About Marilyn
Marilyn Bryan DeBernardo is a New York Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) with 25 years of experience. She helps adults who are overwhelmed by anxiety, stress, addiction, grief, relationship struggles, and life transitions. She also supports people managing mood concerns, ADHD, and complicated losses.
She emphasizes a calm, practical approach in sessions. Conversations focus on what is happening now and what small steps could make life more manageable. She listens for each person's values and goals, then works alongside them to build skills and new habits.
Background and approach
Her background includes long experience in addiction-related care and mental health settings in New York. That history shapes a down-to-earth style with an emphasis on real-world coping strategies. She brings patience and steady guidance when situations feel chaotic or stuck.
Marilyn uses several evidence-informed methods to guide sessions, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, and Emotionally-Focused Therapy. She adapts techniques to fit each person's concerns, whether panic, persistent low mood, or struggles with substance use. Sessions aim to teach concrete tools for emotion regulation, communication, and problem solving.
Homework and practice are common to help new ways of coping stick. The overall goal is clearer choices, less reactivity, and more control over daily life.
Therapeutic approaches and what online work looks like
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice painful thoughts without getting stuck on them and refocus on what matters most. ACT can be useful for anxiety, stress, and making changes that match personal values. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thought patterns and changing behaviors to reduce symptoms like panic, low mood, or compulsive habits. It is practical and skill-based, with exercises to use between sessions. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) teaches emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and improved communication, which can be helpful for strong mood swings, intense reactions, and relationship conflicts.Choosing an approach is a shared process. The therapist will review your concerns, try methods that fit your goals, and adjust as progress is made. Sessions often mix techniques so the plan matches your needs and preferences rather than sticking to a single method.
Online therapy offers flexibility and different ways to connect. Video calls let you work face-to-face while saving travel time. Phone sessions are useful when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and text messaging allow for brief updates, coaching between sessions, or a way to check in when writing feels easier. These options make it easier to keep therapy consistent around work, caregiving, and other commitments.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
Also listed
- Abandonment
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Attachment issues
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Cancer
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating disorders
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Parenting issues
- Personality disorders
- Post-traumatic stress
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Motivational Interviewing
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
- Experience
- 25 years
- Licensed
- New York
- Languages
- English
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