About Howard
Howard Acosta is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 24 years of experience in California. He focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, addiction, depression, and self-esteem concerns. Howard brings a calm, straightforward manner to sessions and aims to make therapy practical and useful from the first meeting.
He uses clear, evidence-informed methods like cognitive behavioral techniques and motivational interviewing to help people change unhelpful thinking and build healthier routines.
Background and approach
Howard also incorporates mindfulness practices to reduce reactivity and improve focus during stressful moments. Sessions are collaborative and goal-oriented. He works with people navigating grief, anger, parenting strain, life transitions, or challenges tied to adoption and foster care.
Howard pays attention to overlapping issues such as substance use, mood disorders, and obsessive-compulsive patterns when they affect daily life. Howard has experience addressing concerns common to LGBTQ+ people, veterans, and those facing aging or end-of-life questions, and he brings that background into sessions without judgement.
He aims to create a supportive space where people can name priorities and try straightforward strategies between appointments. Therapy with him often includes short, practical exercises, homework to practice skills, and regular check-ins on progress. People looking for a focused, respectful approach that balances skill-building and personal reflection may find his style a good fit.
Approaches that translate well online
Howard commonly uses cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness therapy in sessions. Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new behaviors, which helps with anxiety, mood concerns, and compulsive patterns. Mindfulness therapy teaches simple attention and breathing practices to reduce reactivity and improve emotional regulation during stressful moments.Finding the right approach is part of the work. Howard will collaborate with each person to choose methods that match their goals, needs, and comfort level. He revisits what is and isn't helping and adjusts the plan so the approach stays practical and useful.
Online sessions offer flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video works well for in-depth conversations and practicing skills together, while phone sessions need less bandwidth and can fit a workday break. Live chat or text messaging can be useful for brief check-ins, prompts, or when typing feels easier than speaking. These options make it simpler to keep therapy consistent around a busy life.
Questions people ask
What types of concerns does Howard help with?
What is his therapeutic style like?
How much experience does he have?
What are his credentials and location?
Which languages are supported for sessions?
What session formats are available?
How is cost handled?
How do I begin working with him?
What this therapist works with
Most often
Also listed
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Co-morbidity
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Fatherhood issues
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Grief
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Impulsivity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Men's issues
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Parenting issues
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Self esteem
- Sexuality
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 24 years
- Licensed
- California
- Languages
- English
We will earn a commission if you sign up through our link, at no cost to you.