About Gerard
Gerard Riconda is a licensed clinical social worker with 28 years of experience who helps people facing anxiety, phobias, depression, and life changes. He writes in straightforward terms and focuses on practical steps that families and individuals can use day to day. Gerard is based in New York and offers sessions in English.
He trained at Fordham University School of Social Service where he earned a Master of Social Work.
Background and approach
Early in his career he worked with families and children in the foster care system and spent time as a medical social worker in a rehabilitation hospital. Those roles included supporting amputees and people recovering from stroke and head injuries. Over nearly three decades Gerard has worked with many people who feel stuck, isolated, or overwhelmed.
He often helps people who deal with trauma, grief, relationship strain, compassion fatigue, and mood disorders. He also supports those managing attention challenges, compulsive behaviors, and the practical fallout of major life stressors. In sessions he centers empathy and collaboration.
Gerard uses a mix of approaches and avoids a one-size-fits-all plan. He and the client decide together which techniques fit the person’s goals and daily life. His style is direct and unpretentious.
Sessions focus on clear tools and steady problem solving. Parents reading on a phone will find short explanations and concrete steps they can try between meetings.
Approaches for online care and practical tools
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, focuses on helping people notice unhelpful thoughts and commit to actions that match their values. It is useful for anxiety, phobias, and coping with life changes because it blends acceptance with goal-directed steps.Client-Centered Therapy centers the person’s experience and emphasizes empathy and listening. In this approach the therapist supports the client in finding their own solutions and building confidence to face fears and relationship stress.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at patterns of thought and behavior and teaches specific skills to change unhelpful cycles. It is commonly used for anxiety, mood problems, obsessions and compulsions, and for learning practical coping techniques.
Finding the best approach is part of the work. Gerard will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what feels realistic in day-to-day life. Together they will try methods and adjust the plan based on what helps most.
Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging. Video is helpful for a full conversation and visual cues, phone can fit a quick check-in or low-bandwidth need, and chat or messaging can work for brief problem solving and ongoing support between meetings. These options provide flexibility to fit school, work, or family schedules and make it easier to keep therapy consistent.
Questions people ask
What kinds of difficulties does he address?
What is his therapeutic style like?
How much clinical experience does he have?
What are his credentials and where is he based?
Which languages are sessions offered in?
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What session formats are available?
How are costs and scheduling handled?
What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
Also listed
- ADHD
- Anger management
- Antisocial personality
- Bipolar disorder
- Body image
- Career difficulties
- Co-morbidity
- Coaching
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Depression
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Emptiness
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Grief
- Impulsivity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Relationship issues
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Workplace issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Hypnotherapy
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
- Experience
- 28 years
- Licensed
- New York
- Languages
- English
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