About Stephanie
Stephanie Howard is a licensed clinical social worker with 17 years of experience. She practices from a client-centered stance and helps people manage stress, anxiety, depression, and issues tied to trauma and relationships. She uses straightforward conversation and practical tools to help clients move toward clearer goals and better day-to-day coping.
Stephanie trained at the University of California, Berkeley and has worked in inpatient and outpatient mental health, schools, and community-based clinics.
Background and approach
That variety shaped her ability to adapt sessions to what each person needs in the moment. She draws on Cognitive Behavioral and Psychodynamic approaches to guide her work. In sessions she listens for strengths and patterns.
She helps people identify unhelpful thoughts and test small behavior changes. She also pays attention to how past experiences influence present feelings and relationships. This mix is useful for stress, anxiety, parenting concerns, grief, and mood challenges.
She also supports people facing addiction struggles, bipolar mood concerns, and workplace or career stress. Additional focus areas include adoption and foster care, family of origin issues, multicultural concerns, postpartum depression, and coping with life transitions. Stephanie aims to tailor conversations and plans to each person’s situation.
Her style is respectful and direct. She works to make sessions practical and relevant, with clear steps to try between meetings. The goal is steady progress toward goals the client sets, one step at a time.
Therapeutic approaches adapted for online care
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and building a respectful working relationship. The therapist follows the client’s pace, reflects concerns, and helps people set goals that feel meaningful and achievable. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, breaks problems into thoughts, feelings, and actions and uses simple exercises to test new ways of thinking and behaving; it is helpful for anxiety, depression, and stress. Trauma-Focused Therapy pays attention to the effects of past harm and uses careful, paced work to reduce distress and improve daily functioning; it can help with trauma, abuse, and related symptoms.Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will talk with each person about their needs and goals and try methods that fit those priorities. Clients are involved in choosing what to try and reviewing progress so the plan can be adjusted as needed.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to make therapy accessible. Video works well for face-to-face conversation and deeper work. Phone can be easier when bandwidth is limited or for a focused check-in. Live chat and messaging offer short exchanges and flexible check-ins between sessions. These options help people fit therapy into busy lives and keep momentum between meetings.
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does Stephanie focus on?
What is her general therapy style?
How much clinical experience does she have?
What are her credentials and where is she based?
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Can people outside the U.S. work with her?
What session formats are available?
How do fees and getting started work?
Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
Also works with
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- Bipolar disorder
- Career difficulties
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Grief
- Isolation / loneliness
- Multicultural concerns
- Parenting issues
- Postpartum depression
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Workplace issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 17 years
- Licensed
- California
- Languages
- English