About Stephanie Hardison, LCSW
THE PRACTICE THAT SHOULD HAVE ALREADY EXISTED
Therapy for bicultural Latinas, queer and neurodivergent adults, and anyone who has been told their body is a problem to fix.
I am Stephanie Hardison, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and I specialize in therapy for adults and teens navigating anxiety, burnout, family pressure, and their relationship with their bodies. A lot of the clients who come here are bicultural Latinas carrying the weight of being the strong one, the translator, the peacekeeper, and the one who holds it together for everyone else. Others are queer folks, neurodivergent adults, and people who have spent years being told their body is a problem to fix. Many arrive after years of putting everyone else first, burned out, anxious, and disconnected from their bodies, often without realizing how long they have been running on empty.
My approach blends talk therapy with somatic work, psychoeducation, and Brainspotting, because healing is not just talk. The body holds just as much of the story as the mind does. I am licensed in California and Colorado, and I offer fully virtual sessions.
Who I Am
I am a first generation Latina, a queer woman, and someone who will absolutely reference an anime storyline or a video game mechanic if it helps something click. Your culture, your special interests, and your identity are not things to set aside before real work can happen in therapy. They are part of how the work actually gets done. I also use equipment that allows for online gaming based engagement when it is a good fit, so this is not just a conversation starter. It is genuinely part of how sessions can look.
My Background
I have been in the mental health field for over 13 years, spending several years in an inpatient psychiatric unit, community mental health, and educational settings before starting The Climb Counseling. That experience showed me, again and again, the gaps in care for people like me. Latina, queer, fat, and nerdy folks who rarely saw themselves reflected in the therapy room, or worse, were actively mistreated by providers who should have known better. I am licensed in California and Colorado, and my work is grounded in weight-inclusive care, fat liberation, and neurodivergent-affirming practice.
Why I Started The Climb Counseling
I started this practice after sitting in several multidisciplinary team meeting where colleagues attributed a client's depression and anxiety entirely to weight, ignoring everything else going on. What struck just as hard was what was missing from the conversation altogether. No curiosity about the client's cultural background, no awareness of how intersectionality shapes experience, no acknowledgment that the same symptoms can mean something completely different depending on the identities a person is holding. The folks were being reduced to a number on a scale and a diagnostic checkbox, with everything that made the person a whole human being left out of the room.
These moments made something undeniable. Healthcare trauma and fatphobia were happening in real time, and so was the failure to see people in full. I built this practice as a direct response.
The Climb Counseling is named for the way healing actually works. The path is steep in some areas, while smooth in others.. Sometimes it is frightening, and sometimes it is breathtaking. It is rarely linear, and it is rarely what was expected. I do believe it is worth the journey, especially when it is not being walked alone.
From Me, To You
If you have spent years being the strong one, the translator, the one who holds it together for everyone else, this space was built with you in mind. If family pressure and burnout have become so normal that it is hard to remember what rest even feels like, that is not a personal failing. It is what happens when a nervous system has been carrying too much for too long.
The same goes for anyone who has been told their body is a problem to fix, their culture is a barrier to overcome, or their interests are something to grow out of. You do not have to leave any part of yourself at the door here. The version of you that has been edited, softened, or made more palatable for other people does not need to show up. The version that is actually here is the one that matters.
P.S. Pictured with me is the most delicious sweet potato biscuit ever! 10/10.
Licenses & Education
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) — California #96929
Licensed Clinical Social Worker — Colorado CSW #09929447
Cal State Channel Islands, BA in Sociology, Minor in Psychology
Cal State Northridge, MSW