Shavonna Fitzgerald, LCSW

Shavonna Fitzgerald is a licensed clinical social worker with ten years of practice in New York. She focuses on building honest, open connections so people feel comfortable talking about difficult feelings. Her first aim is to make clients feel heard and respected in session. She draws on client-centered work and cognitive behavioral therapy to help people notice patterns and try new behaviors. Mindfulness and motivational interviewing also shape how she helps people face stress, anxiety, and depression. Sessions typically focus on practical steps and clearer thinking rather than long lectures. Her background includes work with survivors of domestic violence, people managing substance use, and forensic mental health settings. That experience informs how she approaches trauma, relationship strain, and grief. She also supports people dealing with parenting strains, career decisions, and life transitions. Shavonna adapts her style to each person. She listens first, then co-creates goals and small, achievable steps. Therapy may include skill practice, guided reflection, and checking what works between sessions. People come for many reasons: coping with change, managing anger, addressing addiction, or improving self-esteem. Sessions are conversational and directed toward real-life application. The goal is steady progress toward the life someone wants.

How therapy approaches translate to online care

Shavonna uses cognitive behavioral therapy to help people spot unhelpful thought patterns and practice different responses. CBT sessions often include simple exercises and homework you can use between appointments to see what changes. She also uses client-centered techniques that prioritize listening and building trust, giving people space to lead the conversation and name their goals.

Mindfulness-based work is another component and focuses on learning to notice thoughts and bodily sensations without judgment. That can help with anxiety, stress, and coping during difficult moments. The therapist will work together with each client to decide which approaches suit their needs and goals rather than imposing a single method. Finding the right mix of methods is part of the process. The therapist will discuss options during early sessions, try things out, and adjust based on what helps most. This collaborative style means goals and techniques evolve with feedback from the client. Online formats offer practical benefits. Video calls let people have a face-to-face conversation from wherever they are, while phone sessions can be a good fit when bandwidth is limited or a quieter check-in is needed. Live chat and text-based messaging support brief check-ins, skill practice, or continued contact between longer sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, family, and daily life while keeping a consistent path toward change.