About Lanika
Lanika Laster is a licensed clinical social worker with two decades of experience helping people sort through tough emotions and life shifts. She practices in New York and focuses on relationship struggles, self-esteem, coping with life changes, and compassion fatigue. Lanika speaks English and draws on many therapeutic techniques to meet each person where they are.
She keeps sessions practical and down to earth. Conversations tend to focus on clear goals, everyday strategies, and small changes that add up.
How Lanika works
For people wrestling with body image, communication problems, or family-of-origin issues, she works to clarify patterns and find manageable steps forward. Lanika also helps those dealing with forgiveness, questions about life purpose, multicultural concerns, and self-love. Her method is flexible rather than rigid; she adapts tools to fit individual needs instead of following a single rulebook.
That approach allows people to try options and keep what works. Over 20 years she has supported clients from varied backgrounds and traditions. In sessions she aims to create a calm, nonjudgmental space where people can name what’s hard and practice different ways of responding.
The focus is on building resilience and practical coping skills. People who want straightforward guidance about relationships, personal meaning, or managing emotional exhaustion may find her style useful. To begin, clients follow a matching process and then schedule sessions at times that work for them.
What Lanika works with
The areas below are the ones Lanika selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Coping with life changes
Also listed
Training and background
| Register | LCSW |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 20 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | New York |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
Therapeutic approaches that translate well online
Many of the techniques Lanika uses are adaptable to remote work. Cognitive and skills-based strategies focus on identifying unhelpful thoughts and trying new behaviors in everyday life; these techniques help with self-esteem, communication, and coping during life changes. Problem-solving and practical coping skills teach step-by-step ways to handle stress, set boundaries, and respond to compassion fatigue so people can test small changes between sessions.Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with each person about their goals, preferences, and what has or hasn't worked before. Together they decide which methods to try and adjust the plan as needed based on real progress and feedback.
Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to make therapy more flexible. Video allows face-to-face conversation for deeper interpersonal work, phone calls can be easier when bandwidth is limited, live chat supports shorter check-ins, and messaging can help people reflect between sessions. These options make it simpler to fit therapy into busy days and keep momentum over time.
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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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