Dr. Dorothea Stanley, LISW

Dr. Dorothea Stanley, LISW (Licensed Independent Social Worker), is an Ohio-licensed social work therapist with nine years of professional experience working with people facing grief and other complex life challenges. She integrates narrative therapy, expressive art techniques, and cognitive behavioral strategies to help individuals explore their personal stories, process loss, and express emotions in creative ways. Her work often focuses on examining past and present relationship conflicts to uncover meaning, assign value to choices, and support clients as they clarify what matters most to them.

Using a client-centered stance, Dr. Stanley guides people through a collaborative process that emphasizes each person as the expert of their own life. Narrative approaches are used to reframe personal accounts and open possibilities for finding renewed purpose, while expressive art methods offer nonverbal outlets for feeling and insight. Cognitive behavioral tools are brought in where helpful to address thought patterns and coping skills, and her approach is adaptable to the needs of each individual.

Dr. Stanley has experience helping people manage grief and loss, relationship difficulties, trauma and abuse, and questions about legacy and life choices. She supports those who wish to organize and present their life experiences in tangible forms that can be shared with family, using journals, art materials, and other resources as part of the therapeutic process. Throughout her practice she emphasizes empowerment, resilience, and practical steps toward a more fulfilling life, working alongside clients as they reflect, heal, and make meaning from their stories.