About Debra
Debra Sarno is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) practicing in New York. She brings three decades of experience to conversations about stress, anxiety, grief, and life transitions. Debra focuses on helping people find practical ways to cope and move forward.
She trained at Columbia University School of Social Work and studied with the New York Milton H. Erickson Society for Psychotherapy and Hypnosis. Over the years she has worked in clinics, hospitals, and schools, which gave her exposure to many different kinds of problems and settings.
Background and approach
Those experiences shape how she supports people now. Debra uses simple, evidence-informed methods to address everyday struggles. She draws on client-centered principles to follow each person's priorities.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps people spot unhelpful thoughts and change patterns that feed anxiety or depression. Mindfulness practices are offered to ease stress and increase calm. Solution-Focused Therapy helps set short-term, achievable goals so progress can be noticed quickly.
Hypnotherapy is also part of her approach for people who find it useful as a tool to access focus and relaxation. Sessions are practical and collaborative. Debra helps clients build skills for parenting challenges, workplace stress, relationship strain, and caregiving burdens.
She also supports people dealing with chronic illness, grief, mood concerns, and trauma-related issues. Her work tends to be straightforward and goal-oriented. Together with each person she crafts a plan that matches their needs and pace, aiming for steady, manageable change.
Approaches that fit your life online
Debra commonly combines Client-Centered Therapy with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to address anxiety and stress. Client-Centered Therapy centers the conversation on what matters most to the person and builds from their strengths. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on identifying patterns of thought and behavior that increase distress and teaching practical steps to change them.She also uses Mindfulness Therapy to help people notice tension and practice simple calming skills. Mindfulness exercises can be short and easy to use during a busy day, helping lower reactivity and improve focus. These approaches are chosen to match the issue at hand and the person's preferences, and she works together with each person to find the best fit for their goals.
Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to make therapy flexible. Video is useful for a full conversation and visual cues. Phone sessions need less bandwidth and can be easier to fit into a work break. Live chat or text messaging suits quick check-ins, brief problem-solving, or when writing feels more comfortable. These options let people use therapy in ways that fit their schedule and daily life.
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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