Dr. Darlene Viggiano, LMFT

Dr. Darlene Viggiano is a licensed clinician who combines decades of clinical work, teaching, and writing to support individuals and families navigating relationship, trauma, addiction, and life transition challenges. She earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology from Saybrook University in 2010 and a Master’s degree in Psychology from National University in 1995, and she holds licensure as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT).

Since the start of her career, with licensure dating back to 1999, she has served in roles that include Intensive Outpatient Program clinician, case manager, and clinical lead supervisor. She has trained paraprofessionals and students in therapeutic methods for treating abuse, addiction, and related clinical concerns, and her clinical practice has included work with adults molested as children, dual diagnosis, perinatal substance abuse, infidelity, and domestic violence. She has also facilitated programs such as Batterers’ Intervention, anger management, couples communication, hypnosis, and mindful movement.

Darlene holds certification in clinical hypnosis from the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis and earlier earned certification in the Duluth Model Batterers’ Intervention. She has presented workshops in Jungian and transpersonal psychology and authored two books - Dreams and Dream-like Experiences: Their role in spiritual emergence processes, and Carrying On: A workbook for women who’ve lost a pregnancy. She is a member of professional organizations including the American Society for Clinical Hypnosis and the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, and she received an Early Career Contribution Award from a professional division focused on hypnosis.

Integrating Attachment and Emotion-Focused Work Online

Dr. Darlene Viggiano often draws on Attachment-Based Therapy to help clients explore how early bonds influence current relationship patterns. This approach looks at needs for connection and safety and supports work on intimacy issues, communication problems, and codependency.

She also uses Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) to help couples and individuals identify and change interaction cycles that maintain distress. EFT focuses on emotions and the ways partners respond to one another, which can be helpful for repairing trust, navigating infidelity, and strengthening bonds.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Dr. Viggiano collaborates with each person to determine which methods fit their goals, preferences, and life circumstances, adjusting strategies as progress unfolds.

Online therapy with Dr. Viggiano is offered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, providing flexibility for people with busy schedules or limited local options. These formats allow ongoing work on relationships, trauma, addiction recovery, and stress management while making sessions more accessible to those balancing caregiving, work, or other responsibilities.