Dr. Dorothea Stanley, LISW

Dr. Dorothea Stanley is an Ohio-licensed social work therapist with nine years of professional experience who focuses on helping people navigate grief, relationship challenges, and major life transitions. She practices as an LISW - Licensed Independent Social Worker - and centers her work on helping clients explore personal stories, make meaning of loss, and identify strengths to move forward. Her approach blends narrative work with expressive art techniques and cognitive behavioral strategies to create spaces where feelings can be named, examined, and expressed through words and creative materials.

She guides people through relationship conflicts past and present, assists with complex grief and loss including paths not taken, and supports those facing trauma, family and intimacy-related issues, parenting challenges, anger, self-esteem concerns, and compassion fatigue. Dr. Stanley also attends to additional focus areas such as aging and geriatric issues, attachment and blended family dynamics, fertility and pregnancy concerns, hoarding, forgiveness, life purpose, and midlife transitions.

Believing that each person is the expert on their own life, she uses a client-centered stance to partner with individuals who want to reflect on legacy, preserve meaningful memories, or translate life experiences into something tangible for themselves and their families. She often incorporates purchased journals and art materials into the therapeutic process to help clients craft a narrative or creative piece that reflects their story and supports healing and growth.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Support

Dr. Dorothea Stanley draws on client-centered therapy to create a collaborative, respectful environment where the individual’s goals and experiences guide the work. This approach emphasizes empathy and active listening to help people make sense of loss, relationship concerns, and life changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, is used to identify and shift unhelpful thoughts and behaviors - a practical option for managing grief-related distress, anxiety, anger, and day-to-day coping skills. Attachment-Based Therapy explores patterns of relating that stem from early connections and can be especially useful for intimacy issues, family systems, and blended family concerns.

Finding the right approach is part of the process, and Dr. Stanley collaborates with each person to determine which methods best fit their needs, goals, and preferences. She integrates techniques over time so therapy can adapt as clients find what helps them most.

Online therapy offers flexibility to meet from home or elsewhere via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules, maintain continuity through life transitions, and access support when in-person sessions are not convenient, while still working with a licensed professional tailored to the individual’s concerns.