Marilyn Bryan DeBernardo , LMHC

Marilyn Bryan DeBernardo is a New York licensed mental health professional with 25 years of practice helping adults, families, and loved ones navigate addiction, mental health challenges, and relationship strain. As an LMHC - Licensed Mental Health Counselor - she brings seasoned clinical judgment to work with people facing depression, anxiety, trauma, grief, bipolar disorder, and a wide range of life transitions. She also holds credentials for substance use work, including a Credentialed Alcohol and Substance Use Disorder Counselor credential with a gambling certification (CASAC-G), and a combined OMH and NY OASAS certificate (IMHATT) to support clients with co-occurring disorders.

Her background includes extensive counseling throughout the Capital Region, where she has focused on addictions, codependency, family and blended family issues, parenting, intimacy and attachment concerns, eating and substance use disorders, and caregiver stress. She has long-standing experience addressing both the emotional and behavioral aspects of recovery, helping clients build coping skills and strengthen interpersonal communication.

Marilyn aims to form collaborative therapeutic partnerships that help people move past feelings of powerlessness and toward practical, achievable goals. She combines experience with evidence-informed approaches to guide clients in managing stress, improving relationships, and reclaiming a greater sense of agency. She also assists clients in locating community resources that complement the therapeutic work.

Evidence-Informed Approaches Adapted for Online Care

Marilyn integrates Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) into her online work. ACT helps clients clarify their values and take meaningful action even when difficult thoughts or feelings arise - it is often useful for anxiety, stress, and life transitions. CBT focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking patterns and building practical skills to shift behavior and mood, which can be especially helpful for depression, anxiety, and coping with addictive behaviors.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and Marilyn works collaboratively with each person to determine which methods fit their goals, preferences, and circumstances. She tailors interventions to the individual, blending techniques as needed and checking in regularly to ensure the treatment feels relevant and useful.

Online therapy offers flexible ways to engage with a licensed professional - video sessions, phone appointments, live chat, and text-based messaging make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule or to connect across distances. These options support consistent access to care, allow for varied communication styles, and help clients continue work between sessions in ways that suit their daily life.