Steven Van Schaick, LCSW

Steven Van Schaick is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and trauma specialist with ten years of hands-on experience supporting people facing significant mental health challenges. He built a career beyond the typical office setting, bringing care directly to clients through work in residential treatment, in-patient psychiatric settings, and in-home counseling with high-risk families. That field experience shaped his practical, action-oriented approach and gave him direct exposure to complex situations and intense stressors—experiences he acknowledges have left him shaped by the same struggles he helps others navigate.

Steven focuses on helping people manage depressive episodes, panic and anxiety, family and relationship struggles, parenting difficulties, trauma and abuse, addiction-related concerns, mood disorders, and broader life changes. He blends multiple evidence-based strategies while recognizing that healing looks different for each person and rarely fits a single formula. For some clients he offers focused counseling through messaging and brief interventions; for others he pursues more traditional therapeutic work that explores underlying patterns and supports both emotional and physical recovery.

Practical, direct, and collaborative, Steven centers the therapeutic relationship as a core element of his work and values the trust clients place in his care as one of his primary professional strengths.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Support

Steven commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help clients identify and shift unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns. CBT is practical and skills-based, and it is often used for anxiety, depression, panic, and many everyday stressors.

He also incorporates Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) techniques to teach emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness. DBT strategies can be especially useful for managing intense emotions, improving relationships, and reducing reactive behaviors.

Because he is a trauma specialist, Trauma-Focused Therapy is another key part of his toolkit. This approach attends directly to the effects of traumatic experiences and helps clients process memories and symptoms at a pace that fits their readiness.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Steven works with each person to consider their goals, needs, and preferences and adjusts methods over time so therapy remains relevant and effective.

Online therapy with him is offered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging, giving flexibility to fit therapy into busy schedules. These options make it easier to access consistent care from licensed professionals and to continue work even when in-person sessions are not practical.