About Penny
Penny Howland is a licensed clinical social worker with 40 years of experience. She focuses on practical help for anxiety and other everyday struggles. Her style is straightforward and caring, aimed at people who want clear steps and steady support.
She draws on two main approaches to guide sessions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps identify unhelpful thoughts and teaches new coping skills. Psychodynamic Therapy looks at patterns from the past that affect current relationships and feelings.
Background and approach
Penny has worked in both medical and mental health settings. That background includes care for people in dialysis, hospice and end-of-life situations, and those dealing with substance use and adjustment after major life changes. She knows how medical issues and emotional stress often connect.
Penny earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Social Work from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. She holds a Florida Licensed Clinical Social Worker credential - LCSW - and has professional memberships in the American College of Social Work and the National Association of Social Workers.
Sessions cover a wide range of concerns such as depression, grief, relationship and intimacy issues, sleep problems, anger, self-esteem, career stress, and addictions. She also addresses focused topics like attachment concerns, caregiver stress, OCD symptoms, and impulses that disrupt daily life. Penny aims to meet each person where they are and adapt methods to their goals.
She works with people who want concrete tools and thoughtful conversation to manage stress and regain balance.
How therapy approaches work in online sessions
CBT, or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, focuses on identifying and changing thought and behavior patterns that keep problems like anxiety and depression going. It is practical and skill-based, often using short exercises and homework to build new habits.Psychodynamic Therapy looks at how past experiences and relationship patterns influence current emotions and behaviors. It helps people recognize recurring themes and understand why they react a certain way in close relationships or stressful times.
Finding the best approach is a collaborative process. The therapist and client will discuss goals, preferences, and what feels most useful, then adjust methods over time. That way sessions stay focused on the person's immediate needs while also addressing deeper patterns when helpful.
Online therapy offers flexibility across several formats. Video calls let people see each other for a full session experience. Phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited or when being on camera is difficult. Live chat and text-based messaging are useful for brief check-ins, between-session support, or for people who prefer written communication. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules and to keep continuity of care when travel or life events make in-person visits hard.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
- Grief
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Attachment issues
- Bipolar disorder
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Coaching
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Family conflicts
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- LGBT
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Self esteem
- Sleeping disorders
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Workplace issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 40 years
- Licensed
- Florida
- Languages
- English
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