Ferial Youkhanna, LMSW

Ferial Youkhanna, LMSW, helps people manage stress, anxiety, addictions, depression, trauma, relationship and intimacy issues, grief, sleep and eating concerns, and career and parenting strain. She also supports people dealing with ADHD, compassion fatigue, bipolar challenges, and major life changes. She works in English and Arabic and practices from Michigan.

Her approach is straightforward and practical. She uses methods such as cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, attachment-based work, emotionally-focused approaches, and client-centered care to guide conversations. Sessions focus on what is happening now and what can change, with attention to thoughts, feelings, and relationship patterns.

She draws on over two decades of experience as a licensed master social worker. That background includes helping people cope with grief, trauma, addiction, panic and obsessive thoughts, and the stress of caregiving or chronic illness. She brings that experience to problem solving and to building skills that fit daily life.

In sessions she listens for patterns that get in the way. She helps people notice unhelpful thoughts, connect difficult feelings to actions, and try small experiments to shift behavior. For relationship concerns she pays attention to attachment and communication habits and supports practical steps toward better understanding.

Ferial keeps work concrete and paced to the client's needs. She offers collaborative exploration and goal setting, and she invites people to try tools that feel useful. Her aim is to help clients find clearer choices and steadier coping in the midst of life changes.

How these approaches translate to online work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps people notice difficult thoughts and choose actions that reflect their values. It can be useful for anxiety, depression, and making life changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions and uses practical exercises to reduce symptoms like panic, low mood, and unhelpful habits. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early and current relationship patterns shape reactions and closeness; it can help with intimacy, communication, and relationship repair.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist collaborates with each client to decide which methods fit their goals, preferences, and situation. Sessions may blend techniques so the plan matches what the person wants to address and how they prefer to work.

The original biography does not list specific online session formats, so confirm current options before booking. Many people find online sessions helpful because they can fit meetings into busy schedules, shorten travel time, and use shorter check-ins when needed. Online work also makes it easier to try homework between sessions and to bring real-life examples into conversation, which can speed progress without promising a particular outcome.