Profile / United States
Darlene Kelly, LCSW
Louisiana
LCSW - Anxiety and Trauma focus
See online therapy options- CBT and ACT
- Attachment-informed work
- Client-centered care
About Darlene
Darlene Kelly is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with 24 years of experience. She works with people dealing with anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, relationship concerns, parenting stress, and other life challenges. Sessions are offered in English and she accepts international clients.
Kelly describes her role as a steady listener who allows people to speak openly about hard experiences. She focuses on practical ways to notice unhelpful thoughts and habits and try different responses. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the approaches she uses alongside acceptance and commitment methods and attachment-informed work.
In sessions she encourages people to name what they are feeling and to practice small, repeatable skills between meetings. That may include noticing thoughts that raise anxiety, testing a belief with an experiment, or using grounding and distress-tolerance skills when emotions run high. Conversations are straightforward and focused on what can be tried next.
Kelly also brings experience with grief, addictions, sleep and eating concerns, ADHD, bipolar and chronic illness issues. She works with problems that affect everyday functioning, such as work stress, caregiving strain, body image and intimacy-related issues. She lists client-centered and dialectical approaches among the methods she uses to help people manage intense emotions.
Her stated aim is to help people move forward rather than erase the past. To begin, she asks people to say what matters most to them and then to set clear, achievable steps. The process emphasizes practical change and regular review of progress.
How therapeutic approaches translate to online sessions
CBT focuses on identifying and testing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. In practice this looks like tracking thought patterns, trying brief behavioral experiments, and reviewing results in the next session. It is often used for anxiety, depression, stress, and sleep or eating concerns.Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) uses values and committed actions to guide change. It helps people notice internal experiences without letting them dictate behavior and choose small steps aligned with what matters. Attachment-Based Therapy addresses relational patterns that shape how people connect and respond in close relationships, and it can help with intimacy, abandonment, and relationship stress.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will discuss which methods match a person's needs, goals, and preferences and will adjust the plan collaboratively as sessions progress. That conversation guides whether more CBT-focused skill work or values-based ACT exercises are emphasized.
The original profile does not specify session formats, so confirm the options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit appointments into a busy week, reduce travel time, and allow brief check-ins when needed. Ask about practical arrangements and whether particular approaches or exercises will be used between sessions.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
24+ years
Listed in
Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she address most often?
She works with anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, relationship and parenting concerns, grief, addictions, and related challenges listed in her profile.
How does she use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
She uses CBT to help people notice unhelpful thoughts and try different ways of responding. That often involves practice between sessions and small behavioral experiments.
What is her professional background?
She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 24 years of experience working with adults across a range of concerns.
Where is she based and licensed?
She is based in Louisiana and holds the LCSW credential as listed in her profile.
Which languages and international clients are supported?
Sessions are offered in English and she accepts international clients.
What session formats are available?
The original profile does not list specific session formats. Confirm current session options before booking.
How are fees handled?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I get started?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are not safe, use the crisis numbers.