Steven Osterstrom, LCSW

Steven Osterstrom is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 24 years of clinical experience offering psychotherapy from his base in New York. He has worked extensively with people facing depression, anxiety, identity questions, relationship and family concerns, parenting challenges, career transitions, addiction and co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders, as well as those who have experienced physical trauma or emotional abuse. Steven emphasizes the connection between the stories people tell about their past and their present sense of wellbeing, and he helps clients examine and revise unhelpful patterns of belief that interfere with living a fuller life.

Alongside his clinical practice, Steven has spent two decades teaching social work graduate students, helping them develop practical skills for effective practice. He has also volunteered in prison settings through the Alternatives to Violence Project, facilitating groups in New York State and Pennsylvania that explore nonviolent approaches to conflict. Those teaching and volunteer experiences have informed his work with diverse populations and contributed to a gender-inclusive, anti-racist stance in practice.

Steven’s therapeutic style is warm and interactive, grounded in a compassion-focused outlook that highlights strengths and resilience. He draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and related methods such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and integrates mindfulness practices to support clients in identifying and changing patterns that limit their wellbeing. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), he combines clinical knowledge with respect and sensitivity toward each person’s lived experience.