Penny Howland

Penny Howland is a licensed clinical social worker with 40 years of experience helping people navigate major life challenges. She draws on practical therapy approaches to help clients manage stress, anxiety, grief, relationship strain, and career concerns. Penny works with issues related to addiction, mood changes, and coping with big transitions. Penny has worked across medical and mental health settings for decades. Her background includes supporting people on dialysis, those facing terminal illness, individuals in substance abuse care, and people dealing with grief and adjustment. This variety shaped a flexible style that adapts to each person’s situation. She describes therapy as collaborative and problem-focused. Sessions often include talking through current struggles, identifying patterns that get in the way, and practicing small changes that make daily life easier. Penny emphasizes the mind-body connection and respects each person’s resilience and capacity to adjust. Penny earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Social Work from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. She holds the credential LCSW, which stands for Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and notes membership in the American Clinical Social Work association and the National Association of Social Workers. Her work commonly addresses anxiety, depression, trauma, intimacy concerns, sleep problems, anger, self-esteem, and career-related issues. She also supports people facing caregiver stress, end-of-life matters, attachment or abandonment concerns, and obsessive-compulsive patterns. Penny helps people set realistic goals and try steps they can use between sessions.

How cognitive and psychodynamic approaches fit online

CBT, or cognitive behavioral therapy, focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and trying new behaviors. It often uses short practical exercises people can practice between sessions to reduce anxiety, manage mood, or address sleep and impulsive behaviors.

Psychodynamic therapy looks at recurring patterns and emotional themes that influence current choices. It helps people notice long-standing relationship or attachment patterns, process grief, and understand where difficult feelings come from.

Finding the best approach is part of the work together. The therapist will talk with each person about their goals, symptoms, and preferences, and suggest whether CBT tasks, psychodynamic reflection, or a blend feels most useful. This is a collaborative decision made over the first few sessions.

The biography does not list specific online formats, so confirm the available session types before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, reduce travel time, allow shorter check-ins when needed, or offer an option when someone cannot be in the office. Licensed professionals can adapt cognitive and psychodynamic techniques to remote sessions so therapy stays focused on real-world changes and understanding.