Paula Steele, LCSW

Paula Steele is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with 15 years of clinical experience based in Maine. She works with adults dealing with stress, anxiety, parenting pressures, depression, ADHD, addictions, and anger among other concerns. Paula brings practical focus to sessions and helps people manage day-to-day problems that pile up and interfere with life.

Her background includes work across community settings and supports for people facing trauma, domestic violence, homelessness, chronic illness, and legal system involvement. That mix informs how she thinks about barriers and resources people already have. She draws on client-centered methods and skill-building to help people reduce reactivity and manage overwhelming feelings.

In sessions Paula blends cognitive behavioral tools with mindfulness exercises to identify triggers and practice calmer responses. She also uses motivational interviewing and narrative techniques to clarify values and change patterns that no longer work. Conversations aim to be straightforward and action-oriented, with short practical exercises to try between meetings.

Paula has experience with parenting stress and supporting caregivers, including families with children with special needs. She knows how juggling responsibilities affects mood, sleep, and relationships, and she helps people set realistic steps when life feels overloaded.

People who prefer clear strategies and an organized approach tend to find her style helpful. She invites clients to set achievable goals and tests small changes in real life. If someone wants to work on anger, communication, sleep, or coping with life changes, she focuses on what can be done now to reduce strain and improve day-to-day functioning.

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