Polly Mortensen, LMHC

Polly Mortensen is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) based in New York who brings a warm, client-focused approach to therapy. She holds a master’s degree in Counseling and Community Psychology and has spent two decades supporting people through life’s transitions, stress, and complex challenges. Her experience spans work with individuals facing serious, long-term mental health needs, people living with HIV, children and adults in foster care, survivors of trauma, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

In addition to mental health counseling, Mortensen has extensive experience in vocational and rehabilitation counseling and has served in that role for many years. As a certified rehabilitation counselor she has worked with hundreds of people with diverse abilities on educational and career planning, helping clients identify strengths and take practical steps toward self-sufficiency. Her background gives her a strong grasp of how workplace and disability issues interact with emotional well-being.

Her therapeutic stance is grounded in empathy, life experience, and a blend of evidence-informed methods. She draws from client-centered principles, mindfulness practices, cognitive behavioral strategies, and dialectical skills to tailor care to each person’s needs. Polly focuses on areas such as anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, relationship and family concerns, grief, parenting, ADHD, career questions, and coping with life changes. She aims to help clients locate their inner resilience and move toward meaningful growth and clearer direction.

Therapeutic Approaches for Online Care

Polly Mortensen integrates client-centered therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) into her online practice. Client-centered therapy emphasizes a nonjudgmental, collaborative relationship in which the therapist listens deeply and follows the individual’s lead to uncover personal strengths and values. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and reshaping unhelpful thoughts and behaviors to reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) offers practical skills for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness, which can be especially useful for intense mood shifts and relationship challenges.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and Polly works collaboratively with each person to determine what methods fit best with their goals, needs, and preferences. She tailors techniques over time, combining strategies from different models as appropriate so care remains flexible and responsive.

Online sessions by video, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging offer practical benefits for people juggling work, family, or mobility limitations. These options make it easier to maintain consistent appointments, access support from a familiar setting, and choose the communication style that feels most comfortable. Licensed professionals can deliver the same thoughtful, goal-oriented work remotely, helping clients move toward clearer coping, decision making, and emotional balance.