Kafayat (Ayoka) HannahLISW

Kafayat (Ayoka) Hannah is a licensed independent social worker in South Carolina with 18 years of clinical experience. She focuses on helping people manage worry, low mood, stress, and big life shifts. Her work also addresses relationship concerns, LGBTQ matters, and pregnancy and childbirth related stresses. Her style is warm and down-to-earth. Sessions aim to help clients talk through what feels hard and build practical ways to cope. She centers each conversation on the person's values and goals rather than a one-size-fits-all plan. Kafayat uses a mix of approaches to match what a person needs. That can include cognitive techniques to change unhelpful thoughts, skills to manage strong emotions, or short-term, goal-focused strategies to move forward. She also draws on motivational techniques to support change when people feel stuck. She pays attention to how life context matters - work pressures, finances, parenting, or isolation can shape mental health. She helps people sort through those stresses and find small, manageable steps toward relief. Hospice, end-of-life concerns, and grief are also areas she supports. Clients who come for help with identity, self-esteem, social anxiety, or intimacy issues will find a practitioner who listens without judgment. The focus is practical progress and building resilience, one step at a time.

How her approaches translate to online therapy

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and reflecting what the client says so they feel heard and understood; it helps when someone needs a safe space to sort out feelings. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts, moods, and behaviors connect and teaches practical skills to change patterns that cause distress. Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, adds skills for managing intense emotions and improving relationships when feelings feel overwhelming.

Finding the best approach is part of the work together. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what has or hasn't helped before to decide which methods to try. That plan can change as progress is made and needs shift.

If you are considering online therapy, confirm the session formats before booking since they are not listed here. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy day, reduce travel time, or allow shorter check-ins when schedules are tight. Licensed professionals can adapt CBT and DBT skills to remote sessions so people can practice tools between meetings and bring questions back to therapy.