- Guilt and shame
- CBT and mindfulness
- LGBT+ affirmative
About Steven
Steven Penn is an LCSW licensed in New York with nine years of professional experience. He works with stress, anxiety, relationship concerns, grief, depression, and people coping with life changes. Steven is LGBT+ affirmative and offers straightforward, person-focused care for those carrying guilt and shame related to relationships, family, faith, or personal choices.
He listens for what matters most and organizes sessions around clear, practical steps. Conversations tend to focus on immediate problems and what can change now. He uses techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy to identify unhelpful thinking and from mindfulness to build steadier attention in stressful moments.
Steven also draws on client-centered and psychodynamic ideas to understand how past experiences influence current feelings and decisions. Motivational interviewing helps when someone is unsure about making a change or needs help deciding what matters next. Sessions aim to be conversational and goal oriented rather than overly technical.
His approach tends to combine short-term strategies with deeper reflection. That means working on coping skills, improving communication, and naming patterns that feed guilt or shame. He will clarify concrete steps you can try between meetings and review what helps or doesn’t.
People reach out for help with abandonment concerns, attachment issues, control struggles, isolation, midlife questions, and forgiveness. Steven focuses on practical support for these issues while listening to each person’s story and preferences.
How his approaches fit with online work
Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes listening and following the person's concerns. It focuses on what the client brings to the session and supports self-directed change, which can help when sorting guilt or shame tied to values or identity.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions. In simple terms it helps people spot unhelpful thinking and experiment with different responses, a practical fit for anxiety, depression, and persistent guilt.
Mindfulness Therapy adds short attention practices to reduce reactivity and increase awareness of moment-to-moment experience. That can be useful when guilt or shame leads to rumination or avoidance.
Choosing an approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will work with each person to pick or blend methods based on their goals and what feels most useful. That means checking in and adjusting the plan as progress or obstacles appear.
The biography does not list specific session formats, so confirm current online options before booking. Many people find online meetings make it easier to fit sessions into a weekday break, reduce travel time, or choose shorter check-in appointments when needed. Licensed professionals can adapt CBT exercises, mindfulness practices, and motivational interviewing techniques to work in remote sessions, and the therapist will discuss practical arrangements during the matching process.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
9+ years
Listed in
New York
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of guilt or shame does he address?
He works with guilt and shame tied to relationships, family, faith, and life choices, and with feelings that linger from past situations.
How does he approach a session?
Sessions are conversational and goal oriented, mixing short-term coping skills with reflection on patterns that keep problems going.
What is his clinical background?
He has nine years of professional experience and practices using several approaches including CBT, mindfulness, client-centered, psychodynamic, and motivational interviewing.
Where is he licensed and practicing?
He is an LCSW licensed in New York and provides services from that location.
Are sessions offered in other languages or internationally?
Sessions are offered in English only and international clients are not accepted at this time.
What session formats are available?
The original biography does not specify session formats; confirm current session options before booking to know whether video or phone meetings are available.
How are costs handled?
Cost varies with location; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with him?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, use the crisis numbers.