Practitioner record · Checked 9 Oct 2026

Fern Simon has been in practice 30 years and is licensed in New York. Fern lists stress, Anxiety, relationship issues and trauma and abuse among 36 subjects on the BetterHelp roster.

Everything below is either quoted from Fern's own BetterHelp listing, taken from public licensing records, or written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such. Nothing here is an availability promise, a review, or a rating.

30years in practice
36subjects listed
10approaches listed

01 · Who Fern works with

Fern works with stress, Anxiety, relationship issues and trauma and abuse

Fern lists 5 specialisms and 31 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Fern chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

Specialisms
  • Stress, Anxiety
  • Relationship issues
  • Trauma and abuse
  • Parenting issues
  • Self esteem
Also experienced with
  • Abandonment
  • Aging and geriatric issues
  • Attachment issues
  • Blended family issues
  • Body image
  • Caregiver issues and stress
  • Communication problems
  • Control issues
  • Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
  • Divorce and separation
  • Domestic violence
  • Drug and alcohol addiction
  • Emptiness
  • Family of origin issues
  • Family problems
  • First responder issues
  • Forgiveness
  • Guilt and shame
  • Infidelity
  • Isolation / loneliness
  • Life purpose
  • Midlife crisis
  • Panic disorder and panic attacks
  • Post-traumatic stress
  • Pregnancy and childbirth
  • Self-love
  • Sexual assault and abuse
  • Social anxiety and phobia
  • Women's issues
  • Workplace issues
  • Young adult issues

02 · In Fern's own words

What Fern says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

As a licensed therapist in New York with three decades of experience, I specialize in supporting individuals through complex life transitions and emotional challenges. My approach is deeply compassionate and rooted in understanding the unique journey of each person who seeks support.

I focus on helping clients navigate a wide range of experiences, including relationship dynamics, stress and anxiety, trauma recovery, self-esteem building, and personal growth. My therapeutic work centers on creating a supportive environment where individuals can explore their emotions, develop healthier coping strategies, and rediscover their inner strength.

With expertise in addressing issues like social anxiety, life purpose, communication challenges, and interpersonal dynamics, I offer a warm, understanding approach that honors each client's individual path. My practice is particularly attuned to supporting older adults, young professionals, and those seeking a faith-aligned therapeutic experience.

I believe in empowering clients to cultivate self-love, overcome barriers, and create meaningful, transformative change in their lives. Together, we'll work collaboratively to help you move toward healing, understanding, and personal growth.

Fern Simon, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Fern works

The 9 approaches Fern lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Fern lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Fern's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Fern runs a session.

Acceptance and Commitment TherapyACT
Rather than trying to argue a painful thought away, ACT works on loosening its grip and getting on with what matters to you anyway. Sessions spend real time naming your values, then building action around them while difficult feelings are still present.
Attachment-Based Therapy
Reads present-day relationship difficulty through the lens of how safety and closeness were learned early on. The therapeutic relationship itself is treated as part of the work, because it is where the pattern tends to show up first.
Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian
The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.
Emotionally Focused TherapyEFT
Built for couples and rooted in attachment: the recurring argument is treated as a cycle two people are stuck in rather than as one person's fault. Sessions work to interrupt the cycle and get to what each person is actually asking for underneath it.
The Gottman Method
A couples approach built on decades of observational research into what distinguishes relationships that last. Structured and assessment-led: it maps friendship, conflict and shared meaning, then works on the specific mechanics of how the two of you argue.
Psychodynamic Therapy
Works on the assumption that current patterns - in relationships, at work, in how you treat yourself - have a history, and that seeing the history loosens the pattern. Less structured than CBT, usually longer, and more interested in what comes up unbidden than in a weekly agenda.
Solution-Focused Brief TherapySFBT
Starts from where you want to end up rather than from how you got here. Sessions look for the times the problem is already smaller and work out what is different about those, so the number of sessions tends to be short and the work concrete.
Trauma-Focused TherapyTF-CBT · trauma-informed
CBT adapted for people whose difficulty is rooted in a frightening or overwhelming event. Pacing is the point: safety and stabilisation come first, the memory itself is approached gradually and only when you are ready, and the aim is that recalling it stops hijacking the present.
Internal Family SystemsIFS
Treats the mind as made up of parts - the critic, the one who withdraws, the one that keeps everything running - each of which is trying to protect you. The work is getting to know them rather than overruling them.

Also listed

  • Systemic Therapy

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Fern practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Fern's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

  1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

    BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Fern at this point.

  2. Naming Fern specifically

    BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Fern is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Fern.

  3. If the caseload is full

    You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

  4. The first conversation

    A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

  5. If the fit is wrong

    Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

4 questions worth asking Fern

Built from what Fern actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Fern's - Fern has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

  • “You list both The Gottman Method and Attachment-Based Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

    Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

  • “How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

    Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

  • “With 30 years in, what has changed most in how you work?”

    Long experience is only an advantage if it has been examined. This tends to surface whether it has.

  • “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

    On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential
LCSW-R
Licensed in
New York
Licence
NY LCSW-R 045230
Licence number
045230
Licence expires
30 Nov 2026
NPI
1760511554
Years in practice
30
Gender
Female
Languages
English
International clients
Not accepted
Listed since
12 Jun 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Fern's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 9 Oct 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Fern. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

Report this listing

If this listing is you and you do not want it here, tell us and it comes down straight away.

The listing disappears as soon as you press this. We only use your email to reply if we need to.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.

Maker Therapy is user-supported - when you start through our links we may earn a commission from BetterHelp at no extra cost to you.