About Steven
Steven Lanman is a mental health professional with 30 years of experience who helps people facing anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, addiction, relationship strain, parenting stress, and LGBT concerns. He is an MD and holds both LCSW-C and LCSW credentials. Steven aims to make the first step feel manageable and straightforward for someone looking for support.
He focuses on creating an open, nonjudgmental space where clients can talk about their thoughts and feelings.
Background and approach
Sessions emphasize clear communication and practical next steps. Steven listens closely and helps people name what feels most urgent in their lives. His background includes long experience across many common life stresses, from mood disorders and bipolar challenges to problems with body image, eating, and substance use.
He also works with people facing grief, caregiving strain, aging concerns, and issues related to illness and end of life. Steven supports people navigating family conflict, divorce and separation, infidelity, and parenting challenges. He also helps with less commonly discussed issues such as hoarding, HIV/AIDS related concerns, and intellectual disability considerations.
The work tends to be straightforward and goal-oriented, with attention to safety and coping skills. Sessions are offered in English and he accepts international clients. His practice is based in Virginia and his listed licenses include MD, LCSW-C, and LCSW.
He encourages taking a small step to get started and will work with each person to set practical goals.
How evidence-based approaches work online
Steven uses established, evidence-based techniques that focus on practical change and coping. One common approach emphasizes building coping skills and problem-solving strategies to reduce anxiety, manage mood swings, and handle daily stressors. This approach teaches concrete tools to use between sessions and aims to make day-to-day life more manageable.Another frequently used approach centers on processing trauma and its effects on current life. It involves helping people make sense of painful experiences, reduce avoidance, and practice gentle exposure to upsetting memories while learning safety and grounding skills. This can help with nightmares, flashbacks, or feeling overwhelmed by memories.
Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, preferences, and what has or hasn’t helped before. Together they will try options and adjust methods based on what fits the person’s needs and progress.
Online sessions are offered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to make therapy flexible. Video works well for deeper conversations and visual cues. Phone can be simpler when bandwidth is limited. Live chat and text messaging suit quick check-ins or people who prefer typing. These options help fit therapy into busy days and different time zones.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
Also works with
- Abandonment
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Bipolar disorder
- Body image
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Coaching
- Communication problems
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Eating disorders
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Hoarding
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Infidelity
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Multicultural concerns
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Parenting issues
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Traumatic brain injury
- Young adult issues
- Experience
- 30 years
- Licensed
- Virginia, Maryland
- Languages
- English