Shadae Cardoza, LICSW, LCSW

Shadae Cardoza is a licensed social worker practicing in the District of Columbia with eight years of clinical experience. She holds the credentials LICSW and LCSW - LICSW stands for Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and LCSW stands for Licensed Clinical Social Worker - and brings a strengths-oriented perspective to her practice.

Shadae supports clients working through stress and anxiety, family conflicts, challenges with self-esteem and confidence, career difficulties, and coping with life changes. Her additional clinical focuses include abandonment and attachment issues, communication problems, questions of life purpose and career direction, money and financial concerns, pregnancy and childbirth, self-love and sexuality, women's issues, and workplace challenges.

She approaches therapy believing that each person is the expert on their own story and that existing strengths can be used to address what feels overwhelming. Shadae emphasizes collaboration and support as clients take steps toward a more fulfilling life, offering practical tools and guidance whether the work is short-term problem-focused support or longer-term exploration of relationships, identity, and goals.

Evidence-Based Techniques and Accessible Online Care

Shadae Cardoza uses evidence-based, skills-oriented techniques to help people manage stress and anxiety by teaching practical tools for emotion regulation, grounding, and coping with daily pressures. She also integrates attachment-informed approaches to address abandonment, relationship patterns, and communication problems, helping clients explore relational dynamics and build more secure connections.

Finding the right therapeutic approach is a collaborative process. Shadae works with each person to identify goals, assess what feels most helpful, and adapt methods over time so the work matches the client’s needs, preferences, and pace. Licensed professionals aim to tailor the plan rather than impose a single method.

Online therapy offers flexibility and accessibility for busy lives. Video calls and phone sessions allow for real-time conversation, while live chat and text-based messaging provide convenient options for check-ins, skill practice, and steady support between sessions. These choices make it easier to maintain continuity of care while fitting therapy into work, family, and other commitments.