- Person-centered approach
- Practical skill-building
- Affirming care
About Natalie
Natalie Cruz is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) practicing in New York. She helps people through hard periods like depression, anxiety, stress, and relationship strain. Her style is warm and collaborative, focused on practical steps that fit daily life.
She uses a person-centered way of working that starts with listening. Sessions focus on what matters most to each person and on building skills they can use between meetings. Natalie draws from approaches like acceptance and commitment therapy, cognitive behavioral strategies, dialectical behavior techniques, and mindfulness work.
Natalie pays attention to how attachment, identity, and social isolation affect wellbeing. She also supports people facing mood disorders, ADHD, codependency, and challenges related to caregiving or aging. Conversations often include communication skills, boundaries, and managing intense emotions.
Her practice emphasizes culturally responsive and affirming care. Natalie is experienced supporting LGBTQ+ clients and people from diverse backgrounds. She aims to make the therapy space nonjudgmental and respectful of each person's story.
Therapy with Natalie is collaborative and paced to the individual. She helps people notice patterns, try new behaviors, and build habits that reduce distress. The focus is on clear, doable steps toward more stable functioning and better relationships.
How therapeutic approaches guide online work
Natalie commonly draws on acceptance and commitment therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy in her work. Acceptance and commitment therapy helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them while focusing on actions that match their values. Cognitive behavioral therapy looks at the link between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and helps people test and change unhelpful patterns.Finding the right approach is part of the process and happens together. The therapist will ask about goals, preferences, and day-to-day routines, and then suggest methods to try. Sessions often blend approaches so the work fits each person's needs rather than following a fixed plan.
If you are considering online sessions, confirm the current session options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules, cut down travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. It can also let people use mindfulness practices or skills coaching in the moment. Discuss format and scheduling during the initial matching so sessions match your life and goals.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
5+ years
Credentials
New York
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What issues does Natalie address in sessions?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship strain, bipolar disorder, and ADHD. Other areas include codependency, attachment matters, caregiving stress, and eating or identity-related concerns.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her approach is collaborative and person-centered. She listens first, then uses practical strategies from evidence-based methods to help people make changes.
What is her clinical experience?
Natalie has five years of professional experience as a practicing clinician. That experience includes working with mood disorders and relationship challenges.
What credentials does she hold and where is she based?
She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW, with a New York license and practices in New York.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can international clients work with her?
She is not accepting international clients at this time.
How does cost and billing work?
Cost varies 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 then 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.