In her mid-20s, she became increasingly interested in the emotional components of health. She became certified in the inner-child and relationship-oriented Imago Therapy of Harville Hendrix, as well as in Holotropic Breath Work. She studied water birthing and personology, the reading of personality through facial features.

 In her 30s, she began focusing also on the metaphysical aspects of well-being. She trained in One Brain™, a kinesiology system originally created to treat dyslexia that also tapped into deeper aspects of health. She taught One Brain and started doing private counseling based on it, and also taught Inner Child and Creativity workshops. She pioneered Family Sculpting, in which a group uses psychodrama to discover past-life connections and patterns. She also learned Eric Pearl's Reconnection work, which enhances planetary energy. 

Although Darlene still does some hands-on healing, most of her private practice currently involves transformational counseling and intuitive medical readings with clients from the U.S., Europe and Asia. The mother of three grown children, she currently lives in Kingston, N.Y., and Ashland, N.Y.