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DI Portrait of Damara Israel

Damara Israel

Evidence-informed care for life transitions

LCSW, LISW-CP New York

Experience
12 years in practice
Focus areas
Addictions, Career, Coping with life changes
Approaches
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Languages
English
Continue with Damara

About Damara

Damara Israel is a licensed clinical social worker who has spent 12 years helping people navigate major life changes, professional challenges, and intense emotions.

Background and approach

Based in New York, she draws on practical, evidence-informed methods to support clients working through grief, addiction issues, anger, and career transitions while fostering greater self-understanding and resilience. Her clinical work emphasizes building communication skills, addressing feelings of isolation or shame, and reducing impulsive patterns that interfere with daily life.

Damara integrates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy alongside DBT strategies and mindfulness practices to offer tools for coping, emotion regulation, and clearer decision making. She also uses motivational interviewing techniques to support clients who are ready for change but uncertain how to begin.

Damara brings a trauma-informed, culturally responsive perspective to sessions and tailors interventions to each person’s goals. She works with concerns ranging from family and relationship problems to body image, midlife questions, and compassion fatigue, helping clients move toward increased clarity, purposeful action, and healthier patterns.

Therapeutic approaches adapted for online care

Damara commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help clients identify unhelpful thoughts and test new behaviors; this approach is practical for concerns like anxiety, depression, and patterns that interfere with daily functioning. She also draws on Dialectical Behavior Therapy techniques to teach emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness skills useful for managing strong emotions and impulsive responses.

Choosing the right approach is collaborative. Damara works together with each person to consider their goals, preferences, and what feels most useful, adjusting methods as progress unfolds so that interventions fit the client rather than the other way around.

Online therapy offers flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, which can make it easier to fit consistent care into a busy schedule and to access support from home or work. These options allow for a mix of real-time conversation and written check-ins, supporting continued practice of skills between sessions.

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does Damara commonly address?
She works with issues such as addictions, career difficulties, grief, anger, compassion fatigue, and coping with life changes, plus related topics like body image, impulsivity, and family problems.
What is her therapeutic style and approach?
The approach blends Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, DBT strategies, mindfulness, and motivational interviewing to teach skills for emotion regulation, improved communication, and actionable change.
How much clinical experience does she have?
Damara has 12 years of professional experience working with individuals through transitions and complex emotional concerns.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She holds LCSW and LISW-CP licenses with credentials listed as NY LCSW 089400 and SC LISW-CP 15033, and she practices from New York.
Does she offer services in other languages or to international clients?
Sessions are provided in English, and she is not currently accepting international clients.
Which session formats are available?
Available formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to accommodate different preferences.
How is cost handled for sessions?
Cost varies by location and therapist availability; sessions are delivered through a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What steps are required to begin therapy?
To start, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions based on therapist availability.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

AddictionsCareer difficultiesCoping with life changesCoachingCompassion fatigue

Also works with

Family conflictsGriefAnger management

Additional focus areas

Aging and geriatric issuesBody imageCommitment issuesCommunication problemsControl issuesCoping with natural or human-caused disasterEmptinessFamily problemsForgivenessGuilt and shameImpulsivityIsolation / lonelinessJealousyLife purposeMidlife crisisMoney and financial issuesPostpartum depressionPregnancy and childbirthPrejudice and discriminationProcess addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-loveWomen's issuesWorkplace issues

Therapeutic approaches

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Mindfulness TherapyMotivational Interviewing

Experience

12+ years

Licensed

South Carolina, New York, Texas

Languages

English