- Stress and anxiety
- Addiction-related work
- Blended family issues
About Marilyn
Marilyn Bryan DeBernardo is a New York Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) with 25 years of clinical experience. She works with adults who are coping with stress, anxiety, addictions, relationship strain, grief, depression, family concerns, trauma, and related issues. She also lists blended family issues among her focus areas and supports people facing parenting challenges and life transitions.
She uses several therapeutic frameworks to guide sessions, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT). Sessions emphasize practical steps, talking through what feels hard now, and building skills to manage symptoms. Conversations are direct and focused on what the client wants to change.
Her background includes long experience working with adults affected by substance use and co-occurring mental health issues, codependency, and trauma. She combines problem-focused work with attention to relationships and everyday functioning. That looks like identifying unhelpful patterns, trying new responses, and checking what works in daily life.
People often come for help with anxiety, mood problems, grief, or the fallout from addiction. She also supports people dealing with anger, intimacy struggles, ADHD-related challenges, and major life changes. For someone in a stephousehold, sessions can address communication, loyalty conflicts, and parenting stress.
To get started, readers should use the site's online therapy options to complete the matching questionnaire and schedule a first session. Costs vary by location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
Therapeutic approaches and working online
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify what matters to them and take small steps toward those values while learning to sit with difficult feelings. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on spotting unhelpful thoughts and testing new behaviors to reduce anxiety, depression, and problem habits. Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) concentrates on understanding emotional responses in relationships and improving how people express needs and connect with others.Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist discusses goals and preferences and then suggests methods to try. That makes the process collaborative - the client and therapist assess what helps and adjust as needed.
The biography does not specify session formats, so confirm current options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit counseling into a busy week, shorten commute time, and allow quicker check-ins between appointments. They also let conversations focus on concrete changes at home, such as practicing new ways to talk with a partner or stepchildren, tracking mood between sessions, and testing strategies for managing anger or anxiety in real situations.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
25+ years
Listed in
New York
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What specific concerns does she address?
She works with adults on stress, anxiety, addictions, relationship problems, grief, depression, family concerns, trauma, and related issues listed in her profile.
What is her general therapy style?
She combines practical, skills-based approaches with person-focused conversation. Sessions focus on identifying patterns and trying new, workable responses.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 25 years of experience working as a counselor in New York, with extensive work in addiction and co-occurring mental health concerns.
What credential does she hold and where is she based?
She is a New York Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) and practices from New York.
Can sessions be held in other languages or with international clients?
Sessions are offered in English and she accepts international clients.
What session formats does she offer?
The original biography does not list specific session formats; please confirm the current session options before booking.
How are sessions paid for and what does it cost?
Costs vary with location; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy is for adults and is not emergency care, mediation or legal advice. If you or a child are in danger, use the emergency numbers. Find someone else by name.