Anxiety Treatment
Some amount of anxiety is normal. It's when fear or worry is distressing and persistent enough, accompanied by associated symptoms, that it can interfere with quality of life, e.g. social phobia, panic, generalized anxiety, post-traumatic stress, or obsessive-compulsive tendencies. I use cognitive therapy and mindfulness strategies to help clients identify automatic thoughts and beliefs that are causing pain or getting in their way. Therapy fosters self-observation, without judgment, and the capacity to reframe thoughts to intervene in a cycle of anxiety. Relaxation and deep breathing exercises can be taught. The interpersonal aspect of anxiety treatment involves examining the context(s) you're in, acknowledging both losses and opportunities. A combination of emotion processing and increased problem-solving are powerful mechanisms of change.
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I may recommend a medication evaluation with a psychiatrist for possible combined treatment for anxiety or depression.
Depression Treatment
The persistence and pervasiveness of feeling down should help determine when common explanations for it, such as character or "weakness," are insufficient. Therapy does not eliminate natural feelings of sadness and sorrow. It alleviates the sense of being paralyzed by feeling sad or down. Depression is partly genetic and partly associated with stressful life events and social/societal factors. Even when circumstances explain a lot, interpersonal therapy (IPT) helps treat depression by facilitating acceptance of feelings as well as behavioral changes in a particular problem area. IPT helps a client explore ways to modify communication and enhance social support and satisfaction. Cognitive-behavioral strategies also work well to interrupt self-reproach and guide clients toward improved mood. It's never too late to receive help to experience relief and vitality. I treat a wide range of depressive symptoms.
Relationship Issues
Interpersonal therapy hones in on ways for a client to increase fulfillment and/or reduce conflict in a significant relationship. With attunement to details of communication patterns, I "walk with you" in this relational landscape, assisting you to observe the link between your mood and relationship, and to identify your expectations, objectives, and patterns of behavior. I offer the tools of Nonviolent Communication (NVC) which involve compassion for and naming needs and then expanding strategies to meet those needs. New communication may be tried between sessions, and what worked and didn't work reviewed together. As confidence grows, aspects of the self are integrated more fully, bringing more ease and authenticity to relationships.
Some (not all) of the specific issues I work with include:​
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Adults in their 20's or 30's having difficulty with an immature or unstable parent
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Perinatal anxiety, parenting concerns
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Recurring patterns in friendships or romantic relationships
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Grief Counseling
Grief is a universal experience after someone close has died, and it unfolds in unique ways, often involving waves of intense sadness. Naming strong or conflicting feelings is therapeutic, as is reviewing the course of the relationship with your loved one. If you feel stuck or depressed, you may be struggling with common grief stumbling blocks, such as guilt or disbelief. Conflicts with a family member since the death can compound feelings of loss. If the death of a loved one was sudden or involved the effects of a devastating illness, grief can have elements of reaction to a trauma. In what's called a complicated grief (CG), the pain of the loss is unrelenting and for longer than expected, marked by helpless feelings and often accompanied by avoidance of certain reminders of the loved one. A cognitive-behavioral technique called exposure helps clients to recognize where the grieving may have stalled and to move through troubling thoughts. This counseling also focuses on your aspirations, in order to restore balance and meaning.
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Adjustment to Life Changes
Do you have a sense of being between two or more different identities or cultures? Even a positive change can be stressful. The truth of your old, new, and experience in-between matters. I work with many clients who want to expand community and self-care, yet struggle with decision-making fatigue or feelings of isolation. Signs of stress may be numbness, avoidance, dread regarding the future, or excess news or social media consumption. Societal factors, such as financial insecurity, climate change, and divisive government policies also affect mental health. I facilitate processing feelings, e.g. the grief or anger that may be tied to a loss of expectations, establishing behaviors to adapt, such as how to tolerate uncertainty, what your options are to build confidence in the new situation, and prioritizing what you value.
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Some of the issues I work with include:
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Personal development and identity among clients in their 20's and 30's
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Medical school and residency training stress; Career development
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Having a first or second child
Therapy for Low Self-Esteem
We can all have self-doubt or lack confidence sometimes. If you're feeling like this regularly or all the time, therapy can help to understand the underlying factors that influence self-esteem and then offer strategies that best address those factors. Naming and challenging unhelpful thoughts and core beliefs is a cognitive-behavioral therapy technique that helps you to develop more balanced beliefs about yourself. Mindfulness practices include nonjudgmental awareness and self-talk that is kind to yourself. Psychodynamic therapy techniques explore how past life events influence current patterns of thought, emotion and behavior. Interpersonal therapy focuses on ways to assert yourself in relationships and, if you think you're not living up to your values, what changes would be necessary, and options do you have, to do so.
Contact
Office Location
160 East 89th Street
Suite #1B
New York, NY 10128