Cyndi Darnell Sex Therapist & relationship counseling NYC

Overview

Cyndi Darnell: Leading New York City Sex Therapist and Couples Counselor Redefining Modern Relationships

New York, NY – Cyndi Darnell, one of New York City's premier sex therapists and couples counselors, is transforming how individuals and partners navigate intimacy, communication, and connection. Renowned for her compassionate approach and evidence-based practices, Darnell stands as a trusted resource for those seeking expert guidance in their personal and relational lives.

With over two decades of global experience, Cyndi Darnell combines her expertise in sexology, psychotherapy, and relationship counseling to address complex challenges faced by individuals and couples. Her unique, holistic approach prioritizes open dialogue, emotional intelligence, and personalized strategies, ensuring clients experience meaningful, lasting change.

Key Strengths and Unique Value:

• Expert Counseling: Specializing in sex therapy and couples counseling, Darnell helps clients navigate intimacy issues, communication breakdowns, and relational challenges.

• Innovative Approach: Integrating traditional therapeutic methods with modern, inclusive frameworks, she provides tailored solutions that honor each client’s unique needs.

• Educational Leadership: As a sought-after speaker, author, and educator, Darnell empowers individuals and communities through workshops, webinars, and published works.

"My mission is to create safe, affirming spaces where clients can explore their desires, challenges, and relationships without shame or judgment," says Darnell. "True intimacy begins with honest communication, self-awareness, and compassion—both for oneself and others."

Cyndi Darnell’s practice is not only recognized by clients but also by industry leaders, positioning her as a key voice in the evolving fields of sex therapy and couples counseling. Her work has been featured in top-tier publications, podcasts, and conferences, further solidifying her reputation as one of New York City's most respected experts.

For more information or to schedule a consultation, visit www.cyndidarnell.com.

About Cyndi Darnell: Cyndi Darnell is a leading sex therapist, relationship counselor, educator, and author based in New York City. Known for her compassionate and evidence-based approach, she supports individuals and couples in creating fulfilling, authentic relationships. With a commitment to inclusivity, empowerment, and holistic well-being, Darnell continues to shape the future of modern relationship counseling.

Clients

"My partner and I were very pleased to have the opportunity to meet and work with Cyndi Darnell. While Cyndi is a professional in her field of work and knowledge, her bubbly personality, soft and nurturing approach, yet modern and straight to the point fun sessions ensured we felt safe, comfortable and relaxed during our time working together.

Any skepticism, doubts, and uncertainty we were experiencing at the beginning quickly disappeared with Cyndi’s help, as we learnt, embraced and felt emotions and experiences we didn’t even know we were missing. She was with us every step of the way, our sessions were completely professional, no sleaze or discomfort. If anything Cyndi’s personality shone through and made us feel we had known her for years thus enabling us to focus on ourselves easily.

We feel because of Cyndi, we have been able to bond and connect deeper, not just emotionally but also sexually. Through techniques taught to us together we experience more gratifying and intimate love making. Cyndi’s sessions are very therapeutic, self-discovering, emotional and stimulating.

We without hesitation recommend Cyndi Darnell to everyone! Couples or singles. Cyndi will teach you and help you find that something inside yourself that you don’t even know was missing.” – Sam

“Thank you Cyndi for all your help. We had no idea what to expect going into our first session but we were thrilled with all the new knowledge that you taught us. It was definitely a eye opener for the both of us. Your fun and easy going personality really made us feel comfortable and relaxed. 
Thanks for a life changing experience” – Anna & Carl

”Sessions with you gave my partner and I a safe space to openly discover and discuss the hidden pains lurking in our relationship, airing them before they festered any longer. I most appreciated your particular brand of honesty, and felt you were speaking my heart’s language, with restraint and emphasis where required. We had complete confidence in your knowledge and experience, but more importantly, felt a trust in you to care for both of us equally – a firm yet warm and respectful care to help us speak easily and listen intently so that we could gradually move to a place of new understanding. I’ve just returned from a weekend with my family (a usually challenging space which trigger my shame buttons) and feel our sessions have helped me be more authentic, present and closer to all the people I love. A big sincere thank you for being just what we needed when we needed it. I strongly recommend anyone wanting to learn more about their sensitive buttons and erotic mind to get in touch with you. It’s quite possible we will see you again soon!” – Mia

Cyndi Darnell was recommended to me by a friend for my partner and I after hearing her on the Sex With Emily podcast. I am glad I picked her. We had been to other couple's counsellers before, but Cyndi was definitely the most insightful. She really understands sex problems and helped us get our sex life moving. She helped us understand what was going on for us and I felt she really 'got' it. - Sarah

Cyndi helped me a lot during a difficult time in my life. She's truly open minded and not judgemental. Really knows her stuff. Definitely worth the time and investment. - Trevor

