Therapists in Montclair, NJ

Hi! My name is Nicole and it is so nice to meet you. A little about me, I received my Masters in Social Work from Rutgers University. I became licensed in NJ as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in 2019. I have worked in different levels of care in my career providing individual and group services to youth and their families.

I specialize in treating problems related to anxiety and depression using a combination of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). I help clients develop healthier thinking patterns and relationships, while also teaching concrete coping skills designed to help you address the specific areas that you want to work on.

You often feel misunderstood, ignored, even silenced, and this prevents you from asking for what you want...for what you deserve. And, every time you think you are ready to say how you feel or ask for what you want, you realize you are just too exhausted and would rather keep your feelings to yourself to avoid conflict. Deep down you know that you are struggling with your confidence (although you may not show it on the outside). You find yourself in a cycle of unhealthy relationships but you can’t find the motivation or the courage to break the cycle. It’s time to break the cycle and speak up.

Life can sometimes feel and be very complicated. As a psychotherapist in private practice for 25 years, I work with adults, adolescents, families and couples. The way I approach working with people is to create a compassionate, intelligent, non-judgemental, therapeutic space where a person can feel safe, heard and understood. A person can then be more at ease with talking about their concerns and problems in an authentic and meaningful way. I welcome people from diverse backgrounds, ethnicities and family structures.

Daily life has become challenging trying to balance our families, relationships, careers and goals. You may be feeling overwhelmed, experiencing anxiety that won’t allow you to move forward and you just can’t seem to get out of your own head. Perhaps you feel ready to take the steps to improve your quality of life, but you don’t know where to start. My goal as a therapist is to provide a safe space where we can openly discuss any obstacles and recognize patterns that may be holding you back. I now offer Telemental health sessions using a confidential computer platform so you can be in the comfort of your own home.

Welcome! It takes strength to reach out for support. As a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and certified school counselor, I believe in the power of the therapeutic relationship. Together we will work to develop the insight, skills, and tools you’ll need to achieve your goals. As a therapist who values a holistic approach, I work to provide a safe, brave space for you to explore the ways you want to grow, heal and feel empowered in your life. I am trained and have experience in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).

Life can be tough with unpredictable hardships, unmet expectations, and uncontrollable stressors. Counseling is a gradual, trusting process where you're free to be yourself without judgment. As your therapist, I'll listen, support, and empower you and your family towards healing.

Whether therapy is something you feel you need, something you want, or something your parents are making you do, understanding your deeper self is never a bad choice. But it can be a challenging one. I honor any person willing or wanting to embark on that adventure, and focus on helping my clients to identify, understand, and explore the aspects of their lives and their selves that feel stuck, painful, or not quite where they want them to be. I firmly believe that depth of understanding, emotional awareness, and rejuvenated coping skills are the foundations of progress, confidence, and success.

Life can be stressful. Some of us have healthy adaptive ways of coping with stress and life events while others do not. I will provide you assistance in dealing with stress, dysphoric moods and unhealthy coping in addition to coaching. I will provide you with support and help you to develop healthy coping skills to manage emotional dysregulation including depression and anxiety, as well as dealing with life events, trauma, and relationships including marriage and family therapy using a person-centered, family systems approach with CBT, mindfulness techniques, and holistic psychotherapy.

You already have everything within you to meet your goals. I am here to help quiet the noise, focus your energy, and support you through the challenges and celebrations that lie ahead. I work collaboratively with my clients to improve self-acceptance, clarify the path you are walking, and cope with the unique difficulties you experience. You deserve to heal and you are not only your pain. We will look at your many parts to empower you to level up and move forward with confidence.

I have been working with children and adolescents in school settings for over 20 years, first as a Special Education Teacher and then as a School Counselor. Through this work, I helped my adolescents and young adults develop executive functioning skills, organizational skills, and goal setting to help them transition into their future endeavors. Now, as a Student Assistance Counselor, I work with adolescents in a high school supporting their mental health needs and substance abuse issues. As a LPC, my goal is to help my clients explore the root of their distress, identify needs and wants and work toward a more balanced life.

As a psychologist I work collaboratively with my clients to address their concerns (both in-person and via teleheath). I have extensive experience working from an interpersonal perspective with adolescents and adults dealing with depression, anxiety, relationship issues, family issues, trauma, loss and adjustment to life changes (e.g. illness, divorce). I believe it is important to explore how a client's family background, culture and social environment play a role in the challenges my clients are experiencing. I view people as resilient and help clients to use their strengths and resources to make positive changes in their lives.

The opportunity for children and adolescents to build upon their strengths by developing a skill set related to their social and emotional world is empowering. I specialize in treating children, adolescents, and parents with concerns related to learning disabilities, anxiety, attentional difficulties, and behavior challenges. Through a genuine care and consideration for the individual characteristics of the child and family, I strive to facilitate positive change and provide concrete tools with the goal of navigating one's inner and social world in a balanced and focused manner.

I am the founder of Inner Light Psychotherapy and Wellness, LLC. We offer individual, couple and family therapy for English, Portuguese and Spanish speakers. We are a private practice with a team network of wellness providers. Also providing clinical evaluation to immigration and court cases; Extreme Hardship, Asylum, Vawa, U and T visas.

Like focusing a camera lens to help create a desired picture, we need at times to refocus the image of our lives that may have become blurry often through the uninvited challenges or changes that come our way -or perhpas past events are not completely resolved as we thought. With blocked or stiffled awareness, our copng skills may be crying out for help as our deptression, our anxiety, our mood swings, our drinking, or our drug use may be taking over and managing us instead of we managing them. Do you hear yourself saying: I know that I need help; I want to do better; I want to feel better; I know that I can! Can you help me?

Hello - thanks for stopping by! I am a licensed independent practitioner in New Jersey with over 25 years of professional work experience in multiple behavioral health clinical settings–with 17 of those years as a psychotherapist. Born and raised in New Jersey, I completed my undergraduate and graduate work at Rutgers University, New Brunswick and Monmouth University, respectively.

I'm a sex therapist specializing in adult male sexual issues. I help men with sex addiction, sexual anxiety, sexual functioning, infidelity and open relationships. I also help my clients navigate job and financial stress, employment transitions and retirement, separation and divorce. I'm proactive and passionate about helping the men I work with identify clear positive goals, improve their perspective and judgment, and make healthier and lasting adjustments to change.

You may be struggling through a painful time of life, but you’ve taken an important step by looking for support. As we begin our work together, you'll find words for your feelings, get to know yourself better and experience comfort in the presence of a trained professional. With this, you may find relief and be able to get moving again. I'll be fully present and curious alongside you, while sharing insights as they emerge. It gives me great joy to help people to feel stronger, more hopeful and able to tackle life again.

Your mental health matters. Therapy requires vulnerability and the courage to do something different especially when you're hurting. If you have become overwhelmed by difficulties that make it hard for you to function, you have come to the right place. If you are an empath like me, you know that the formula for living your best life is to heal your emotions. Family and friends cannot always help you get through the challenges of life; a good therapist can. The power of healing is a remarkable feeling.