Barbara Defazzio, LMHC - Therapist in Florida

About Barbara

Barbara Defazzio is a licensed mental health counselor in Florida with 40 years of experience. She focuses on family and parenting concerns alongside stress, anxiety, trauma, grief, and life transitions. Barbara draws on long clinical experience to help parents and caregivers find practical ways forward.

She speaks English and works with clients both inside and outside the United States. Barbara spent over two decades running a independent practice in Massachusetts, where she concentrated on treatment after sexual abuse and related post-traumatic stress.

Background and approach

Since relocating to Florida she has continued that work, supporting people affected by sexual and physical trauma and those who spent time in the foster care system as children. She has also supported families through post-adoption adjustment and blending children into a household. Her background includes helping people manage anxiety, deal with grief and loss, and work through family conflicts.

She often addresses caregiver stress, communication problems, attachment issues, and the lasting effects of family of origin difficulties. Barbara applies practical methods to reduce symptoms and improve day-to-day functioning. In sessions she uses a mix of familiar approaches such as client-centered work, cognitive behavioral techniques, and trauma-focused strategies.

Motivational interviewing and solution-focused methods are used when clients want concrete steps and short-term goals. Her style is steady and experience-based, aimed at helping parents and families navigate hard situations. Beginning therapy can feel daunting, and Barbara invites that first step.

She guides people through matching and scheduling to begin addressing the problems that matter most.

Practical therapy methods for online family support

Client-centered therapy puts the person's experience first. It means the therapist listens closely, follows the parent's concerns, and helps people make sense of their own feelings. This approach is useful when parents need space to be heard and to build confidence in their parenting choices.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and changing routines that keep problems going. It is often used for anxiety, stress, and day-to-day coping skills and gives concrete tools families can try between sessions.

Trauma-focused therapy directly addresses the effects of past abuse or traumatic events. It combines careful listening with strategies to reduce trauma symptoms and improve safety and functioning in family life.

Finding the right mix of methods is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person or family to choose approaches that match their needs, goals, and preferences. That collaborative process helps set realistic steps and measures progress together.

Online therapy offers flexibility for busy families. Video calls recreate face-to-face conversation, phone sessions work when video is not possible, and live chat or text messaging can support quick check-ins or ongoing coaching between appointments. These formats make it easier to fit consistent care into family schedules and to continue work across distances.

Client-Centered Therapy

The direction comes from you rather than from a set programme. The therapist offers a warm, non-judgemental space to think out loud and work at your own pace. Online, this rests on the relationship rather than on being in the same room.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT looks at the link between what you think, how you feel, and what you do. You work on noticing unhelpful patterns and practising steadier responses. It suits online sessions well, because much of the work happens between appointments and can be talked through from anywhere.

Motivational Interviewing

A way of working through mixed feelings about change without being pushed. The therapist helps you weigh things up and find your own reasons, which often makes a difficult decision feel less stuck.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of problems does she address?

She works with stress, anxiety, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, grief, and coping with life changes. Additional areas include attachment, caregiver stress, adoption and foster care issues, and women's concerns.

How would you describe her therapeutic style?

Her approach is practical and steady, using client-centered conversation along with cognitive behavioral and trauma-focused techniques. She also uses motivational interviewing and solution-focused strategies for goal-oriented work.

What is her professional background?

She has 40 years of clinical experience and ran a independent practice in Massachusetts for over 20 years, with extensive work treating sexual abuse and PTSD related to abuse.

Where is she licensed and based?

Barbara is a licensed mental health counselor in Florida, credentialed as FL LMHC MH6336.

Which languages and geographic clients are supported?

Sessions are offered in English and she accepts international clients.

What session formats are available?

She provides video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different needs and schedules.

How does payment and cost work?

Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.

How do I begin therapy with her?

Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and then scheduling according to the therapist's availability.

Specialties and expertise

Top specialties

Also works with

Therapeutic approaches

Experience: 40 years
Licensed: Florida
Languages: English

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