Stacy Ciano

Stacy Ciano is a licensed clinical social worker in Maryland who draws on two decades of experience to support people facing life transitions and emotional strain. She focuses on stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, self-esteem, depression, and coping with life changes. Stacy works from the view that each person knows their own story best and brings strengths into therapy.

Her approach is practical and collaborative. She uses techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy to help people notice unhelpful patterns and try new ways of responding. Emotionally-focused and client-centered ideas guide sessions when the focus is on relationships, feelings, or building trust in the room.

Stacy also integrates skills from dialectical behavior therapy when clients benefit from emotion regulation and distress-tolerance tools. Sessions tend to include clear steps to practice between meetings so progress carries into everyday life. People often leave with short, usable strategies rather than vague plans.

She has worked across a range of concerns, including panic, mood disorders, chronic illness or pain, isolation, and life purpose. Stacy frames challenges like abandonment, guilt, or communication problems as things that can be worked on together over time.

Stacy aims to make the first steps straightforward. She offers a respectful, steady presence while helping people set realistic goals and try achievable changes.

Therapeutic approaches and how they fit online

Stacy commonly uses acceptance and commitment therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy in her work. Acceptance and commitment therapy helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, and it focuses on actions that reflect personal values. Cognitive behavioral therapy helps identify thought patterns that fuel anxiety or low mood and teaches practical skills to change those patterns.

She also draws on client-centered ideas, which emphasize listening, empathy, and working at a pace the person feels comfortable with. Choosing the right approach is a shared process; the therapist and client look at goals and preferences and try methods that feel most useful. Adjustments can be made as the work progresses so the plan fits the person's needs.

The biography does not list which session formats are offered, so confirm available online or in-person options before booking. Many people find online sessions helpful because they can fit therapy into a busy day, reduce travel time, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and make it easier to maintain continuity during life transitions. Licensed professionals can tailor exercises and homework to work well between appointments, regardless of how sessions are scheduled.