About Etta
Etta "Serena" Faison helps people managing stress, anxiety, depression, bipolar symptoms, and issues with self-esteem and motivation. She also supports people facing relationship strain, trauma and abuse, grief, addictions, and life transitions. Serena offers a calm, respectful presence and focuses on small, practical steps that fit into daily life.
Serena identifies the person as the expert on their own story. She works alongside clients to build on strengths and find workable strategies.
Background and approach
Sessions tend to be straightforward and goal-oriented, with room for listening and reflection. Her approach draws on cognitive behavioral ideas, mindfulness, and acceptance-based practices. Those methods translate into learning new ways to notice thoughts, practice self-compassion, and try different behaviors to lessen distress.
She also uses client-centered and existential perspectives to help people clarify values and make meaningful choices. Serena is a licensed clinical social worker in North Carolina - LCSW - and brings 14 years of experience to her practice. She aims to create a space where people can sort through complicated feelings without being overwhelmed by jargon.
The focus is on actionable changes that improve day-to-day functioning. People who work with her often explore practical tools for sleep, eating, anger, and impulse control. She also helps with parenting challenges, caregiver stress, body image, and navigating blended family issues.
The work is paced to match each person's needs.
Approach-driven care through online sessions
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on identifying what matters most to you and taking small actions that match your values despite difficult thoughts or feelings. It can help with anxiety, depression, and life transitions by shifting attention toward meaningful goals. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors connect and teaches practical skills to change unhelpful patterns. It is useful for anxiety, low mood, sleep and eating problems, and impulse control. Mindfulness Therapy emphasizes noticing the present moment with less judgment and can reduce stress and increase emotional regulation.Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will listen to your concerns and preferences, explain options, and help you choose methods that fit your goals. This process is collaborative and can shift over time as needs change.
Online therapy offers flexibility for busy schedules. Video lets you approximate an in-person conversation, phone calls work well when bandwidth is limited, live chat can be useful for shorter check-ins, and text-based messaging lets you share thoughts between sessions. These formats make it easier to keep therapy consistent around work, caregiving, or geographic constraints while maintaining a steady therapeutic process.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Self esteem
- Bipolar disorder
Also works with
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Anger management
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Eating disorders
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Parenting issues
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Relationship issues
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexuality
- Sleeping disorders
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 14 years
- Licensed
- North Carolina
- Languages
- English