Debra Struzinski, LMFT

Debra Struzinski is a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) practicing in Connecticut. She brings 24 years of clinical experience to sessions and focuses on helping people cope with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and parenting challenges, and trauma and abuse. She emphasizes respectful, compassionate care and listens closely to each person’s concerns.

Her approach is practical and client-centered. She works with people to set clear, realistic goals and adjusts conversation and techniques to fit individual needs. Debra uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help identify and change unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns. She also draws on Internal Family Systems ideas to help clients understand different parts of themselves and how those parts interact.

Motivational Interviewing is part of her toolkit when clients are weighing change, such as addressing addictions or shifting habits. She supports people through life changes like grief, postpartum depression, divorce and career transitions. Debra also addresses concerns tied to adoption and foster care, first responder issues, and compassion fatigue.

Debra prioritizes building a trusting working relationship and tailors the pace to each person. She helps clients managing ADHD, bipolar symptoms, obsessive or compulsive behaviors, and intimacy-related issues by combining conversational work with clear, practical strategies. Her style is straightforward and warm, aimed at helping people make workable changes.

She sees therapy as a collaborative process and invites people to begin by describing what they most want to change. Sessions are grounded in real-life goals and small, achievable steps toward better functioning and greater self-understanding.

How her approaches can work online and in real life

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and building a respectful relationship. The therapist follows the client’s lead, reflects concerns back, and helps people set their own goals. This approach helps when someone needs a calm space to sort through emotions and decide what matters most.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at the link between thoughts, feelings, and actions. It uses practical exercises to test unhelpful thoughts and to develop new behavior patterns that reduce anxiety, depression, and compulsive actions.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will discuss goals and try different strategies to see what fits. Clients and therapist collaborate on which methods to use and how fast to move, adjusting as progress is made.

Confirm the current session options before booking, as formats are not specified here. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when schedules demand. It can also let people work with a licensed professional from their state while balancing family, work, or medical appointments.