Dara Damico, LCSW

Dara Damico is a licensed clinical social worker with 26 years of experience helping people who feel overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, depression, addiction, or trauma. She practices in New York and focuses on practical strategies clients can use day to day. Dara speaks English and draws on many therapeutic tools to match each person's needs.

She keeps sessions straightforward and collaborative. Dara listens first, then helps clients identify small changes that lead to steadier moods and clearer thinking. She uses methods that include cognitive behavioral work, emotion-focused techniques, and mindfulness skills to help people manage symptoms and improve relationships.

Clients often bring concerns such as trouble sleeping, low self-esteem, panic, obsessive thoughts, or struggles with substance use. Dara also supports people facing life changes, caregiver stress, identity questions, and issues like body image or abandonment. She pays attention to how past hurts affect present choices and safety in relationships.

In therapy she blends practical skill-building with deeper emotional work. Skills from dialectical behavior therapy are used to manage intense emotions and reduce impulsive reactions. Cognitive-behavioral approaches help reframe unhelpful thinking and create new behavior patterns.

Dara aims to make therapy a place to practice new habits and unpack difficult memories at a manageable pace. She helps clients set realistic goals, track progress, and adjust strategies as life shifts. The result is steady, usable change rather than quick fixes.

Evidence-based approaches available online

Dara often uses cognitive behavioral therapy to help people notice and change unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviors; this approach is practical for anxiety, depression, panic, and OCD-type concerns. She also draws on client-centered therapy, which emphasizes listening and supporting each person's goals so therapy follows the client's pace and priorities. Dialectical behavior therapy tools are used when strong emotions or impulsive behaviors get in the way, teaching concrete skills for distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.

Figuring out which approach fits best is part of the work together. Dara will review your needs, goals, and preferences and then suggest a path that mixes skill practice and deeper emotional processing. The plan can shift over time as goals change or progress is made, and she collaborates with clients to keep the focus useful and realistic.

Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to provide flexible access. Video calls let you work face to face from different locations. Phone sessions take less bandwidth and can fit a break at work. Live chat and text messaging are useful for short check-ins, homework support, or when written reflection feels easier. These options make it simpler to keep continuity of care amid busy schedules and life transitions.