Marissa O'Connor, LCSW

Marissa O'Connor is a licensed clinical social worker who helps people manage stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, and relationship strain. She also supports those coping with grief, parenting challenges, eating and sleep issues, anger, and major life changes. Marissa draws on practical strategies to help people feel steadier and more in control.

She uses a mix of approaches to match what a person needs in the moment. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is part of her work to identify unhelpful thoughts and try new behaviors. She also uses client-centered methods that focus on listening, and elements of Dialectical Behavior Therapy for building emotion regulation and distress tolerance skills.

Marissa brings seven years of clinical experience from practice in New York. She frames therapy around a person's strengths and goals rather than a list of problems. Sessions are personalized and paced to what a person can handle.

In sessions she emphasizes clear tools and small experiments people can try between meetings. Conversations include skill practice, goal setting, and checking what actually works in daily life. She helps people break big problems into manageable steps.

Her approach suits people who want straightforward, compassionate help and practical strategies. Marissa works in English and offers several online formats to fit different schedules and needs.

How therapeutic approaches adapt to online care

Marissa uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice patterns of thinking that keep them stuck and to test new behaviors. CBT is practical and goal oriented, making it easy to use in conversation, worksheets, or brief video sessions.

She also draws on client-centered therapy, which emphasizes listening and following the person's goals. This approach helps people feel heard and guides collaborative problem solving during sessions. Dialectical Behavior Therapy techniques are used when people need tools to manage strong emotions, reduce impulsive reactions, and increase coping skills.

Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. Marissa will collaborate with each person to choose methods that fit their goals, pace, and preferences. Together they track what is helping and adjust the plan as progress is made.

Online therapy formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video sessions allow face-to-face conversation and screen sharing for worksheets. Phone sessions are useful when bandwidth or camera use is difficult. Live chat and messaging can provide quick check-ins, brief coaching, or support between longer sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy days and different routines.