Steven Osterstrom

Steven Osterstrom is an LCSW based in New York with 24 years of clinical experience. He offers a warm, interactive style and focuses on helping people who are coping with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship struggles, addiction, and identity questions. He also addresses grief, parenting concerns, intimacy-related issues, and isolation and loneliness.

Steven believes that the stories people tell themselves about their past shape their present wellbeing. He draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and mindfulness practices to help people notice unhelpful patterns and try new ways of responding. Sessions emphasize strengths, compassion, and practical skills rather than blame.

For many years he has led both individual and group work and has experience with co-occurring mental health and substance use concerns. He has worked with people affected by trauma and emotional abuse and has run groups in institutional settings as a volunteer. Those experiences inform a practice that values diversity and a gender-inclusive stance.

Teaching social work students for two decades has shaped his focus on skill-building. He helps people practice communication, emotion regulation, and coping strategies they can use between sessions. Mindfulness exercises are often part of this process.

His approach invites curiosity and small, manageable steps. he encourages people to bring their real-life problems into sessions and to test practical changes. If someone is ready to explore new ways of living, he offers steady support and guidance.

How his therapeutic approaches work for online care

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify what matters to them and take actions that match those values, even when uncomfortable feelings are present. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new behaviors to reduce symptoms like anxiety or low mood. Mindfulness therapy teaches simple exercises to notice thoughts and feelings without getting swept away by them; these practices support emotion regulation and stress management.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will work with each person to choose methods that match their goals, needs, and preferences. Sessions can include skill practice, values exploration, and short mindfulness exercises so people can see what feels useful and make adjustments over time.

Session formats are not specified in the available biography, so confirm current options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life, for example by reducing travel time or allowing shorter check-ins during a lunch break. They can also let people use mindfulness exercises and behavioral tasks in their everyday environment, which supports practicing new skills between meetings.