I worked with Cyndi for a couple of years when she was still in Australia. From the first session I felt comfortable with her and she made me feel like what was going on for me was normal. Our sessions were actually fun and I looked forward to them. I'm so bummed she moved to New York so if you get a chance to work together, take it. She's really knowledgeable and makes problems easier to understand. She really helped me. - Lauren

I was reluctant to get help about intimacy but Cyndi Darnell helped me with some problems in my relationship that I'd had for years. She moved here from Australia and that seemed to make a difference for me. She has a different approach to sex and relationship coaching which helped me feel immediately at ease. Cyndi was super friendly during our sessions together, they were fun. Highly recommended. - M

Peers

Cyndi Darnell is a national treasure, a truly stellar, creative, intelligent dynamo of a sex and relationship therapist. Unlike many experts in our field (I, too, am a sex therapist) there is no lofty ego or therapeutic evasiveness with Cyndi. She is refreshingly authentic, down-to-earth, wise, witty, and genuinely passionate about helping others discover their own unique, rich, and consciously aware sexual and erotic self. I have referred numerous clients to Cyndi with great success. I’ve studied with her, taught her, learned from her, and consult with her regularly. A true original, Cyndi is Auntie Mame (without the manic speech) always focused on the possibilities that life, love, sex, and relationships have to offer – leaving more mundane therapists far behind in her brilliant and fabulous wake. - David Ortmann. LCSW & Author 'Sexual Outsiders'

Cyndi is an expert’s expert. Warm and delightfully disarming, her compassionate and incisive approach to therapy is not only effective but the gold standard in her field. I send all my clients, colleagues and friends to her when they ask for a referral and without exception, they have all thanked me for it. Plus, she has a great sense of humor. What more could you ask for? -Elle Chase ACS.  Author of Curvy Girl Sex.

Cyndi Darnell is one of the most important voices on the international sexuality scene. Cyndi has been studying sexuality in all it's glorious and inglorious forms for twenty years. Armed with advanced degrees in sex therapy as well as two decades of practical experience, she is an international force for sexual awakening and global erotic interconnectivity. Cyndi is one of those rare individuals who is as brilliant in a one-on-one session as she is running a workshop. She is also one of the world's best organizers of sex-positive dialogs and events, bringing together international voices to discuss, implement and organize positive change and growth in personal, social, political and spiritual aspects of conscious sexuality. On top of all this, she is one of the warmest, funniest, most genuine human beings I know. -Barbara Carrellas. Sex Educator, Gender Activist and Acclaimed Author of Urban Tantra.

I run a group psychotherapy practice and Cyndi is our go to relationship expert. She provides team trainings as well as one on one case consultations for us as needed. I also need to add that she is very funny. She makes subjects that are hard for many people to talk about, much easier with her no BS approach and use of humor. We have a wonderful referral relationship, and I highly recommend her! - Kerrie Mohr  - LCSW.  A Good Place. New York City

Cyndi Darnell is a trusted colleague who I feel confident in referring clients to. She is well known in the field as a knowledgeable, insightful, and warm person. She is truly gifted, and I find her to be one of the most empathetic and non-judgmental people I know. - Dr. Dulcinea Alex Pitagora - LCSW. Manhattan Alternative

Cyndi Darnell is a leader and a role model. Her creation of Pleasure Forum is just one example of her ability to build space and bring together diverse communities for meaningful dialogue about sexuality and relationships. She champions sexual awareness and empowerment for everyone, including people whose erotic identities and expressions fall outside the mainstream. Her work with individuals, couples, and groups changes peoples' lives. Savvy, sensitive, and incredibly smart, she embodies the future of sex education around the globe.  —Tristan Taormino.  Author & Sex Educator. 

Cyndi Darnell is a sex nerd. She is fascinated by sex, pleasure, and relationships and wants to help the world get the most out of their lives, bodies and relationships whether with lovers, solo play or other adventures of the body and mind. She has inspired my passion to be a sex-positive advocate and educated me greatly on the many and varied ways to love and pleasure. Cyndi is at the forefront of this new and exciting movement to move away from outdated ideas of relationships, bodies, and sex into a new place where we feel no shame in finding a good fit and keep learning, playing and pleasuring. I can't recommend her highly enough as a speaker, consultant, educator or therapist.  - Catherine Deveny. Writer & Social Commentator

On behalf of IHI Therapy Center, I'd like to thank you, Cyndi, for leading a very engaging and informative talk about sex and sex therapy with our group of interns, as part of our educational presentation series. Our interns appreciated your 'no-bullshit' approach blending warmth, wit, and wisdom which made your talk very compelling and also entertaining. You really seem to know your stuff and to care deeply about the work that you do. We'd love to have you back again in the future. - Kristy LaRocca, LMHC IHI Therapy Center New York City. Intern Coordinator Staff Therapist

