Darlene Dezso, LICSW

Darlene Dezso is an Alabama-licensed clinical social worker (LICSW) with 35 years of experience. She helps people cope with stress, anxiety, grief, trauma and past abuse, low self-esteem, mild to moderate depression, and relationship concerns. She also works with those facing burnout and compassion fatigue and people who struggle with codependency and finding life purpose.

Darlene keeps sessions straightforward and practical. She listens closely and helps clients name what is happening in their lives. Conversations focus on what feels stuck and on small, doable steps toward clearer thinking and steadier emotions.

Her approach draws on client-centered work, cognitive behavioral ideas, and emotion-focused techniques. That means sessions include time to talk through feelings, notice unhelpful thinking patterns, and practice new ways to respond in tense moments. She also brings skills from dialectical behavior and existential ideas when they fit the client’s goals.

In a typical meeting she will reflect what she hears, offer tools you can try between sessions, and check what’s working. Sessions can address practical problems like setting limits, coping with loss, and managing anxiety symptoms. The focus is on helping people regain a clearer sense of themselves and make choices that feel right.

Darlene has spent most of her career in private practice. People come to her for help sorting family of origin issues, communication problems, isolation or loneliness, and challenges linked to first responder or veteran experiences. She conducts work in English and practices in Alabama.

Therapeutic approaches and how they work online