Shana Williams-Leary, LCSW

Shana Williams-Leary is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who helps adults navigate stress, anxiety, grief, trauma, relationship strain, and life transitions. She speaks English and Spanish and brings 24 years of clinical experience to sessions. Her manner is warm and direct, aiming to meet each person where they are and move forward at a comfortable pace.

She tailors care to what each person needs. Sessions may focus on building coping skills, improving communication, managing mood shifts, or working through difficult memories. Shana often uses cognitive-behavioral ideas alongside mindfulness and attachment-based perspectives to make practical changes in daily life.

Her background includes many years in inpatient crisis and outpatient counseling across several U.S. states and other countries. That range of settings shaped a flexible approach that can be either solution-focused or longer term, depending on the situation. She has experience supporting people with PTSD, abuse-related trauma, bipolar disorder, dissociation, and complex, co-occurring issues.

Shana also works with people facing chronic illness, caregiver stress, blended family issues, addiction concerns, and challenges tied to identity and relationships. She helps parents, caregivers, and individuals adjust to big life changes and difficult transitions.

In sessions she uses motivational interviewing to clarify goals, then shifts to strengths-based skill building and cognitive-behavioral techniques. The aim is to create trust, increase coping options, and help each person take steps that feel doable and meaningful.

How Shana’s Approaches Fit Online Care

Shana commonly draws on cognitive-behavioral therapy to identify unhelpful thinking patterns and build practical coping skills for anxiety, depression, and stress. She also uses attachment-based ideas to look at relationship patterns and how early bonds influence current interactions. EMDR is another tool she may use when processing trauma memories, offering techniques that aim to reduce the intensity of distressing recollections.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. She starts by listening to what the person wants to change and what feels most manageable, then recommends methods that match those goals. A plan can shift over time so therapy stays useful and responsive to progress or new concerns.

Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to give flexibility. Video sessions allow face-to-face interaction for skills coaching and EMDR-style work when appropriate. Phone calls can be easier when bandwidth is limited or for brief check-ins. Live chat and messaging suit short updates, homework exchanges, or people who prefer not to be on camera. These options help fit therapy into work, caregiving, or travel schedules while keeping focus on practical tools and steady progress.