Renee DeVuyst, LMHC

Renee DeVuyst is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) practicing in New York with 18 years of experience supporting people through a wide range of mental health and substance use concerns. She earned a master’s degree in Counselor Education from SUNY Brockport in May 2002, received NBCC certification in 2003, and obtained New York state licensure in 2006 (NY LMHC 000640-01). The LMHC credential indicates formal training and licensure to provide mental health counseling services.

Renee’s work is informed by an integrative, person-centered stance that emphasizes empathy, genuineness, and unconditional positive regard. She blends motivational interviewing and strength-based perspectives with cognitive behavioral techniques when appropriate, helping clients build insight, identify patterns, and plan for meaningful change. Her style is engaged and interactive - she validates thoughts and feelings while also offering challenges that promote self-awareness and alignment between values and actions.

Over her career she has worked with individuals facing grief and loss, anxiety, stress, trauma, domestic violence, sexual abuse, and substance-related issues, and she has facilitated treatment for sexual offenders and perpetrators of domestic violence. Renee is experienced across communication platforms and offers therapy by text, live chat, phone, and video. She meets clients where they are and collaborates on the path forward.

Integrative approaches applied to online care

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on creating an accepting, empathetic space where clients explore their own experiences and values. This approach supports self-exploration, relationship concerns, self-esteem work, and coping with life changes by prioritizing the client’s perspective and autonomy.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps clients identify and shift unhelpful patterns of thinking and behavior. It is practical and goal oriented, often used for anxiety, depression, stress management, and planning concrete steps toward recovery or change.

Motivational Interviewing is a collaborative method for addressing ambivalence and building readiness for change. It is especially useful when someone is weighing difficult choices or working on behavioral shifts such as substance use or other habit changes.

Finding the right therapeutic approach is part of the process. Renee works collaboratively with each person to tailor methods to their needs, goals, and preferences, adjusting techniques over time until a good fit is reached.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility - video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging allow access to licensed professionals across different schedules and life situations. These options make it easier to engage in regular care, maintain momentum between sessions, and fit therapy into a busy life.