About Stella
Stella Holmes-Hughes is a New York social worker who helps people manage stress, anxiety, depression, and difficult life events. She offers steady, practical support for people struggling with trauma, addiction, intimacy concerns, parenting stress, anger, and self-esteem issues. Stella works with respect and compassion and aims to make the first steps feel manageable for someone who is uncertain about therapy.
Stella holds a Licensed Clinical Social Worker credential, LCSW, and has worked in the field for 27 years.
Background and approach
That experience includes supporting people after sexual assault and abuse, helping those facing infidelity or jealousy, and addressing obsessive or compulsive patterns. She also has experience with gender dysphoria, HIV and AIDS related concerns, hospice and end-of-life counseling, and seasonal mood shifts. In sessions she adapts her approach to each person.
She draws on cognitive behavioral ideas to help change unhelpful thinking and acceptance and commitment approaches to clarify personal values. Attachment-based and client-centered work shape how she builds connection and trust in the room. Stella focuses on clear, doable steps and emotional understanding.
She will work with a person to set goals and practice skills between sessions. Progress is paced to what feels achievable for the individual. Stella offers verbal and written formats for sessions, and she aims to make therapy fit into a person’s routine.
She encourages anyone feeling overwhelmed or stuck to consider a low-pressure first step toward support.
How specific approaches translate to online therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice unhelpful thoughts, choose actions that reflect their values, and build a more meaningful daily routine. It is useful for anxiety, depression, and for people who feel stuck in avoidance. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and changing patterns of thinking and behavior that keep problems going, and it can be helpful for anxiety, obsessive thoughts, and mood issues. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationships affect current patterns and helps people build healthier ways of relating and managing emotions.Finding the right approach is part of the work. Stella will collaborate with each person to decide which methods fit their goals and day-to-day life. That may mean trying skill-focused CBT exercises one week and using acceptance or attachment ideas the next, based on what helps most.
Online sessions use video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to provide flexibility. Video works well for deeper conversations and exercises that use visual tools. Phone sessions are useful when bandwidth is limited or for shorter check-ins. Live chat and text messaging let people share brief updates, practice skills between meetings, or have quick midweek support. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, school, or caregiving schedules while keeping the focus on practical progress and trusted therapeutic connection.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
Also works with
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 27 years
- Licensed
- New York
- Languages
- English