Polly Mortensen, LMHC

Polly Mortensen is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with 21 years of experience in counseling and vocational rehabilitation. She practices in New York and brings a calm, practical presence to sessions. Polly focuses on helping people find their own strengths and move forward when life feels overwhelming.

She has a background working in outpatient day treatment and home-based therapy programs, including work with people living with HIV and those in foster care. Her career also includes 14 years in vocational and rehabilitation counseling in New York and Florida, where she supported people with disabilities in pursuing education and work goals.

Polly uses straightforward, person-focused methods in sessions. She blends client-centered listening with techniques from cognitive behavioral approaches and mindfulness. Sessions usually aim to identify small, doable steps rather than quick fixes.

People reach out to her for a wide range of concerns, including stress, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship and family difficulties, parenting strain, chronic illness and pain, and life transitions. She also works with issues like ADHD, compassion fatigue, and identity matters related to LGBT experiences.

In addition to therapy, Polly offers practical help around career and educational choices. She encourages clients to try strategies between sessions and to check what’s working. Her style is warm, steady, and focused on real-life change.

How Polly Uses Talk, Skill Work, and Mindfulness Online

Polly often draws on client-centered approaches that start with listening closely to the person and shaping sessions around their priorities. This approach helps when someone needs a steady, empathetic space to sort through present problems and set realistic goals.

She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which looks at how thoughts, feelings, and actions connect. CBT helps with anxiety, depression, and unhelpful thinking patterns by teaching practical tools and small behavior changes to try between meetings.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy techniques are used selectively to teach emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and clearer communication. These skills are useful for people who want stronger ways to cope in intense moments and improve relationships.

Finding the best approach is part of the work together. Polly will collaborate with each person to choose methods that match their needs, goals, and preferences, adjusting pacing and focus as progress is made.

Confirm the specific online session options before booking, since the biography does not list formats. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy day, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time. It also lets clients apply skills in real-life settings between meetings while still getting therapist support.