Polly Mortensen, LMHC

Polly Mortensen is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with 21 years of experience helping people navigate hard times. She practices in New York and draws on a mix of practical counseling methods and life experience to meet each person's needs. Polly listens with warmth and calm so clients can start to make changes that matter.

Her background includes work in psychiatric rehabilitation programs and home-based therapy for people with HIV. She has supported people who have experienced trauma and has experience with foster care populations. Polly also spent many years in vocational and rehabilitation counseling, helping people make educational and career decisions.

Polly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Client-Centered therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, mindfulness, and motivational interviewing depending on what a person needs. Sessions are tailored to the individual and focus on small, practical steps that add up over time. She often blends skills practice, reflective conversation, and goal-setting to address stress, anxiety, depression, and life transitions.

Common concerns she works with include relationship and family strain, grief, parenting challenges, ADHD, compassion fatigue, and career stress. She also supports people dealing with trauma, anger, bipolar concerns, body image, and caregiving stress. Polly aims to help clients find their strengths and build routines that support daily functioning.

People who appreciate a gentle, straightforward approach tend to fit well with her style. She invites collaboration and keeps the focus on what clients want to change. Her goal is to help people grow more confident and better able to handle life’s challenges.

How therapy approaches translate to online care

Polly often uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Client-Centered strategies in her work. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new behaviors to reduce symptoms like anxiety or depression. Client-Centered approaches prioritize listening, empathy, and helping the person direct the pace and goals of therapy.

She may also draw on Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills when emotions feel overwhelming. DBT skills include emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness that are useful for managing strong feelings and improving communication.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. Polly will talk with each person about their goals, preferences, and day-to-day concerns, and then suggest a mix of methods that fit. This is a collaborative decision so adjustments can be made as work progresses.

Online therapy offers flexibility for different needs and schedules. Video calls allow face-to-face conversations and skills demonstrations. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or when a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and text-based messaging suit people who prefer written check-ins, want coaching between sessions, or need a way to exchange brief updates. These options help people make therapy fit into work, school, or caregiving routines.