Darlene Kelly, LCSW
Practical, experienced LCSW for life transitions
Continue with Darlene
Opens BetterHelp in a new tab, where you can review online therapy options.
- Collaborative listener
- Values-focused work
- Skill building
About Darlene
Darlene Kelly is an LCSW who uses a practical, person-centered approach to help people navigate difficult life chapters. She creates a calm space where clients can speak honestly, be heard without judgment, and consider next steps. Reaching out can feel hard, and she emphasizes steady support while you work through change.
With 24 years of experience, she brings long practice helping people with relationship and personal struggles. She has worked alongside people facing anxiety, depression, bipolar concerns, trauma and abuse, and issues tied to identity such as LGBT concerns. Career shifts, parenting stress, grief, and midlife transitions are also areas she addresses.
Her style blends client-centered listening with evidence-based tools. She draws on cognitive behavioral techniques to challenge unhelpful thinking and on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to clarify values and take workable steps. Attachment-based ideas and skills from dialectical behavior therapy are used when emotional patterns and relationships are central.
Sessions focus on concrete goals and small, usable changes. She helps people build coping skills for stress, manage anger, improve sleep and eating patterns, and address addictions or ADHD-related struggles. Work may also involve processing loss, managing caregiving strain, or sorting complex relationship patterns.
Darlene aims to help each person find realistic ways forward. She emphasizes collaboration, listening first, and tailoring steps to what fits a client's life and goals.
With 24 years of experience, she brings long practice helping people with relationship and personal struggles. She has worked alongside people facing anxiety, depression, bipolar concerns, trauma and abuse, and issues tied to identity such as LGBT concerns. Career shifts, parenting stress, grief, and midlife transitions are also areas she addresses.
Her style blends client-centered listening with evidence-based tools. She draws on cognitive behavioral techniques to challenge unhelpful thinking and on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to clarify values and take workable steps. Attachment-based ideas and skills from dialectical behavior therapy are used when emotional patterns and relationships are central.
Sessions focus on concrete goals and small, usable changes. She helps people build coping skills for stress, manage anger, improve sleep and eating patterns, and address addictions or ADHD-related struggles. Work may also involve processing loss, managing caregiving strain, or sorting complex relationship patterns.
Darlene aims to help each person find realistic ways forward. She emphasizes collaboration, listening first, and tailoring steps to what fits a client's life and goals.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Stress, AnxietyAddictionsRelationship issuesFamily conflictsGriefIntimacy-related issuesEating disordersSleeping disordersAnger managementSelf esteemBipolar disorderDepressionCoachingCompassion fatigueADHD
Additional focus areas
AbandonmentAdoption and foster careAging and geriatric issuesAntisocial personalityAttachment issuesAutism and Asperger SyndromeAvoidant personalityBlended family issuesBody imageCancerCaregiver issues and stressChronic pain, illness, and disabilityCo-morbidityCodependencyCommitment issuesCommunication problemsControl issuesCoping with natural or human-caused disasterDependent personalityDisruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)DissociationDivorce and separationDomestic violenceDrug and alcohol addictionEating and food-related issuesEmptinessFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFatherhood issuesFertility issuesFirst responder issuesForgivenessGender dysphoriaGuilt and shameHIV / AIDSHoardingHospice and end-of-life counselingImmigration issuesImpulsivityInfidelityIntellectual disabilityIsolation / lonelinessJealousyLife purposeMen's issuesMidlife crisisVeteran and Armed Forces IssuesMoney and financial issuesMood disordersMulticultural concernsNarcissismObsessions, compulsions, and OCDPanic disorder and panic attacksParanoiaPersonality disordersPhobiasPostpartum depressionPost-traumatic stressPregnancy and childbirthPrejudice and discriminationProcess addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-harmSelf-loveSex addictionSexual assault and abuseSexual dysfunctionSexualitySmoking / vaping cessationSocial anxiety and phobiaSomatizationTraumatic brain injuryTrichotillomaniaWomen's issuesWorkplace issuesYoung adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)Attachment-Based TherapyClient-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)Existential TherapyGottman MethodImago Relationship TherapyJungian TherapyMindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingNarrative TherapyPsychodynamic TherapySolution-Focused TherapySomatic TherapyTrauma-Focused TherapyInternal Family SystemsSystemic Therapy
Experience
24+ years
Credentials
Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi
Languages
English
How Darlene’s approaches translate to online therapy
Many of Darlene's central methods can be used effectively in remote sessions. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people identify what matters most to them and practice small, value-driven steps; it suits life changes, stress, and decisions about work or relationships. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on spotting and testing unhelpful thoughts and building new habits, which is often helpful for anxiety, depression, and sleep or eating concerns. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early patterns affect current relationships and supports clearer communication and safer emotional connections.Choosing the right approach is collaborative. The therapist will listen to your goals and preferences and suggest methods that match your needs. You can try different techniques and adjust the plan as you see what helps most.
The profile does not list specific session formats, so confirm available options before booking. In general, online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life - for example by avoiding travel time, allowing shorter check-ins, or offering options when camera use is difficult. Licensed professionals can use a mix of conversational work, practical exercises, and between-session tasks to keep progress moving even when meeting remotely.
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she help with?
Darlene works with a wide range of issues including anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, relationship and intimacy concerns, addictions, grief, parenting stress, career shifts, and midlife transitions.
What is her general therapy style?
She blends client-centered listening with practical tools. That means you are heard first, then offered techniques from approaches like CBT and ACT to make measurable changes.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 24 years of experience working in therapy settings and with people across many life stages and concerns.
What credentials and location are listed?
She is an LCSW and practices out of Louisiana as listed in her profile.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English and international clients are accepted.
What session formats are available?
The original biography does not specify session formats, so please confirm current session options before booking.
How is cost handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability, and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working together?
Select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule according to therapist availability.