Destiny Howell, LCSW

Destiny Howell is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in California who uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) alongside other approaches to help people manage strong emotions and stressful situations. She focuses on clear, practical steps that make daily life feel more manageable. The first conversations tend to look at what matters most now and what small changes could help. Her work often centers on anxiety, depression, trauma, and relationship struggles. She also helps with parenting stress, caregiver strain, grief, and issues around identity and self-esteem. Conversations address both immediate coping skills and longer-term patterns that can cause repeated pain. Destiny blends CBT with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Attachment-Based ideas. That mix helps people notice unhelpful thoughts, practice new behaviors, and build more helpful connections with others. Sessions are collaborative and grounded in straightforward exercises rather than jargon. She aims to be culturally responsive and intentional about faith when that matters to a person. That means listening for how background, beliefs, and culture shape choices and feelings. The result is a therapy plan shaped to each person’s life and values. Across ten years of practice, Destiny supports people working through life changes, addiction concerns, eating or sleep struggles, and mood challenges. She encourages practical tools for daily life and honest conversations about goals and setbacks.

Therapeutic approaches for online care

Destiny commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people identify and change unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors; this approach is useful for anxiety, mood problems, panic, and many day-to-day stressors. She also integrates Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which focuses on clarifying values and building committed action even when difficult feelings are present. Attachment-Based Therapy appears in her work to address patterns in close relationships and to help people improve connection and communication. Choosing the right approach is part of the work. Destiny treats that as a collaborative process where goals, preferences, and what feels workable guide the plan. She will discuss options, try practical exercises, and adjust methods when something does not fit. Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, which offer flexibility for different needs. Video calls approximate face-to-face conversation when visual cues matter. Phone sessions use less bandwidth and can be a good fit for shorter check-ins or when being on camera is difficult. Live chat and text-based messaging support brief check-ins, skill practice, and ongoing contact between sessions. These options help people fit therapy into work, caregiving, or other busy schedules.