Stacy Ciano

Stacy Ciano is a licensed clinical social worker in Maryland who draws on twenty years of practice to help people manage stress, anxiety, trauma, and depression. She begins by listening to each person's story and identifying strengths that can be used to move forward. Stacy aims to make the first step feel less daunting and more manageable for those seeking change.

In sessions she focuses on practical ways to reduce distress and build resilience. She uses approaches that help people notice thoughts and feelings, practice new skills, and make choices that match their values. This often includes learning simple tools to handle panic, mood swings, or persistent worry.

Stacy also addresses issues tied to self esteem and life transitions. She helps people work through guilt, shame, and the fallout from relationship endings. Concerns such as body image, abandonment, and isolation are explored with attention to everyday coping and clearer communication.

For people living with chronic pain, illness, or disability she offers ways to balance medical challenges with emotional needs. She supports work on control issues, impulsivity, and finding meaning during a midlife shift or periods of uncertainty. Sessions are practical and paced to the individual’s goals.

Stacy works in English and bases her practice in Maryland. She frames therapy as a collaborative process where the client’s priorities guide each step. The emphasis is on small, steady changes that add up to better functioning and greater well-being.

How these approaches translate to online therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, then choose actions that match their values. It can be useful for anxiety, depression, and making life changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thought patterns and testing them with practical experiments, which can reduce panic, low mood, and persistent worry. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) offers skills for regulating intense emotions, tolerating distress, and improving interpersonal effectiveness, which is helpful for impulsivity and mood swings.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist and client will talk about goals, preferences, and what feels most useful, then try methods that fit those needs. That collaboration guides whether sessions emphasize values work, skill practice, or emotion regulation.

Confirm current session options before booking, as formats are not specified here. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life because sessions can be scheduled around work, medical appointments, or caregiving. It also allows brief check-ins when a full in-person visit would be difficult. Licensed professionals can adapt exercises, homework, and skill coaching to an online setting so progress continues between meetings.