About Darlene
Darlene Schmitt is a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) practicing in New York with 33 years of clinical experience. She focuses on helping people who are feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, depression, or life transitions. She also supports people facing addictions, self-esteem struggles, relationship and intimacy concerns, and issues related to grief and trauma.
Her approach is warm and straightforward. Sessions center on listening first and then working together to find practical steps that fit each person's life.
Background and approach
She aims to create an open space where people can speak honestly without judgment and begin to make small changes that add up. Darlene often uses tools from cognitive behavioral therapy to help people notice patterns of thinking that make problems worse. She also draws on client-centered methods to keep the conversation focused on the client's goals.
Mindfulness and dialectical skills are woven in when they help with emotional regulation and distress tolerance. She has particular experience with concerns such as parenting stress, communication problems, divorce and separation, family of origin issues, guilt and shame, midlife transitions, and mood disorders. Additional areas include panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, seasonal mood shifts, self-harm, and recovery after sexual assault and abuse.
Darlene aims to be a steady, practical partner in change. She helps people set clear, manageable goals and practices that fit daily life. The work is collaborative and paced to what each person can handle.
How Darlene brings therapy online using clear methods
Client-centered therapy focuses on following the client's lead and building a respectful, nonjudgmental conversation. It helps people clarify what they want and make choices that match their values. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at patterns of thinking and behavior and teaches concrete strategies to reduce anxiety, depressive moods, and unhelpful habits. Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, offers skills for managing intense emotions, improving distress tolerance, and handling conflict more calmly.Finding the right approach is part of the work. Darlene will talk with each person about their goals, what feels most useful, and how they prefer to work. Together they will try methods and adjust based on what helps most, so therapy becomes a practical fit for everyday life.
Online therapy with Darlene can take place by video call, phone session, live chat, or text-based messaging. Video calls are useful for in-depth conversations and exercises that benefit from visual cues. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or when a session needs to fit into a short break. Live chat or texting lets people check in between sessions, try brief problem-solving, or get quick support without scheduling a full call. These options make it easier to keep therapy consistent around work, school, or family routines.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
Also works with
- Anger management
- Career difficulties
- Communication problems
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Eating disorders
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Intimacy-related issues
- LGBT
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Parenting issues
- Personality disorders
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Women's issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 33 years
- Licensed
- New York
- Languages
- English