- Focus on codependency
- Practical coping skills
- Collaborative goal setting
About Marilyn
Marilyn Bryan DeBernardo is a New York Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) with 25 years of experience. She focuses on people wrestling with stress, anxiety, addiction, depression, grief, relationship strain, and codependency. She aims to form a practical partnership that helps people take the first step toward change.
Marilyn helps adults who are coping with substance use concerns and the ripple effects those problems create. She also supports people facing trauma, family conflict, intimacy challenges, and major life transitions. Her work often includes addressing anger, self-esteem, eating concerns, and career stress.
In sessions she uses straightforward, evidence-informed methods to help people learn new skills and shift unhelpful patterns. She draws on approaches like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, and Emotionally-Focused Therapy depending on what each person needs.
Her background includes long-term counseling experience in New York and substantial work with addiction-related issues and co-occurring mental health concerns. That history shapes a practical focus on coping tools, clear communication, and realistic steps people can take between sessions.
People who choose Marilyn can expect a collaborative relationship that addresses both symptoms and everyday challenges. She encourages goal-setting and connects clients to community resources when useful. Those interested in working together are asked to complete the site's Start Therapy process to begin matching and scheduling.
How therapeutic approaches translate to online work
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on identifying what matters to a person and taking values-driven action. It helps with anxiety, depression, and life transitions by teaching strategies to accept difficult feelings while moving toward meaningful goals. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It is useful for anxiety, depression, and patterns linked to addiction and codependency because it teaches practical skills to change unhelpful thoughts and routines. Client-Centered Therapy centers the person's experience and emphasizes empathy, active listening, and collaboration to help someone feel heard and clarify goals.Finding the right approach is part of the work. Marilyn will talk with each person about their needs and preferences and then recommend or blend methods that seem most useful. That decision is collaborative and can change as progress is made.
If you are considering online sessions, confirm the specific formats available before booking since the biography does not list them. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule, reduce commute time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. Licensed professionals can use straightforward strategies and structured exercises in virtual sessions, and Marilyn can adapt ACT, CBT, or client-centered work to remote settings to focus on skills, coping, and goal progress.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
25+ years
Credentials
New York
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does Marilyn address?
She works with stress, anxiety, addictions, depression, grief, relationship and family challenges, trauma, codependency, and related issues such as anger, eating concerns, ADHD, and bipolar-related struggles.
What is Marilyn's therapeutic style?
Her approach is collaborative and practical. She uses skills-based methods and person-centered listening to help people set goals and try new ways of coping.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She brings 25 years of experience as a licensed mental health counselor working with addiction and mental health concerns in New York.
What credentials and location are listed?
She is a New York Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) based in New York.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English, and she accepts international clients.
What session formats are available?
Session formats are not specified in the biography; please confirm current session options before booking.
How does pricing work?
Cost varies by location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with Marilyn?
Use the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to the therapist's availability.
Profile details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. Credential and registration rules differ between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.