Stella Cook

Hi! My name is Stella Cook, and I have been a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in practice for about 20 years. As a social worker, I approach emotional well-being through the lens of your health, your environment, and your own understanding of yourself. I consider myself skilled at working with clients who suffer from anxiety, depression, working through major life transitions or decisions, challenges with fertility, and foster care/adoption/parenting-related stress.

My approach

My overall approach to therapy is compassionate and judgment-free. I welcome you to work with me if you have a specific goal in mind - I believe in the power of short-term therapy. But if we have the time, I want to understand who you are, what you’re imagining for yourself in the future, and what is getting in your way. Through a combination of theoretical approaches such as CBT, IFS, and Motivational Interviewing, we’ll move you closer to the changes in your life you are seeking, always at a pace that you are comfortable with.

My focus

I am comfortable working with adults of any age and treating conditions such as depression and anxiety, often surrounding major life transitions. I also have experience working with foster care and adoption-related stressors and can work with biological/birth parents, adoptive/foster parents, adoptees, and adults who aged out of the foster care system.

My communication style

I have a conversational communication style, checking in frequently for feedback, embracing use of humor, pop culture, and even social media where appropriate and in line with your goals. I consider all sessions to be a healing space, and approach them as such. In a session with me, you can always count on having privacy, non-judgemental, collaborative space to explore anything on your mind, and my full attention. I hope that anyone working with me feels seen, understood, accepted, and at ease with me. My goal is to establish a strong therapist/client bond built on trust and consistency.

My journey to mental healthcare

My whole life growing up, even as a child, people would confide in me. I would find myself often consoling or supporting a family member, a friend, and sometimes just strangers on the NYC subway. The family joke was that I was such a good listener and secret keeper, I was clearly born to be a therapist! I soon took that to heart and joined my high school’s “Peer to Peer Support” program, where we were trained in emergency mental health assessments and suicide prevention. This was a transformative experience for me, leading me to choose Psychology as my undergraduate major, and a few years later, pursue my Masters in Clinical Social Work from NYU. I have a strong drive to do this work because I believe in it so deeply, have seen firsthand the incredible results that good therapy can bring, and personally, I get as much joy witnessing you reach your goals as you will feel reaching them!

My goals for you

I generally think setting goals is important, but not everyone loves them. I approach goal setting creatively, and with agreement. If you’re someone who bristles at the very idea of a goal, let’s talk it through and see what we come up with!

My first session with you

For our first session, you can expect to talk! I have two primary goals in an initial session: To introduce myself, set expectations, and begin to get to know you. I usually ask questions about your childhood, family, support systems, friends, education, work history, and anything else I may have noted on your intake. There may be some topics we stumble onto and decide they go in the ‘parking lot’. The tone of this (and every) session is conversational and focused on eventually establishing your goals.