About Stella
Stella Holmes-Hughes is a licensed clinical social worker in New York who helps people manage anxiety, stress, and the impact of trauma. She brings 27 years of experience to conversations that are direct, respectful, and grounded in real-life concerns. Stella focuses on practical steps you can try between sessions.
She aims to make the first steps feel manageable for someone who is nervous about reaching out. She works with issues such as depression, addictions, anger, self-esteem struggles, intimacy-related concerns, and parenting challenges.
Background and approach
Stella also supports people facing gender dysphoria, HIV/AIDS related worries, end-of-life matters, and recovery from sexual assault or abuse. Her practice covers obsessive and compulsive concerns, paranoia, jealousy, and seasonal mood shifts among other areas. Stella uses a mix of approaches to match what a person needs.
She relies on cognitive behavioral ideas to spot and change unhelpful thinking patterns. She also uses acceptance-based strategies and skills from dialectical behavior therapy to help manage distress in the moment. Sessions are collaborative and tailored.
Stella listens first, then helps set practical goals and small experiments to try between meetings. She emphasizes clear communication and adjusts the plan if something isn’t working. Her style is straightforward and compassionate.
People looking for a steady, experienced clinician in New York often find her approach calming and useful when anxiety or traumatic memories feel overwhelming.
Approaches that guide online work
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on helping people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, and then commit to actions that match personal values. This can help when anxiety or avoidance gets in the way of daily life. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and uses simple experiments to test and change unhelpful patterns. CBT is often useful for anxiety, depression, and obsessive thinking. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) offers concrete skills for tolerating distress, regulating intense emotions, and improving relationships, which can be helpful during high-stress periods.Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will listen to your goals and try methods that fit your needs and preferences. If an idea doesn’t help, she will adapt the plan and try something different in collaboration with you.
Online therapy offers flexible ways to meet. Video calls make it possible to have a full session when schedules are tight. Phone sessions can be easier if bandwidth is limited or you prefer not to use video. Live chat or text-based messaging work well for brief check-ins, skill practice, or when a quick emotional support message is helpful. These options make it easier to keep continuity of care and fit sessions into a busy life.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Also listed
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 27 years
- Licensed
- New York
- Languages
- English
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