Rita Simmonds, LMHC

Rita Simmonds is a licensed mental health counselor practicing in New York. She helps people who are dealing with anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, and struggles with self-esteem. Rita also supports clients facing life changes, relationship and intimacy concerns, and stress related to caregiving, chronic illness, or medical challenges.

Rita uses a mix of practical talking and learning skills to help people manage day-to-day stress. She draws on client-centered methods to make sessions focused on each person’s goals. Cognitive behavioral techniques are used to spot unhelpful thinking and try new ways of coping.

For those with trauma history, she includes Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR, as one approach to reduce the intensity of painful memories. Dialectical behavior therapy ideas are used when emotion regulation and distress tolerance skills are needed. Existential perspectives are woven in when clients want to examine meaning, values, and life purpose.

Rita notes that faith can be part of therapy for people who find a Christian-informed perspective helpful; this is guided by the client and never imposed. She pays attention to issues that often come up for men and women, including identity, pregnancy and transition-related stress.

With five years of clinical experience and a New York LMHC credential, Rita focuses on building practical coping strategies. People can expect collaborative sessions that aim to reduce suffering and help them move toward values-based living.

How Rita's approaches translate to online therapy

Rita often blends client-centered work with cognitive behavioral strategies and EMDR. Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and shaping sessions around what matters most to the person, which helps prioritize pressing concerns during online meetings. Cognitive behavioral therapy involves identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new behaviors, useful for tackling anxiety, sleep problems, or mood shifts through structured homework and short check-ins. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR, is used for people with trauma histories to reduce the intensity of distressing memories; when offered online, it includes guided bilateral stimulation alongside narrative work.

Choosing an approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will discuss goals and preferences, try methods that fit the client's needs, and adjust the plan as progress is made. Clients are encouraged to speak up about what helps and what does not so sessions stay aligned with their priorities.

Session formats are not specified here, so confirm current options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy day, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. It also lets people continue care if life circumstances change, while the therapist focuses on practical coping, skills practice, and processing difficult feelings in a flexible way.