- Years in practice
- 33
- Credentials
- LMHC
- Licensed in
- New York
- Languages
- English
- Focus
- Stress, Anxiety
- Focus
- Addictions
- Focus
- Relationship issues
About Darlene
Darlene Schmitt is a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) practicing in New York. She brings 33 years of clinical experience and a steady, calm presence to sessions. Her background includes work with stress, anxiety, addictions, relationship struggles, and self-esteem concerns.
Many people contact her when life changes feel overwhelming and they want practical help to cope. She creates an open atmosphere where clients can speak without judgment. Sessions focus on clear goals and real-world strategies, not jargon.
Background and approach
Darlene listens closely and tailors guidance to each person’s situation. Her approach draws on client-centered methods that prioritize the person’s experience, cognitive behavioral tools to reframe unhelpful thoughts, and mindfulness practices to reduce reactivity. She also incorporates elements of dialectical behavior therapy and motivational interviewing when those fit a client’s needs.
These methods are used to address issues like depression, panic, compulsions, grief, and relationship stress. Parents often seek her help around parenting stress, family conflict, and balancing work and caregiving demands. She helps people talk through parenting challenges and build coping plans that fit daily life.
Darlene aims to make therapy practical and approachable. Early sessions focus on identifying immediate concerns and setting short-term steps. Over time, work can shift toward deeper patterns such as family of origin issues, guilt and shame, or midlife transitions.
What Darlene works with
Everything Darlene lists, in the therapist's own terms. Parenting is the reason this directory exists; the rest shows what else Darlene helps people with.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Depression
- LGBT
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Career difficulties
- Coping with life changes
- Communication problems
- Divorce and separation
- Family of origin issues
- Guilt and shame
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Personality disorders
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Darlene lists
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
How therapeutic approaches translate to online care
Client-centered therapy focuses on the person’s experience and aims to create a supportive space where they can talk through problems and decide on goals. This approach helps when someone needs emotional validation and a partner in sorting out priorities.Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, breaks problems into thoughts, feelings, and actions and teaches concrete skills to change patterns. It is often useful for anxiety, depression, panic, and obsessive patterns because it gives step-by-step strategies to test and shift unhelpful thinking.
Dialectical behavior therapy, DBT, offers skills for managing strong emotions and improving relationships through techniques like distress tolerance and emotion regulation. It can be helpful when someone struggles with intense mood swings, impulsive behavior, or relationship conflicts.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, preferences, and what has or hasn’t helped in the past, and then choose approaches together. That collaborative process can change over time as needs evolve.
Online therapy makes these approaches accessible through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text messaging. Video lets the therapist and client work in real time and use visual cues, phone sessions need less bandwidth and can be easier during a short break, live chat fits quick check-ins, and messaging supports ongoing reflection between sessions. These options give flexibility to fit therapy into a busy life.
Questions people ask about Darlene
What concerns does this therapist help with?
Darlene works with a wide range of concerns including stress, anxiety, addictions, relationship problems, self-esteem, depression, trauma, grief, and parenting challenges.
What is her therapeutic style like?
She keeps sessions conversational and goal-focused, combining listening with practical tools drawn from client-centered work, CBT, DBT, mindfulness, and motivational interviewing.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 33 years of professional experience across a variety of settings working with adults and young adults.
What are her credentials and where is she located?
She is a licensed mental health counselor - LMHC - licensed in New York and practices from that state.
In which languages are sessions offered?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available?
She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different schedules and needs.
How are costs handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Begin by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to therapist availability.
More therapists for parents in New York
All in New YorkJudith Lathrop
LMFT
New York 30 years in practice
Family-focused therapist for parents
- Addictions
- Relationship
- Family
Patricia Pardy
LMHC, LCPC
New York 20 years in practice
Understanding, practical therapy for parents
- Stress, Anxiety
- Family
- Self esteem
Velma Jones
LCSW
New York 29 years in practice
Practical, collaborative therapy for stress and parenting
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship
- Trauma and abuse