods over time as progress is made.
Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to suit different situations. Video is useful for more in-depth conversation, phone can be easier when bandwidth is limited, and chat or text works for brief check-ins or when someone prefers not to be on camera. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy days and different routines, while keeping the focus on steady progress and practical supports.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
Also works with
- Experience
- 5 years
- Licensed
- New Jersey
- Languages
- English