About Abena
Abena Derkyi is a licensed independent social worker (LISW) practicing in Ohio with three years of professional experience. She focuses on helping people who are coping with trauma, grief, anger, low self-esteem, ADHD, relationship strain, family issues, parenting stress, and depression. Her approach starts with listening and recognizing each person as the expert on their own life.
She offers straightforward, practical support rather than jargon. Sessions focus on building on strengths and finding small changes that make daily life easier.
How Abena works
Abena helps people develop tools for managing strong emotions, reducing impulsivity, and improving motivation and confidence. Abena also works with concerns tied to adoption and foster care, pregnancy and childbirth, self-harm thoughts, and feelings of guilt or shame. She brings attention to how life transitions and losses affect mood and functioning.
For parents she offers help with parenting stress and family problem navigation. Her style is collaborative and paced to the client. She helps people set clear, achievable goals and checks in regularly on progress.
The aim is to leave each session with something useful to try between meetings. Getting started is a simple process: complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule a first session. Abena supports clients through the early steps of change and stays focused on practical ways to cope and grow.
What Abena works with
The areas below are the ones Abena selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Anger management
Also listed
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Parenting issues
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
Training and background
| Register | LISW |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 3 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | Ohio |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
Evidence-based approaches and online care
Abena works from evidence-based therapeutic techniques that focus on managing emotions and strengthening coping skills. One approach emphasizes skill-building for emotion regulation and impulse control to reduce anger, impulsivity, and mood swings; it helps people practice concrete strategies during everyday moments. Another approach centers on grief and trauma processing by pacing conversations, naming difficult feelings, and developing routines that restore a sense of safety and predictability in daily life. Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Abena collaborates with each person to choose techniques that match their needs, goals, and preferences, and she adjusts the plan as progress unfolds. Online therapy offers flexible ways to connect. Video calls let people have a face-to-face conversation from home or work when schedules allow. Phone sessions work well for shorter check-ins or when bandwidth is limited. Live chat and text-based messaging make it possible to check in between sessions, share quick updates, or get support when a longer session is not feasible. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy lives and to try different formats to see what works best.Start online instead of waiting
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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