Stephanie Howard
Compassionate, evidence-informed therapy for change
LCSW California
- Experience
- 17 years in practice
- Focus areas
- Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Trauma and abuse
- Approaches
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Client-Centered Therapy
- Languages
- English
About Stephanie
Stephanie Howard is a licensed clinical social worker with 17 years of experience providing mental health care across inpatient and outpatient settings, schools, and community clinics in California.
Background and approach
She blends Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and psychodynamic methods with a strengths-based, client-centered attitude, tailoring interventions to each person's goals and life context. Her training includes a master's degree from the University of California, Berkeley and clinical work that spans trauma-informed care, mood and anxiety concerns, and relationship challenges.
Her practice addresses a wide range of concerns including stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, parenting and postpartum issues, grief, addiction, bipolar disorder, and self-esteem. Stephanie also works with adoption and foster care matters, family of origin and multicultural issues, workplace stress, and isolation or compassion fatigue.
She emphasizes respectful, sensitive, and compassionate collaboration, helping clients develop practical skills while exploring deeper patterns when helpful. Stephanie offers flexible session formats to accommodate different needs and schedules and shapes the therapeutic plan to fit each person's preferences and circumstances.
She frames seeking support as a courageous first step and aims to empower clients as they pursue more fulfilling, manageable lives.
Approach-Focused Online Care with Practical Skills
Stephanie commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help clients identify and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, offering concrete techniques for anxiety, mood regulation, and stress management. She also draws on Client-Centered Therapy to prioritize the client's perspective, creating space for empathy, validation, and collaboration so goals and pace are set together.Choosing the right therapeutic approach is part of the work itself, and she collaborates with each client to determine which methods best align with their needs, goals, and preferences. That collaborative process can include trying practical CBT exercises, exploring relational patterns with psychodynamic ideas, or focusing on practical solutions when time-limited change is the priority.
Online therapy with Stephanie is offered through multiple formats including video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, which supports flexible scheduling and easier access from different locations in California. These options allow clients to maintain continuity of care while adapting to work, family, and life demands, and the therapist will help choose the mix of session types that fits an individual's situation.
Frequently asked questions
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Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
17+ years
Licensed
California
Languages
English