- Attachment-focused care
- Practical emotion skills
- Addiction and trauma
About Darlene
Dr. Darlene Viggiano is a licensed marriage and family therapist with 18 years of clinical experience. She helps people navigate relationship strain, codependency, trauma, grief, anxiety, addiction, and parenting stress. She works with individuals facing major life changes and persistent mood or stress concerns.
Her style is practical and relational. Sessions focus on improving communication, understanding patterns from family of origin, and building tools to manage emotions and cravings. She blends attachment-based ideas with emotion-focused work and cognitive-behavioral strategies to help clients change what isn’t working.
Dr. Viggiano holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology from Saybrook University and a Master’s in Psychology from National University. She has experience as an Intensive Outpatient Program clinician, case manager, and clinical lead supervisor. Over her career she has led trainings for paraprofessionals and students on abuse and addiction topics.
Her past clinical roles included work with adults who were molested as children, batterers’ intervention, dual diagnosis, infidelity, and perinatal substance abuse. She has facilitated anger management, couples communication, hypnosis, and mindful movement groups in clinical settings.
She has written two books on dreams and pregnancy loss and maintains professional memberships related to clinical hypnosis and marriage and family therapy. People who value a therapist who mixes relational insight with practical skills may find her approach useful.
Approach-oriented online care and how it helps
Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on how past relationships shape current connections. It looks at patterns of closeness, trust, and distance and helps people reshape those patterns to feel safer in relationships.Emotionally-Focused Therapy helps people identify and name core feelings and the interaction patterns they drive. It is often used for relationship and intimacy struggles where emotions and reactions keep repeating.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) breaks down thoughts, feelings, and behaviors into steps you can change. It is useful for anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and many stress-related concerns.
Finding the best approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to choose which methods fit their goals, needs, and preferences. Plans can change over time as new challenges or gains appear.
Online therapy can make it easier to fit help into a busy life. Confirm which session formats she offers before booking, since formats were not specified in the biography. Many people find remote sessions save travel time, allow shorter check-ins during the day, and let them meet with a licensed professional from different locations. Discuss practical scheduling needs when you sign up so sessions align with your routine and goals.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
18+ years
Credentials
California
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she help with?
She addresses relationship problems, codependency, trauma and abuse, grief, anxiety, depression, and addiction-related issues among other areas listed in her specialties.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her approach is relational and practical, combining attachment-based perspectives with emotion-focused and cognitive-behavioral techniques to improve understanding and coping.
What is her clinical background?
She earned a PhD in Psychology and a master’s degree, and has 18 years of clinical experience including roles in intensive outpatient programs and clinical supervision.
What credentials and region are listed for this therapist?
She is an LMFT licensed in California and holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology from Saybrook University.
Are sessions offered in other languages or internationally?
Sessions are offered in English, and she is not accepting international clients at this time.
What session formats are available?
The original biography does not specify session formats; please confirm current session options before booking to know which formats she currently provides.
How are fees and costs handled?
Costs vary with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Use the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist 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.