(she/her)
New to Grow
I'm Stefani, a licensed clinical social worker with a genuine curiosity about people, what drives them, what holds them back, and what's really going on beneath the patterns they can't seem to shake. I work with adults navigating anxiety, trauma, grief, and the relational dynamics that often sit underneath it all. My approach is collaborative and grounded, and I care a lot about making therapy feel like a real conversation, not a clinical transaction.
The first session is really about getting to know you, what's bringing you in, what you're hoping will feel different, and what's felt stuck or overwhelming. I'll ask questions, reflect what I'm noticing, and start to get a sense of your patterns and history. You don't need to have anything figured out before we meet. By the end, we'll usually have a clearer sense of direction and whether working together feels like a good fit.
What clients notice most is that they feel understood pretty quickly and that we get to the real stuff without it feeling overwhelming. I'm good at seeing beneath the surface: the survival strategies, the attachment patterns, the nervous system responses that are driving the bus even when you wish they weren't. We work on understanding those patterns and actually changing how they feel in your body and relationships, not just how you think about them
My clients tend to be thoughtful, self-aware people who are a little tired of being self-aware. They've read the books, done the journaling, maybe years of therapy and they genuinely understand where their patterns come from. But the anxiety still spikes. The shame still floods in. The disconnection still shows up in relationships, in the body, in the middle of the night. They're not looking for more insight. They're looking for something to actually change. I work with adults navigating relational trauma, grief, attachment wounds, depression, anxiety, shame, guilt, trauma, and dissociation, the kinds of experiences that live in the nervous system, not just the mind. The work we do together goes below the level of story and into the place where lasting change actually becomes possible.
Other specialties
I identify as
EMDR
I use EMDR within a trauma-informed, client-centered approach to help clients process distressing experiences, reduce emotional reactivity, and challenge negative self-beliefs. This helps support clients experiencing anxiety, trauma, and relational distress. I emphasize stabilization, collaboration, and pacing to ensure clients feel emotionally safe throughout the process.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
I incorporate Internal Family Systems (IFS)-informed approaches to help clients better understand and relate to different “parts” of themselves with greater curiosity and compassion. I often use IFS concepts to explore protective patterns, emotional wounds, self-criticism, and relational dynamics contributing to anxiety, shame, and emotional dysregulation. My approach emphasizes increasing self-awareness, emotional safety, and internal balance within a collaborative therapeutic relationship.
Polyvagal Therapy
I utilize polyvagal-informed interventions to help clients better understand how their nervous system responds to stress, trauma, and relational experiences. I integrate grounding, somatic awareness, and regulation strategies to support clients in increasing emotional regulation, reducing physiological reactivity, and building a greater sense of safety and connection in their daily lives.
Somatic
I incorporate somatic approaches to help clients increase awareness of the connection between emotional experiences and physiological responses. I use body-based interventions, grounding techniques, and nervous system regulation strategies to support clients in processing stress, trauma, anxiety, and emotional overwhelm in a way that feels safe and manageable.
Grief Therapy
I approach grief therapy through a compassionate, trauma-informed lens and have additional education in thanatology, the study of death, grief, and bereavement. I support clients in processing loss, navigating complicated emotions, and making meaning of grief experiences while recognizing the emotional, relational, and physiological impact that loss can have over time.