Darlene Schmitt, LMHC

Darlene Schmitt is a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) based in New York with 33 years of clinical experience. She focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, addictions, mood concerns, and relationship struggles. Darlene aims to create a calm, nonjudgmental space where people can speak honestly and start making changes.

Her approach is practical and person-focused. She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help people identify unhelpful thoughts and try new behaviors. She also draws on client-centered methods to listen closely and follow each person’s pace.

Darlene works with issues that often come with life transitions. These include grief, parenting strain, career stress, and problems tied to family of origin. She also supports people facing trauma, sexual assault, eating concerns, and self-harm urges.

She brings tools from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and mindfulness to help regulate intense emotions and build coping skills. Motivational Interviewing is used when people want to find reasons and energy to change habits like substance use.

Sessions are offered in English and are available by video, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging. Practical goals and small steps are emphasized so progress feels doable.

Darlene encourages a collaborative process: she and the person set goals together and adjust the plan as needs change. Her style is steady, straightforward, and focused on what helps in daily life.

How Darlene’s Approaches Translate to Online Care

Darlene uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help people notice and change thought patterns that keep them stuck; CBT works well for anxiety, depression, panic, and obsessive worries. She also draws on Client-Centered Therapy to keep conversations focused on the person’s experience, offering steady listening and support while clients set their own pace. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) techniques are used when strong emotions or repeated behaviors need practical skills like distress tolerance and emotion regulation.

Choosing an approach is a shared process. Darlene will discuss goals and preferences and suggest techniques that fit the situation. Together they track what helps and shift the plan as progress is made.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video sessions allow face-to-face conversation and skill coaching, phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited, live chat works well for quick check-ins, and texting supports ongoing brief reflection between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life and to keep consistent momentum toward goals.