Stacy Ciano, LCSW-C

Stacy Ciano is a licensed clinical social worker who emphasizes a collaborative, person-centered style. She invites people to name what feels most urgent and uses practical tools to reduce stress and manage anxiety. Stacy frames therapy as a chance to build skills and draw on a client's own strengths rather than handing down answers. Stacy has two decades of experience in behavioral health in Maryland. She supports people facing depression, trauma and abuse, and challenges with self-esteem and motivation. Midlife crisis and coping with big life changes are listed among her focus areas, and she helps people who are trying to find purpose or navigate transitions. In sessions she uses a mix of approaches, like cognitive behavioral work to change unhelpful thinking and client-centered conversations to clarify values and goals. She also draws from acceptance and commitment ideas and techniques from dialectical behavior therapy when emotion regulation or distress tolerance is needed. Stacy aims for clear, short-term steps when they help, and slower, deeper work when it’s needed. She listens for the practical patterns that cause recurring problems, then helps clients try different ways of responding. The goal is better day-to-day functioning and a clearer sense of direction. People who reach out are encouraged to take a small next step: describe what’s most worrying and set a first appointment. Stacy supports people through the early, uncertain stages of change and through longer adjustments over time.

How therapeutic approaches guide online work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps people notice thoughts and feelings without being pushed around by them, then choose actions that match their values; it can be useful for anxiety, depression, and finding direction during life transitions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing them with new behaviors, which can reduce panic, low mood, and patterns that maintain stress. Client-Centered Therapy centers the person’s experience and emphasizes empathic listening and collaboration to clarify goals and build self-trust. Finding the right approach is part of the work. Stacy will talk with each person about goals and preferences and then try methods that fit. That may mean starting with short skill-focused sessions or moving into deeper values work over time, and adjustments happen together as needs change. The biography does not list specific online session formats, so confirm available options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life - for example, shorter check-ins during a lunch break, or avoiding travel time on a workday. It also lets people keep continuity of care through transitions and try tools and exercises between sessions to practice what was discussed.