MH Portrait of Marcia Howard

Marcia Howard, LCSW

Practical skills to manage anxiety and life changes

20 years in practice · based in California · sessions in English, Spanish, Portuguese · online sessions

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About Marcia

Marcia Howard is a licensed clinical social worker with two decades of experience supporting people through stress, anxiety, depression, and major life changes. She speaks English, Spanish, and Portuguese and works with individuals who want practical tools to feel better and cope more easily. She focuses on clear, short-term strategies alongside skills for emotional regulation.

Marcia often uses straightforward techniques to reduce worry, manage strong feelings, and address problems that get in the way of daily life.

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Background and approach

Sessions tend to be goal-oriented and action focused so progress feels visible. Marcia draws on cognitive behavioral approaches to help people notice unhelpful thinking and try different behaviors. She also uses dialectical behavior ideas to teach emotion regulation and distress tolerance skills.

Mindfulness practices and solution-focused conversations are woven in to build calm and find concrete next steps. Her background includes counseling around trauma and abuse, relationship and family stress, eating and body image concerns, grief, and issues tied to aging or major life transitions. She supports people working through guilt, shame, career questions, and identity-related stress in multicultural contexts.

People who choose her often want a practical, respectful guide rather than long, open-ended therapy. She encourages clients to set clear goals and to try small experiments between sessions. The aim is steady improvement and skills that can be used long after therapy ends.

Therapeutic approaches for anxiety and life stress online

Marcia commonly uses cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy in online sessions. Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing small behavior changes to reduce anxiety and depression. Dialectical behavior therapy emphasizes practical skills for regulating intense emotions, tolerating distress, and improving relationships, which can help when feelings feel overwhelming.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Marcia will work with each person to match techniques to their needs and goals, adjusting methods as progress is made. Clients and the therapist decide together which skills and strategies to prioritize so therapy stays relevant to real life.

Online therapy offers flexible ways to connect, including video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Video lets people see facial cues and practice skills in real time. Phone sessions require less bandwidth and can fit into short breaks. Live chat or text can be useful for quick check-ins, step-by-step coaching, or when writing feels easier than talking. These options make it simpler to fit therapy into a busy schedule and to keep working on skills between sessions.
Book with Marcia Now Review online therapy options and next steps.

Questions people ask

What concerns does Marcia help people with?
She works with a wide range of concerns including stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, self-esteem, relationship and family problems, eating issues, anger, and coping with life changes.
What is her therapy style like?
Her approach is practical and goal-oriented, using clear skills training and brief experiments to create measurable change in daily life.
How much experience does she have?
She has 20 years of professional experience providing counseling for people facing a variety of life challenges.
What credentials and location are listed?
She holds an LCSW credential and practices as a licensed clinical social worker in California.
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
What session formats are available?
Marcia offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging as options for online therapy.
How does pricing work?
Cost varies by location and therapist availability and uses a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule appointments based on the therapist's availability.

What this therapist works with

Experience
20 years
Licensed
California
Languages
English, Spanish, Portuguese

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