About Elena
Elena Spanos helps people facing stress, anxiety, relationship struggles, grief, trauma, mood concerns, sleep problems, and life changes. She brings 25 years of experience as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and focuses on practical steps that fit each person's day-to-day life. Her style is straightforward and collaborative.
She listens first, then helps people identify patterns in thoughts and behaviors that make problems worse. Sessions emphasize small, manageable changes that add up over time rather than quick fixes.
How Elena works
Elena uses a mix of approaches drawn from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, and the Gottman Method. She adapts techniques to the concern at hand, whether that is anger, anxiety, ADHD-related struggles, or coping after a loss.
She earned an Associate in Science in Human Services Technology, a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of South Florida, and a Master of Social Work specializing in clinical practice from Michigan State University. Elena became licensed as a therapist in 2000 and began a independent practice in 2002.
Her past roles include work in schools, outpatient settings, home-based services, and couple-focused work, including time supporting military families. That variety informs a practical approach aimed at real-life problems and realistic goals. Elena aims to help people find clearer direction and calmer days.
She works with each person to choose tools that match their values, schedule, and what they hope to change.
Elena lists 9 ways of working on the entry:
What Elena works with
The areas below are the ones Elena selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Family conflicts
- Anger management
Also listed
- Abandonment
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Emptiness
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Immigration issues
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sleeping disorders
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Traumatic brain injury
- Trichotillomania
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Training and background
| Register | LCSW |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 25 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | Florida |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
Using proven approaches online
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps people notice unhelpful thoughts without getting stuck in them and then take actions that match their values. It can be useful for anxiety, depression, and transitions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on the link between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and teaches practical skills to change patterns that maintain problems. It often helps with anxiety, mood concerns, sleep, and anger issues. The Gottman Method offers structured ways to improve communication and strengthen relationships by teaching specific skills for listening, repair, and shared problem solving.Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Elena will talk with each person about their goals, preferences, and what has or hasn't worked before. Together they will choose and adjust methods so sessions feel relevant and manageable.
Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to match different needs. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues. Phone sessions can be a good option when bandwidth is limited or when camera-free conversation is preferred. Live chat and text-based messaging work well for short check-ins, between-session support, or when writing feels easier than speaking. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules and different daily routines.
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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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