About Debra
Debra Sarno is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) based in New York. She brings 30 years of experience to sessions and focuses on helping people manage anxiety, stress, depression, grief, and related concerns. Her work also addresses parenting strain, relationship and family problems, and phobias.
She draws on client-centered methods to make sessions collaborative and responsive to each person's needs. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is used to identify unhelpful thoughts and build practical coping skills.
Background and approach
Mindfulness techniques and solution-focused tools are woven into work when they fit a person's goals. Debra has worked in clinics, hospitals, and schools, which shaped how she helps people handle life transitions and long-term concerns. She emphasizes clear, achievable goals and small steps that add up to real change.
Sessions tend to focus on immediate problems while also looking at patterns that keep issues recurring. Parents seeking help for caregiving stress, blended family tension, or communication problems will find concrete strategies and steady support. Debra also offers help for people coping with chronic illness, end-of-life stress, workplace issues, and compassion fatigue.
Her approach is practical and calm. She partners with people to decide which methods will work best. That collaboration guides the plan and the pace of work together.
How therapeutic approaches fit into online sessions
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening closely and responding to the person's own goals. It emphasizes empathy and collaboration so the person feels heard and in charge of the pace of work. This approach helps with anxiety, grief, and relationship concerns by building trust and clarity about what to change.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) concentrates on identifying patterns of thinking and behavior that maintain problems. It uses practical exercises and homework to test new ways of thinking and acting, which can help with phobias, anxiety, depression, and mood issues.
Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Debra will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what has helped or not helped in the past. That discussion guides which methods are tried and how quickly the plan changes as progress is made.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video sessions work well for deeper conversations and visual cues. Phone calls are useful when bandwidth is limited or for brief check-ins. Live chat or text messaging can be helpful for short updates, quick skills practice, or when someone prefers written communication. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule and keep continuity between sessions.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Grief
- Parenting issues
Also listed
- ADHD
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Coaching
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Dependent personality
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Intimacy-related issues
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Trauma and abuse
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 30 years
- Licensed
- New York
- Languages
- English
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