Mark Duarte, LCSW

Mark Duarte is a California licensed clinical social worker with decades of experience. He helps people who are facing anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship strain, addiction, grief, and identity concerns. He focuses on practical steps that people can use in day-to-day life.

He meets people where they are and listens without judgment. Sessions aim to clarify what matters most and to build simple skills for coping and change. Mark emphasizes respect, sensitivity, and steady support while working toward goals.

His approach blends cognitive behavioral ideas with client-centered listening and skills from dialectical behavior therapy. That means he helps people notice unhelpful thoughts, try new behaviors, and practice emotional regulation. He also attends to questions of meaning and purpose when those come up.

Mark uses a collaborative process to shape the plan for therapy. He works with each person to set clear, realistic steps and to practice them between sessions. Progress is reviewed regularly so the plan can be adjusted as needed.

He brings 46 years of professional experience to his practice in California. People turn to him for support with things like self-esteem, sleep problems, bipolar mood management, caregiver stress, and family of origin issues. His style is straightforward, warm, and focused on what will help in everyday life.

How therapy approaches translate to online care

Mark blends cognitive behavioral techniques with client-centered and dialectical approaches. Cognitive behavioral therapy helps people identify unhelpful thoughts and test small behavior changes to reduce anxiety or depression. Client-centered therapy focuses on being heard and respected so people can better understand their goals and make changes that feel right. Dialectical behavior therapy adds skills for managing strong emotions, improving distress tolerance, and handling intense relationships.

Finding the best approach is a shared process. The therapist will talk with each person about their needs, goals, and preferences, and then shape a plan together. That collaborative planning can include trying different tools and adjusting the mix of skills work, reflective conversation, and problem-solving as needed.

Online formats offer practical flexibility. Video calls support deeper conversation and nonverbal cues, phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in is needed, and live chat or text-based messaging make it easier to fit therapy into a busy day or to continue work between sessions. These options help people access therapy from different locations across California and match the format to what works best for them.