Rita Simmonds, LMHC

Rita Simmonds is a licensed mental health counselor who helps people in New York facing anxiety, stress, depression, and trauma. She works with individuals who struggle with self-esteem, grief, addictions, and relationship or intimacy concerns. Rita aims to make therapy straightforward and practical so people can start feeling steadier sooner.

Her approach mixes clear skills practice with open listening. She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to address unhelpful thoughts and build new behaviors. She also draws on client-centered techniques to make sessions focused on what each person most needs.

Rita has five years of clinical experience as an LMHC. She offers EMDR and DBT-informed strategies when trauma or intense emotional regulation are part of the picture. Sessions can include mindfulness exercises and discussions about life purpose or values when those topics matter.

She provides a faith-informed option for clients who want to bring Christian beliefs into their work, and this is always led by the client. Rita pays attention to practical life stressors such as parenting strain, caregiving burdens, chronic illness, work pressures, and changes like separation or loss.

In therapy she helps people set small, manageable goals. She teaches coping tools for anxiety, routines for better sleep and eating, and communication skills for strained relationships. The focus is on clear steps and steady progress.

How Rita's Approaches Work Online

Rita uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice and change thinking and behavior patterns that keep stress and anxiety going. CBT sessions often include specific exercises and homework to practice new skills between meetings.

She also works in a client-centered way that keeps the conversation focused on the person's priorities and experience. This approach creates space to explore values, life purpose, or faith-based concerns when those matters are important to the client.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Rita will collaborate with each person to decide whether CBT, client-centered methods, or DBT-informed strategies make the most sense based on goals, challenges, and preferences. That decision can shift as needs change over time.

Online therapy offers flexibility that can make regular work on problems easier. Video calls let people use visual cues and guided exercises, phone sessions can be a good low-bandwidth option, and live chat or text messaging support shorter check-ins or progress updates between sessions. These formats help people fit therapy into busy days and keep momentum toward their goals.