Hi! I am Stephen Kovacs a licensed clinical social worker with 5 years of experience helping adults who feel constantly “on edge” from anxiety and panic—always braced for the next shoe to drop, even when life looks fine from the outside. I’m licensed as an LISW-CP in South Carolina and an LCSW in North Carolina and Virginia, and I see clients via telehealth who are located in those states. My focus is on high-responsibility adults who are tired of living in survival mode: racing thoughts, worst‑case scenarios, physical symptoms like a racing heart or tight chest, and the burnout that comes from holding everything together for everyone else. Together, we’ll slow things down, make sense of what anxiety and panic are doing in your body and your life, and build concrete tools to manage spirals, reduce avoidance, and feel more in control day to day—not with fluffy advice, but with step‑by‑step, doable changes.
My main goal is to help you feel a bit more at ease and less like you’re being tested. We’ll go over how therapy works, basics around privacy and paperwork, and I’ll answer any questions you have so you’re not guessing about the process. From there, I’ll ask some down-to-earth questions about what’s been going on lately, your day-to-day life, and a bit of background—things like work or school, relationships, support system, health, and anything big that’s shaped you. You don’t need to have a perfect timeline or script; if you’re not sure where to start, I’ll help you sort out what feels most important to talk about first. By the end of that first hour, we’ll pull together what we’ve talked about, get clear on what you’d like to work toward, and sketch out some next steps so you leave with a sense of direction rather than feeling like you just dumped everything out. You’ll also have space to decide if I feel like a good fit for you and ask anything else that’s on your mind about working together.
One of my greatest strengths is making it feel genuinely safe to be honest, even about the messy or “unflattering” parts of your story; people often tell me they feel surprisingly comfortable sharing things they’ve never said out loud before. I’m good at asking practical, down-to-earth questions that connect the dots between your past and present, so we can understand what’s going on without getting lost in jargon or long lectures. I also tend to be very organized and intentional in how we use our time together: I help you get clear on what you want from therapy, keep us focused on those goals, and translate insights into small, realistic steps you can actually try between sessions.
I love to work with those who are just starting in a professional role or are in a transitional period in life. My clients love that we can work to highlight and focus on their strengths in situations that seem very unstable. This gives them the tools they need to cope and focus in on what their next step is.
ADHD
Addiction
Anxiety
Chronic Illness
Coping Skills
Depression
Christian
Man
Adults (18 to 64)
Elders (65 and above)
North Carolina
Aetna
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I use CBT to help you make sense of your feelings. I will help guide you on the path to understanding how your emotions can be triggered by situations. The ultimate goal being to help you reach the goals you have set for yourself. That could look like less anxiety, maintaining sobriety, or improving your general well being.
Cognitive Processing (CPT)
After a trauma we can find ourselves stuck in these traumatic events. This can cause major disruption in the things we used to enjoy. I use CPT to help clients get "unstuck" and recognize you can move past trauma and begin to heal.