Desiree Polonis, LCSW

How I Practice:

My therapeutic approach is person-centered, mindful, and grounded in the belief that healing begins with feeling truly heard. Together we move at a pace that feels right for you, allowing the work to unfold naturally.

I integrate evidence based practices, including mindfulness, somatic techniques, and CBT tools. Some sessions focus on coping skills, while others explore emotions, patterns, or meaning. The path we take depends on what feels most important for you that day.

In addition to traditional psychotherapy, I am a Psychedelic-Informed Practitioner: Preparation, Harm Reduction, and Integration, certified through VITAL. I have completed Zendo Project’s Sitting and Integration Training, and I am trained as a Lead Session Monitor (facilitator) in the EMBARK model for psychedelic-assisted therapy research. These experiences allow me to support clients who are processing psychedelic experiences from their own lives or research settings, always within safe, legal, and ethical boundaries.

I am also a Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP), with experience supporting older adults with neurological conditions and their caregivers who support them.

Therapy is about you first and foremost. If you would like to know more about me and what led me to become a therapist, you can read more below.

Before becoming a social worker, I earned my BA in Journalism from the University of New Mexico. I chose journalism because I dreamed of becoming a music journalist. Music has always been a meaningful part of my life, and if it resonates with you too, we can explore ways to incorporate it into sessions as grounding or mindfulness work.

My first career was in the corporate world, where I spent eight years as an editor and project manager. Over time, I realized I wanted my work to feel more connected to people, their stories, and their healing.

This brought me back to school to earn my Master of Social Work at Fordham University. I began my clinical career working in private practice while also working full-time at a major NYC hospital on a cardiac unit. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I supported patients and families through high stress and rapidly changing medical situations, work that shaped my understanding of resilience, vulnerability, and the emotional weight of uncertainty. As a travel social worker, I worked within large hospital systems in Los Angeles, New York City, and Albuquerque, supporting patients in outpatient oncology, inpatient medical units, and palliative care. These roles deepened my understanding of how people are affected by uncertainty and change. They strengthened my ability to hold space during some of the most challenging moments in someone’s life.

My path eventually led me to a neurology practice, where I provided therapy to people living with neurological conditions and to the caregivers supporting them. Many were managing significant stress while also feeling pressure to stay strong, composed, and capable for others. Working closely with both patients and caregivers deepened my understanding of how often people carry self-doubt and responsibility quietly, even while holding everything together for others.

At the heart of my work, I believe that therapy is about connection. While I bring clinical training and experience, I see you first and foremost as a human being, and I show up as one too. Much of my work centers on people who appear composed on the outside but internally replay conversations, question their reactions, and worry about being too much or not enough at the same time. I understand how exhausting it can be to constantly monitor yourself while trying not to disappoint or overwhelm others.

My own personal and professional experiences have deepened my appreciation for how often sensitive, thoughtful people learn to shrink themselves in order to feel acceptable. Those experiences shape how I work: with curiosity, empathy, and care, without reinforcing the idea that you need to be smaller, quieter, or different to belong.

Outside of work, I am a huge animal lover who finds joy in nature, music, travel, and discovering the best coffee shops a city has to offer. I love spending time with my partner and exploring new places together, usually in search of the perfect oat milk cappuccino, which feels like a very elder millennial thing to say. When it is time to slow down, I never shy away from an occasional Schitt’s Creek or Curb Your Enthusiasm marathon.