About
- Client-centered therapy
- CBT strategies
- Mindfulness practices
About Paula
Paula Steele is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) practicing in Maine with 15 years of clinical experience. She works with adults on stress, anxiety, parenting concerns, depression, ADHD, addictions, relationship and family problems, grief, sleep issues, anger, self-esteem, and coping with life changes.
She favors client-centered work and draws on practical approaches such as cognitive behavioral strategies, mindfulness, motivational interviewing, and narrative techniques. Sessions focus on clear, usable skills like emotion regulation, communication strategies, and problem-solving. Paula uses straightforward language and keeps sessions goal-oriented so people can try things between meetings.
Her background includes in-home support, day treatment, and individual counseling for adults with trauma, domestic violence history, homelessness, chronic illness, and legal system involvement. This range informs how she supports people juggling caregiving, school or service systems, and daily responsibilities.
Paula is also a parent of two, including a child with special needs, and she describes firsthand experience with the stresses of parenting and accessing services. That perspective shapes how she helps people balance practical demands and emotional strain at home.
In early sessions she and the client map priorities and pick a few concrete skills to practice. Over time the focus may shift to patterns such as attachment, communication, or coping during life transitions. She encourages building supports and small habit changes that fit into everyday life.
How sessions work
How her approaches translate to online work
Client-centered therapy focuses on your concerns and priorities. It means the therapist listens, reflects what matters to you, and helps you set clear goals for sessions. This approach helps when someone needs practical help with parenting stress, relationship strains, or day-to-day coping.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, breaks problems into thoughts, feelings, and actions. Sessions use simple exercises to change unhelpful thinking and try new behaviors. CBT is useful for anxiety, low mood, sleep issues, and managing attention or anger challenges.
Mindfulness therapy brings attention to present-moment experience. It teaches short practices for noticing stress, calming strong reactions, and reducing rumination. These skills can help with anxiety, sleep, and emotional regulation during busy parenting days.
Finding the right mix of these approaches is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with the client to choose methods that fit their needs, goals, and daily routines. That choice can shift over time as priorities change.
Confirm the current session formats before booking since the biography does not list them. Online options can make it easier to fit sessions into a workday, have a shorter check-in when time is tight, or avoid needing extra travel. Therapists will help plan how to use sessions so they fit into everyday life and responsibilities.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
15+ years
Listed in
Maine
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of issues does she help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, parenting concerns, depression, ADHD, addictions, relationship and family problems, grief, sleep problems, anger, self-esteem, and coping with life changes.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
She uses a client-centered approach and combines practical methods such as cognitive behavioral techniques, mindfulness, motivational interviewing, and narrative work to address everyday problems and skills.
What is her professional background?
She has 15 years of clinical experience including day treatment, in-home support, and individual counseling with adults who have faced trauma, domestic violence, homelessness, chronic illness, and legal issues.
Where is she licensed and based?
She holds an LCSW credential in Maine and practices there.
Does she offer sessions in other languages or to international clients?
Sessions are offered in English. She does not accept international clients at this time.
What session formats are available?
Confirm current session options before booking, as the biography does not list specific formats.
How does payment work?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is in danger, use the crisis numbers.