Paula Steele , LCSW

Paula Steele is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 15 years of practice based in Maine. She offers straightforward, practical help for people facing stress, anxiety, parenting strain, depression, ADHD, addictions, and women's issues. Paula keeps language simple and focuses on what will help in day-to-day life.

She favors a client-centered way of working that starts with listening and building trust. Sessions often move from understanding what is most pressing to practicing small skills that make life easier. Paula draws on cognitive behavioral tools to notice thought patterns and on mindfulness to calm intense feelings.

Many clients meet to sort through relationship and family tensions, grief, sleep problems, anger, or challenges after big life changes. She also supports people dealing with attachment concerns, autism and Asperger Syndrome, caregiver stress, and postpartum depression. Paula pays attention to guilt, shame, and the practical barriers that get in the way of steady progress.

Her style is warm and down-to-earth. She helps people set clear goals and tries methods that can be used between sessions. Conversations include problem-solving, skill practice, and checking what is useful in everyday life.

Paula understands the juggling of work, parenting, and care responsibilities and shares strategies for making routines more manageable. People who want a direct, compassionate therapist for women's issues and related struggles often find her approach helpful.

How her approaches translate to online care

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and responding to what matters most to the person. In online sessions this means the therapist follows the client's lead, checks what feels helpful, and adjusts pacing and topics to match current needs.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, helps people notice patterns of thinking that worsen mood or anxiety and then practices small behavior changes. Online work often includes short exercises, thought records, and homework that can be reviewed by phone or messaging between sessions.

Mindfulness Therapy teaches simple attention and breathing skills to reduce reactivity and improve focus. These exercises translate well to video or audio sessions and can be practiced in brief moments throughout the day.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, try methods, and adjust based on what helps. This collaborative process aims to match techniques to each person's situation and preferences.

Online therapy offers flexibility for different needs. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues. Phone sessions can be a good option when bandwidth is limited or a quick check-in is needed. Live chat and text-based messaging work well for short updates, scheduling, and following up between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy lives and to continue progress from different locations.