Cyndi is unlike any presenter in this space. We had the pleasure of having Cyndi come to speak to our professional network to ask the question: are we having the right conversations about lesbian, bisexual and queer woman’s sexuality? Cyndi provided a highly engaging learning experience grounded in evidence-based content and enhanced by a passionate and nuanced provocation to lean into our learning edges. A highly skilled speaker, Cyndi’s unique combination of education, practice experience, personal wisdom, and humor helped create the ideal space to challenge the assumptions of our practice and policy frameworks. - Jackson Fairchild. Manager - Counselling, Family Violence, and AOD Services Programs. Victorian AIDS Council. 

We recently hosted Cyndi Darnell at our College where she gave a presentation titled “Sex and Dating in the 21^st Century” and the event proved to be wildly popular.  While the main theme of the presentation was the importance of consent, Cyndi presented it in a way that wasn't preachy and approached the topic from a sex-positive point of view, while being very sensitive to the diversity of sexual experience represented in the audience.  Some other topics that were discussed were gender and sexual identity and diversity, the importance of communication in every relationship and respect.  The presentation closed with a Q & A session where Cyndi answered all questions thoughtfully and honestly.  Feedback received after the event was overwhelmingly positive and I would recommend Cyndi to other university communities.  - Kristen Doran-Stawiarski. Community Advisor. Ormond College, University Of Melbourne.

I am writing on behalf of the committee of the Women’s Wellness West Network to thank you for your participation in our seminar ‘Sex in the City’ on November 7th, 2013. We received many positive comments from attendees in regard to your interesting, informative and entertaining presentation - “Women, Lust & Desire: An Approach to Sex Therapy”. It was a pleasure to watch you engage with the audience. I and the others enjoyed your presentation enormously. You are a fantastic, genuine presenter that people warm up to quickly. --Professor Lily Stojanovska MSc. Ph.D. Acting Director Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management. College of Health and Biomedicine. Victoria University 

Cyndi Darnell is an adult sex education expert with many years experience and a positive approach which is gentle and not at all “sleazy”. She is interested in a wide range of issues relating to sexuality and wellbeing and understands that sexual pleasure is an integral part of sexual health. Her education work embeds sexual health information within this framework. She is experienced in working with a wide range of people, meeting where they are and pursuing the issues that matter to them. She has a real commitment to this work.  -  Professor Anne Mitchell.  Deputy Director- Australian Research Centre in  Sex Health & Society. (ARCSHS)

Cyndi Darnell presented at our recent Women’s Health Night “What Women Want” at the Birregurra Community Health Centre on the 17^th June 2014. The response from the audience, 120 women from the ages of 21 – 80 years was overwhelmingly positive. Cyndi was very warm in her presentation and normalized the usually fraught subject of sex and women’s libido. Cyndi had the women’s full attention and tailored her talk to the audience and the time constraints. A true professional.  - Susan Langridge Community Health Nurse.  Birregurra Community Health Centre.

• "I enjoyed Cyndi's talk, I thought how gifted a speaker she is and how relaxed, funny and informative she was."
• "Cyndi {was an} excellent speaker"
• "Thank you for talking openly about sex and love without guilt"
• "Cyndi's talk was very good. I also learned information tonight relevant for my granddaughters who have not yet started their periods"
• "Very informative, funny but good information. Loved it"
• "Great presentation. Cyndi very easy going and enlightening. Absolutely refreshing" 

The festival met with many people working in the field of disability, recreation, and sexuality prior to selecting an appropriate moderator. It was very clear to us that Cyndi would be the perfect person to perform this difficult task. She listened actively to our expectations and concerns about the staging of this intimate discussion, she identified issues that might arise and proposed strategies to manage conflict or distress and she demonstrated a level of compassion and generosity which reassured us that the presenters and audience would be conducted in a safe environment. It was also clear to us that she had an excellent grasp of the complex sexual terrain the forum would cover.The forum itself attracted in excess of 200 people who heard from a panel of speakers that included a sex worker specializing in working with men with disabilities, a gay man from rural Victoria with cerebral palsy and a fondness for Grindr and a self-confessed “benster queer amputee freak”.In an environment where there was an unprecedented level of disclosure of sexual preferences, intimate activities and sexual abuse, Cyndi was the calm center of these passionate, humorous and sometimes painful confessions. She was able to move adeptly from acknowledging the importance of what someone had shared with the audience onto allowing others to make their own contribution.It is also important to recognize that Cyndi was able to create space for people with complex communication needs to participate in the discussion in a meaningful way. In this, she shares the festival's commitment to access, inclusion and social justice. -Rick Randall. Arts Access Victoria - The Other Film Festival - Festival Director