Marcia Howard, LCSW

Marcia Howard is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) based in California who uses practical, evidence-informed approaches to help people manage stress, anxiety, depression, and relationship concerns. She draws on two decades of clinical experience to offer straightforward guidance and steady support. Marcia speaks English, Spanish, and Portuguese and works with adults facing a wide range of life challenges.

Her sessions focus on clear goals and skills people can use between meetings. She often uses cognitive behavioral techniques to identify unhelpful thinking and change reactions. Mindfulness work and elements of dialectical behavior therapy can help people manage intense emotions and build tolerance for distress.

Marcia also uses solution-focused methods to break problems into small, manageable steps. That approach helps people make concrete progress on career issues, self-esteem, and coping with life changes. She addresses concerns related to trauma, eating and food-related issues, anger, and family problems in practical, goal-oriented ways.

With 20 years of experience, Marcia aims to balance empathy with clear structure. People leave sessions with tools for everyday life, not just ideas. She respects cultural differences and gives attention to multicultural concerns, immigration issues, and veteran or armed forces matters when they are relevant.

Her practice supports those dealing with aging and geriatric issues, hospice and end-of-life counseling, HIV/AIDS questions, and grief around divorce or separation. Marcia emphasizes working together on priorities so each person moves at a pace that fits them.

CBT, DBT, mindfulness tools for online care

Marcia often draws on cognitive behavioral therapy to help people notice unhelpful thoughts and change the behaviors that follow. CBT breaks problems into clear steps so people can try new responses and track what works for them.

She also uses dialectical behavior therapy skills and mindfulness practices to help people manage strong emotions and stay present. DBT skills teach techniques for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and clearer communication, while mindfulness helps reduce reactivity and increase focus.

Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to choose methods that match their goals and daily life. That means adjusting techniques and pace as needs change, with regular check-ins about what is helping.

Online therapy offers flexible ways to connect. Video calls let people have a conversation similar to an in-person session. Phone sessions work when bandwidth is limited or a camera is not desired. Live chat and text-based messaging provide shorter check-ins, follow-ups, or support between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, family, or caregiving schedules while still focusing on clear skills and progress.