Grace Szeja, LCSW

Grace Szeja is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) who helps people facing stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, depression, relationship struggles, parenting strain, grief, trauma, and challenges around identity and life changes. She uses a compassionate, down-to-earth style and welcomes people from the LGBTQ community and younger adults who identify with iGen / Gen Z. Grace presents herself plainly and offers steady support for practical day-to-day struggles.

She blends a client-centered way of working with cognitive behavioral tools and skills from dialectical behavior practices. That means sessions focus on what matters most to each person, while also teaching concrete coping skills and ways to notice and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. Grace also draws on attachment-based ideas when relationship patterns and early family experiences are part of the work.

Grace’s background includes about ten years of clinical social work, much of it in hospital settings where she supported a wide age range of people and many different concerns. Before clinical work she trained and worked as a fine artist and comic illustrator, so creative, expressive methods are a natural part of her approach.

In therapy she often uses art-based exercises such as drawing, painting, sand tray, journaling, clay, and zendoodle alongside talk and skills practice. The goal is practical change - developing new thought patterns, building healthier coping skills, and creating room for self-acceptance and purpose.

Outside work she enjoys gardening, distance running, hiking, and caring for her three cats and two rabbits. She uses she/her pronouns.

How her approaches translate to online therapy

Attachment-based work looks at how early relationship patterns affect feelings and current connections. Online sessions can use discussion and exercises to spot repeating patterns and try new ways of relating. Client-centered work focuses on the person’s priorities and pace. In remote sessions this means the therapist follows the client's lead, listens closely, and shapes each session around what the client most wants to address. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) offers structured tools to change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. In an online format these tools translate into short skill-building practices, homework, and guided thought records.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with the client to decide which methods fit best for their goals and preferences. That process often changes over time, and Grace adapts the mix of creative exercises and skills training as progress unfolds.

The biography does not list specific session formats, so confirm current options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, allow for shorter check-ins when needed, and let clients use tools like guided worksheets or art exercises between meetings. Many people find that remote sessions help maintain momentum and practice new skills in everyday life.