Debra Sarno, LCSW

Debra Sarno is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) based in New York. She brings 30 years of clinical experience to sessions and focuses on practical ways to reduce stress, manage anxiety, and navigate grief. She also helps people facing parenting challenges, caregiver strain, relationship and family problems, and mood concerns like depression and bipolar disorder.

Her work combines client-centered methods with cognitive behavioral tools and mindfulness exercises. Sessions emphasize clear goals and steady steps that people can try between meetings. She also uses solution-focused strategies and hypnotherapy when appropriate to address specific patterns or stuck points.

Debra trained at Columbia University School of Social Work and completed additional study with the New York Milton H. Erickson Society for Psychotherapy and Hypnosis. She has worked in schools, hospitals, and clinics, and brings that range of experience into treatment planning and problem solving.

People often come with issues like caregiver stress, chronic illness and pain, blended family concerns, communication problems, or career and workplace difficulties. She aims to help clients notice small changes that build toward clearer thinking and more effective coping.

Her approach is collaborative and straightforward. She helps clients set achievable goals, practices techniques in-session, and suggests tools to use at home. Anyone considering therapy should use the Start Therapy button to begin the matching process and schedule a first appointment.

How her approaches translate to online work

Client-centered therapy focuses on listening, building trust, and shaping sessions around each person's needs. It helps when someone needs empathy, regular check-ins, and a space to sort through emotions and decisions.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) offers clear strategies to change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. CBT is useful for anxiety, depression, stress, and many everyday problem patterns because it breaks problems into steps and practices new skills between sessions.

Mindfulness therapy teaches simple attention and breathing practices to reduce reactivity and improve focus. These skills often pair well with CBT to manage mood and stress in daily life.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will work with clients to identify which methods fit their goals and preferences, and will adjust plans as needed. Clients and therapist decide together what to try and how to measure progress.

Session formats are not specified in the biography, so confirm current options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time. People often find it helps them practice skills in real time between meetings and bring real-life examples into sessions.