Leslie Sakow

Compassionate clinician blending skills and creativity

LCSW, CSW Georgia

Experience: 21 years in practice
Focus areas: Stress, Anxiety, Trauma and abuse, Depression
Approaches: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Languages: English

About Leslie

Leslie Sakow is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with more than 21 years of experience offering therapy to clients in Georgia. She blends practical strategies with creative, expressive techniques to help people manage stress, anxiety, trauma, mood concerns, grief, and challenges such as ADHD and bipolar symptoms.

Background and approach

Her work also addresses compassion fatigue, impulsivity, emptiness, guilt and shame, and recovery after natural or human-caused disasters. She integrates expressive arts elements - language, movement, and visual forms - with evidence-informed modalities like cognitive behavioral approaches, acceptance and commitment strategies, dialectical behavior skills, mindfulness practices, and somatic interventions.

Sessions incorporate positive psychology and supportive counseling alongside mental health action planning, so individualized goals and coping tools are developed and practiced over time. Leslie approaches therapy with patience and encouragement, recognizing that change requires courage and steady effort.

As a Georgia-based LCSW and CSW, she aims to create a collaborative process that meets each person where they are and helps them move toward clearer regulation, renewed purpose, and improved day-to-day functioning.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps identify and shift unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns, offering concrete tools for anxiety, depression, and stress-related problems. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) emphasizes values-driven action and learning to accept difficult internal experiences while committing to meaningful steps forward. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) teaches skills for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness, which can be useful for mood instability and impulsivity.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with each person about their goals, life context, and preferences, then tailor a mix of strategies - including expressive arts and somatic techniques when appropriate - to match what a client needs and wants to try.

Online sessions are available by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to provide flexibility for different schedules and comfort levels. These options make it easier to maintain continuity of care while fitting therapy into busy lives, and they allow for ongoing skill practice and check-ins between live appointments.

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does Leslie commonly address?

She works with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, depression, grief, self esteem struggles, ADHD, bipolar conditions, compassion fatigue, and related mood or impulse issues.

How would you describe her therapeutic style?

The approach combines supportive counseling with practical skills from CBT, ACT, DBT, mindfulness, and somatic practices, often paired with expressive arts to personalize treatment.

What is Leslie's professional background?

Leslie has 21 years of clinical experience delivering mental health services and uses mental health action planning alongside expressive arts to shape care.

What credentials and location are listed?

She is licensed as LCSW, CSW with licence details GA LCSW CSW003580 and practices with clients in Georgia.

Which languages and international options are available?

Sessions are offered in English and international clients are not currently accepted.

What session formats does she offer?

Clients can work via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging depending on preference and availability.

How are fees and payment handled?

Cost varies with location and therapist availability, and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.

What are the first steps to begin therapy?

Start by clicking the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule a session according to the therapist's availability.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Stress, Anxiety Trauma and abuse Depression Coping with life changes ADHD

Also works with

Grief Self esteemBipolar disorderCompassion fatigue

Additional focus areas

Coping with natural or human-caused disasterEmptinessGuilt and shame Impulsivity Mood disorders

Therapeutic approaches

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Mindfulness TherapySomatic Therapy

Experience

21+ years

Licensed

Georgia

Languages

English