Rebecca Wagner, LMHC

Rebecca Wagner is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) practicing in upstate New York who brings 19 years of experience working with adolescents and families. She offers focused support for a wide range of concerns, including trauma and abuse, parenting and co-parenting challenges, depression, adolescent anxiety, self-harm urges, self-esteem struggles, bipolar disorder, ADHD, stress, grief, relationship and family problems, anger, and life transitions such as the move to adulthood. Rebecca also attends to needs related to adoption and foster care, autism and Asperger Syndrome, communication and family problems, impulsivity, panic attacks, post-traumatic stress, sexual assault and abuse, and other complex stressors.

Her practice is rooted in a client-centered philosophy - she views each person as the expert on their own life and aims to provide practical tools and skills to support meaningful change. She is trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and integrates those approaches when appropriate to meet individual needs. Telehealth is a valued part of her work, allowing for more frequent contact, brief check-ins, and in-the-moment skills coaching that can reinforce progress between sessions.

Rebecca seeks to create a nonjudgmental space for those ready to make changes, and she encourages prospective clients to schedule a session to explore their goals. While her schedule may not show many daytime openings, she asks clients to reach out and schedule appointments to help balance professional commitments and other responsibilities.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Rebecca Wagner integrates client-centered therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) into her online practice in ways that fit each person's needs. Client-centered therapy focuses on listening, empathy, and helping individuals identify their own goals - it is especially helpful for people seeking a supportive space to explore values, identity, and relationship concerns. CBT involves identifying unhelpful thoughts and patterns and learning practical strategies to manage symptoms like anxiety, depression, and panic - it is often used for mood and stress-related issues. DBT teaches specific skills for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and mindfulness, which can be useful for intense emotions, impulsivity, self-harm urges, and relationship difficulties.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Rebecca works with clients to assess their concerns, preferences, and goals, and she adapts techniques from these methods to create a tailored plan. Clients and the therapist decide together which strategies to try and adjust the plan over time as progress is made.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility for people with busy schedules or geographic constraints. Sessions can take place by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging, allowing for regular check-ins, brief skill coaching between appointments, and easier scheduling. This range of options helps licensed professionals and therapists maintain continuity of care while meeting clients where they are.