About Shana
Shana Williams-Leary is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with 24 years of experience. She focuses on helping adults who are coping with stress, anxiety, grief, depression, trauma, relationship challenges, and ADHD. She approaches each person where they are and tailors work to practical goals.
Shana draws from several therapy styles to meet real-life needs. She often uses cognitive behavioral techniques to build skills and change unhelpful thinking. She also uses attachment-based and client-centered ideas to strengthen relationships and to create a respectful, accepting space for people to talk through hard things.
Background and approach
Her background includes long experience in both crisis and outpatient settings across multiple states. That history means she is comfortable helping people manage trauma, mood disorders, addictions, and complex or overlapping concerns. She works with adults who are facing life transitions, caregiving stress, or challenges tied to chronic illness.
Sessions are collaborative and goal-focused. Shana listens for what a person values, then helps set steps that fit day-to-day life. She balances empathy with practical skill-building so people can handle symptoms, rebuild routines, and strengthen coping.
Shana speaks English and Spanish and has worked with clients in several regions and countries. She describes therapy as a partnership and treats each client with respect, warmth, and an emphasis on realistic progress.
Therapeutic approaches that translate well to online care
Attachment-based work focuses on how early relationships shape current connections. In online sessions this means talking about patterns in relationships and practicing new ways of relating that show up in daily life. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) teaches practical skills to change thoughts and behaviors that keep problems going. In virtual meetings she can introduce exercises, track progress, and assign brief practice between sessions to build new habits. Mindfulness therapy helps people notice stress and respond more calmly. Simple breathing and awareness practices can be guided in a session and then repeated by the client during the week.Finding the right approach is part of therapy. The therapist will collaborate with each person to decide which methods fit their goals and preferences. That plan can shift as needs change, with a mix of listening, skill teaching, and short-term strategies when helpful.
Online therapy offers flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video is useful for deeper conversations and practicing skills together. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or a conversation without video is preferred. Live chat and messaging let people check in between sessions, do short reflections, or share updates that keep momentum going.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Depression
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Hearing impaired
- HIV / AIDS
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Immigration issues
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Parenting issues
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Relationship issues
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Traumatic brain injury
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Women's issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 24 years
- Licensed
- Florida, Maine, Utah, Arizona
- Languages
- English, Spanish
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