About Laurence
Laurence Scappa is a licensed clinical social worker with 40 years of experience in New Jersey. He focuses on helping people manage stress and anxiety, cope with addictions, and address relationship and intimacy-related concerns. Laurence speaks plainly and works to make therapy approachable for people who are worried or unsure about starting.
He emphasizes clients' existing strengths and helps them take small, steady steps toward change. In sessions he centers the person's experience and priorities.
Background and approach
He listens first and then uses practical strategies drawn from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to tackle unhelpful thinking and build new habits. He also draws on Client-Centered Therapy to create a respectful, nonjudgmental space and on Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Emotionally-Focused Therapy when emotions feel overwhelming or relational patterns need attention.
People come to him for a wide range of concerns, including depression, panic attacks, obsessions and compulsions, phobias, and difficulties with control, guilt, or shame. He helps people facing drug and alcohol addiction as well as issues around sex addiction and intimacy. Sessions aim to clarify immediate problems and set realistic, achievable goals.
Laurence describes therapy as a collaborative process. He helps people recognize strengths they already have and builds skills that can be practiced between sessions. The tone is steady and encouraging, with an emphasis on practical tools rather than jargon.
He offers multiple ways to meet, including video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text messaging, so people can choose what fits their schedule and comfort level.
Online approaches that meet you where you are
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without letting them dictate actions. It focuses on clarifying values and taking committed steps toward a meaningful life, which can help with anxiety, stress, and avoidance. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy looks at the link between thoughts, feelings, and behavior and uses straightforward exercises to shift unhelpful patterns and reduce symptoms like panic or obsessive thinking.Choosing the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what feels most helpful, then adjust methods as progress unfolds. That collaboration makes it easier to try techniques that fit daily life and to tweak them when needed.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video sessions allow face-to-face conversation when visual cues matter. Phone sessions can be simpler when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and text messaging make it possible to get brief support between meetings and to fit therapy into busy days. These options offer flexibility so people can choose what works best for their schedule and comfort.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
Also listed
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Depression
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Intimacy-related issues
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 40 years
- Licensed
- New Jersey
- Languages
- English
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