Services Provided:
Couples Therapy and Individual Therapy
SPECIALIZATIONS:
Premarital
Family Therapy (Adult children, siblings, and co-parenting)
Conflict Resolution
Work and Career Issues
Stress Management
Anxiety issues (Work, Relationship, Social)
Journey to Self-Actualization
Rebuilding Trust
COUPLES THERAPY
Couples Top Reasons for Seeking Therapy:
- Communication issues
- High Conflict/Low Conflict Resolution Skills (frequent arguments)
- Infidelity/Rebuilding Trust
- Intimacy and Passion (difficulty initiating sex, infrequent sex, disinterest in sex)
- Contemplating Divorce/Separation
- Parenting issues
As a licensed Marriage and Family therapist, I am trained in working with couples and treating the couple as the client. I set a tone of safety and respect and create an environment where both partners feel heard, validated and understood. An environment free from secrets and blame, where both partners learn new, more effective ways to communicate and have an opportunity to heal, rediscover their partner and achieve fulfillment in their relationship. We identify the expectations they each had when entering into the couple relationship, how they recognize love, how they show love and how they view the current state of their relationship. I utilize elements of Attachment Theory, Imago, the Gottman Method, and Emotionally Focused Therapy in couples work.
Couples therapy begins with a thorough assessment of the relationship and a check in with each individual partner prior to the first couples session. I offer an optional on-line component which each individual partner completes on their own and a unique couples report is generated. Whether you keep having the same arguments, are struggling with intimacy and/or sex, are trying to heal from infidelity and rebuild trust, are struggling with roles in a same-sex relationship or have different views on family planning/parenting, therapy can help. The beauty of therapy is having a neutral person help support you with the creation of the relationship you seek.
COUPLES IN CRISIS INTENSIVE (HALF DAY): Are available for couples who are seeking immediate support and require more than a 50 minute session, usually because they have been hit with traumatic news/secrets (infidelity, finances, health, and/or in-laws). A Couples in Crisis intensive is a structured 3 hour session used to jump start the therapeutic process and provide a safe space for couples to share. Couples share their current thoughts and emotions around the situation, triggers, and coping mechanisms. Individualized interventions and tools are provided based on the information provided during the intensive. Together we work towards providing clarity and comfort for each partner during a sensitive time in the relationship.
Individuals Top Reasons for Seeking Therapy:
- Recent Breakup/Divorce
- Dating (How to date, feeling ready to date, becoming emotionally available)
- Anxiety (Related to work, related to relationships, social phobia)
- Depression (Disinterest in things they once enjoyed, low motivation)
- Sexual identity/gender Issues (Questioning their sexuality, roles in a same-sex relationships and lesbian/gay coming out later in life)
- Fear (of death, change)
- Adjustment Issues (transitions/change at work, with health)
- Low Self-Esteem
- Childhood Trauma
- Guilt
- Those setting out on a journey to discover their authentic self
Many clients from New York City are driven, high achievers who at times feel the weight of the high expectations imposed on them by others, as well as the high standards they hold for themselves which can lead to symptoms of anxiety and depression. As individuals strive to achieve their goals, they sometimes go prolonged periods of time without practicing self-care and checking in with themselves. They are moving so quickly that when they do stop, they struggle to feel connected to the life they have created. The creation of goals rooted in the expectations of others, can lead to depression, after that goal is achieved because it is not followed by a feeling of fulfillment and happiness. Therapy provides a space to stop and check-in.
I challenge my clients to slow down, assess where they are now and develop goals aligned with who they are at their core. Together we work at developing coping skills and personalized tools to help them achieve their goals. Some clients are on a road to self-actualization, they may be just beginning to get to know their authentic self and are looking for support through their personal journey. Other clients seek support around one specific problem and work towards reframing their thoughts around that problem, and gaining skills to overcome it. Either way, therapy is an investment and is a form of self-care which can help the individual in all areas of their lives.
I provide therapeutic services for individuals and couples from diverse cultural backgrounds and with various sexual orientations. Through thorough assessment, discussion, goal setting and implementation, many of my clients have decreased their anxiety, elevated their mood and have become more productive at home, at work, and in life. Couples have increased intimacy, developed healthier communication styles and have found the happiness they sought. All interventions are developmentally appropriate and individualized through a collaborative effort between the therapist and client to achieve the goal they desire. A healthy therapeutic partnership is achieved through transparency, authenticity and support from the therapist. The process is positive, strength based, supportive, and interactive.
