Penny Howland

Penny Howland is an LCSW with forty years of experience helping people cope with major life transitions and ongoing stress. She draws on approaches that connect thoughts, feelings, and life history to everyday problems. Her style is practical and grounded, focused on what a person needs now.

Penny has worked across medical and mental health settings. Her background includes care for people on dialysis, those facing terminal illness, grief, substance use concerns, and a range of adjustment challenges. This variety shaped a flexible way of working that adapts to each person’s situation.

In sessions she pays attention to both body and mind. That means looking at current thoughts and behaviors while also noticing how past experiences affect present reactions. She aims to help people find balance and return to routines that feel manageable.

Penny’s training began with a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Social Work from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. She is a licensed clinical social worker in Florida and holds memberships in professional organizations related to social work and clinical practice.

Clients bring many concerns, including anxiety, depression, grief, relationship struggles, addictions, sleep problems, and work stress. Penny also supports people facing caregiver strain, end-of-life issues, shame and guilt, or questions about intimacy and identity. Her long experience means she often helps people reconnect with their resilience and build practical strategies for everyday life.

How her approaches shape online therapy

Penny uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and psychodynamic ideas to guide her work, and both can translate into online sessions. CBT focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and habits and then trying practical changes to reduce symptoms like anxiety, low mood, or sleep disruption. Psychodynamic work looks at how past relationships and experiences influence current feelings and patterns, which can help with long-standing relationship issues, grief, or self-worth concerns.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Penny will work with each person to decide whether more CBT-style strategies, deeper psychodynamic exploration, or a mix best fits their goals and day-to-day needs. She adapts her methods over time as progress and priorities become clearer.

The biography does not list specific session formats, so please confirm which online options are offered before booking. Many people choose online work because it can fit into a busy week, reduce travel time, allow shorter check-ins when needed, or avoid being on camera while still having a focused conversation. Online therapy can make it easier to practice skills between sessions and to bring real-life situations into discussion without changing plans.