About Elena
Elena Spanos is a licensed clinical social worker with 25 years in the field. She helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, relationship strain, grief, and other life challenges. Her approach is practical and focused on finding what works for each person.
Elena listens first and then helps identify thoughts and behaviors that get in the way. She uses common-sense strategies from evidence-based approaches to teach new skills. Sessions aim to reduce worry, improve sleep, manage anger, and restore a sense of control over daily life.
Background and approach
Her training includes a Master of Social Work focused on clinical social work from Michigan State University and a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of South Florida. She first became a licensed therapist in 2000 and has worked in independent practice since 2002. Past roles include school and outpatient settings and in-home care.
In therapy she blends several approaches so sessions match a person's needs. Conversations are collaborative and goal-oriented, with clear steps to try between meetings. Elena often teaches mindfulness, practical coping skills, and ways to change unhelpful thinking patterns.
People come to her for help with life transitions, trauma and abuse, ADHD, bipolar disorder, chronic illness, and relationship problems. She also supports those dealing with caregiver stress, grief, body image concerns, and issues like codependency and communication problems. Elena practices in Florida as a FL LCSW.
She offers flexible session formats and works with each person to set realistic goals and measurable steps toward feeling better.
Therapeutic approaches and online care
Elena often uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in her work. CBT focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors to reduce anxiety and improve mood. ACT helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings while committing to values-based actions to move forward.She also draws on Client-Centered Therapy to keep sessions grounded in a respectful, nonjudgmental relationship. That approach emphasizes listening and tailoring the pace to each person's needs. Together, these methods can address stress, relationship strain, sleep problems, and coping with major life changes in a straightforward way.
Finding the right approach is part of the process. Elena collaborates with each person to choose techniques that fit their goals and comfort level. She will check in and adjust methods over time so the work stays useful and practical.
Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different needs. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues. Phone sessions use less bandwidth and can be easier during a busy day. Live chat and text messaging are good for brief check-ins, ongoing coaching, or when typing feels more comfortable. These options make it easier to schedule therapy around work, caregiving, and daily life.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Family conflicts
- Anger management
Also listed
- Abandonment
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Emptiness
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Immigration issues
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sleeping disorders
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Traumatic brain injury
- Trichotillomania
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 25 years
- Licensed
- Florida
- Languages
- English
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