Debra Sarno, LCSW

Debra Sarno is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) based in New York. She brings 30 years of practice to help people facing stress, anxiety, grief, parenting challenges, and health-related life changes. Her style is down-to-earth and focused on practical steps people can use right away.

Debra learned clinical work at Columbia University School of Social Work and completed additional study with the New York Milton H. Erickson Society for Psychotherapy and Hypnosis. She has also worked as a school social worker and holds certification as a school social worker. Her career includes roles in clinics, hospitals, and schools.

In sessions she combines client-centered care with mindful strategies and structured tools from cognitive behavioral approaches. She also uses solution-focused methods to set clear goals and shorter-term plans. Hypnotherapy is part of her skill set and is offered as an option when appropriate for a person’s goals.

People come to her for help with chronic pain, illness, caregiving stress, mood disorders, relationship and intimacy concerns, workplace strain, and parenting challenges. She also supports those coping with bereavement, life transitions, and compassion fatigue. Debra works with a broad range of emotional and practical problems, including attention-related concerns and bipolar and mood disorders.

Her practice emphasizes collaboration. She helps people build coping skills, sharpen communication, and set achievable steps toward better daily functioning. The focus is on realistic change that fits each person’s life and priorities.

How her approaches translate to online care

Client-centered therapy focuses on the person’s needs and pace. The therapist listens, reflects, and helps people name what matters most so sessions follow the client’s priorities. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at patterns of thinking and behavior. It uses practical exercises and small experiments to test new ways of coping with anxiety, mood issues, and stress.

Finding the right approach is treated as a team effort. The therapist will discuss goals, try techniques, and adjust methods based on how a person responds. That collaborative process helps identify whether mindfulness practices, CBT exercises, hypnotherapy, or solution-focused steps fit best for a particular concern.

Confirm current session options before booking so you know how she is offering care. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, reduce time spent traveling, and allow shorter check-ins when schedules require them. It also lets people use tools like guided mindfulness exercises and worksheets between meetings to keep progress moving forward.