Family Therapy in Ridgewood, NJ

Over the past 25 years, I have partnered as therapist, teacher, graduate professor, and learner with adults, children and their families, and couples. Most are within a transition, filled with angst, anticipation, conflicting emotions and thoughts. Many are navigating a loss relating to illness, relationship, academics, and often the ambiguous loss of expectations. There is suffering, sadness, anxiety, and often lack of trust in one's self and abilities. You have the resources, yet you may need a tool to assist accessing and building upon your strengths with a renewed sense of hope and confidence in varied future possibilities.

My expertise lies in counseling my patients to master their anxieties, depression, relationship, and vocational struggles. In addition to being a licensed social worker, and psychotherapist on staff at my post-graduate institute for psychoanalytic psychotherapy, I have extensive experience in both the business and fashion worlds and can readily appreciate the difficulties engendered by high-pressure careers. Having worked in competitive environments, I am exquisitely attuned to the many self-esteem vulnerabilities that can inhibit people from achieving their goals.

I am a warm and caring individual with an extensive background in helping others with practical, real-life solutions for better living. I am clinically trained in anxiety disorders and depression in children and adults as well as Asperger related disorders. By working closely with my clients to identify goals and clear steps to achieve these goals I have facilitated their personal growth and movement towards greater self-worth. This difficult long-lasting pandemic has greatly impacted children and teens and families overall. I can be a support to navigate the increase in anxiety and depression.

Do you feel like you’ve lost sense of who you are or want to be? Does daily life sometimes feel relentless? Have anxiety, depression, stress and life changes drained you of your ability to fully connect with yourself, your loved ones, your passions and goals? We all get caught up in life, and the patterns we’re used to, and change can feel so unattainable. Sometimes you feel so stuck in how things have always been, have always felt, and how you “should” be - that you aren't sure how to even start making changes. I can help you unpack some of the weight you're carrying, so you can start to work toward a more satisfying life.

My approach Integrates the best of Modern Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Traditional Holistic approaches. I specialize in treating anxiety, fears, phobias, OCD and panic disorders. Relief may be immediate. I also work with depression, negative thoughts and personal issues. Free initial phone consultation..

I am a clinical play therapist specializing in supporting young children and their families. I help overwhelmed parents create more calm, connection and cooperation in their homes using mindful parenting practices and brain based play therapy techniques. When YOU understand how to help your kid cope with big feelings and tough moments, everybody wins. Raising a resilient kid takes understanding, skill and SUPPORT. Let me help you become the parent your kid needs and deserves.

Adjustment to (or the process of) having children, communication in your relationship, and addictions... These are my specialties. I use a strengths based, mindfulness approach and the Gottman method.

Are you are struggling with anxiety or depression, facing a major life crisis, or feeling overwhelmed by problems that are overtaking your serenity? Therapy can give you the tools to take control and make changes in your life and/or relationships. I will help you identify and understand the issues, help you to create and implement a plan and assist you in reaching your goals. I will respect that your life is a personal journey, and I will listen to your feelings to help you determine the path you want to take. The results will be empowering.

Congratulations on taking the first step to a better life for yourself! It takes great courage to open yourself up and to contemplate change, even more so during the pandemic. I will be both your guide and partner as you explore your ideas and your options and recognize the choices that are available to you. I see my role in this partnership as a creative, compassionate, and insightful guide. I want you to feel safe and accepted so that we go can through the process of exploration that leads to resolutions of your challenges and a change in your beliefs about yourself and your world so you feel more secure and connected

If you feel lost or have found yourself on a new journey, therapy can help you navigate your life's roadmap. Throughout the therapy process, you can expect to gain insight into yourself and the issues you face, develop healthier coping strategies, and access your innate ability to heal. There is no time like the present to invest in yourself and establish a better foothold on the person you want to be. By reaching out to begin therapy, you are one step closer to a life that is more balanced, fulfilling, and meaningful.

Couples who begin to work with me are often arguing over trivial matters, wondering why gridlock is happening now when it never used to.The same issues keep coming up, and processing it only leaves you feeling exhausted and isolated. Nothing changes and the conflict involves pointing fingers, bringing up past wrongs, and tearing each other down. Money-related fights may add strain, perhaps alongside issues involving alcohol, pornography, or betrayal. Intimacy is lacking, leaving you both feeling unloved. What if you had the tools to fix your relationship? A playbook for the hard times but also a playbook to have way more good times?

“We bereaved are not alone. We belong to the largest company in all the world — the company of those who have known suffering.” — Helen Keller. Although grief is most often associated with emotions in response to a death, my clinical training and experience has made it evident to me that we can experience grief due to loss of a person, pet, ideals, culture, disappointment in life’s trajectory, a non death related end of a relationship, chronic illness, and so many more common but painful experiences in life. Grief, loss, emotional pain in relationships is ubiquitous with living and it by no means has to be linear.

Do you notice patterns of behaviors that you are unsatisfied with? Therapy is a significant step towards working through and facing life's most difficult challenges. I have worked with children and adults in a medical setting that includes outpatient care, oncology, and intensive care units. When practicing art therapy with clients, I am committed to integrating client-centered approaches and mindfulness. I want to create a safe space for my clients to express themselves and attune to their needs as they explore the path to healing.

Certified Brainspotting Therapist specializing in OCD and trauma. I am offering safe and relaxed space, where the goal is to empower my clients to work on their issues but also give my clients concrete healing tools to take home with them and use daily. Tools from evidence based Exposure Response Prevention Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and brain -body therapy of Brainspotting with a successful rate of healing trauma, OCD, anxiety, pain and sport injury trauma to name few.

I work from an empathic perspective which means I want to come to know you in a non-judgmental way at a pace that is comfortable to you. Do you find yourself searching for answers, unable to find satisfaction in both work and relationships? Are you searching for something greater and more in life that never seems to come? Do you feel you are somehow undercutting yourself, demeaning your accomplishments? Are you feeling alienated from others in social situations or when around other people?

Welcome! I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) who works with individuals, couples, and families in my private practice in Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ. With over fourteen years of experience, my practice is centered in working with children (10 and older), adolescents (and their families), and adults. I work with clients who present with a variety of struggles including depression, anxiety, stress management difficulties, parenting questions, and school-related challenges. I use an individualized approach to working with each client and look forward to working with you!

Working together we can help you to develop a deeper understanding about what has occurred, create greater compassion and self-awareness, learn to take responsibility for what is yours and develop positive and lasting changes in your life. I will work with you to create an environment that is welcoming, non-judgmental, and safe. We will explore not only what is happening today, but also your early life as it plays a role in who you are now and how you deal with any given situation.

People find a therapist because they are looking to improve their lives and relationships in some way. I am passionate about helping my clients achieve this growth and improvement; to move from a place of emotional pain or discomfort towards one of well-being and peace. It is my belief that every individual who embarks on therapy has strengths that we can embrace and build upon. My style is collaborative...an active partnership between therapist and client. Together we will explore your feelings, experiences and personal goals.

Are you feeling that life is more difficult than it should be? Do you think you might be suffering from anxiety or depression? As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, I understand these feelings can be very painful, scary, and all-consuming. That is why I use a collaborative, non-judgmental approach during the course of therapy. My work begins with listening to my clients with compassion. Once that connection is made with a therapist, I believe the client is on the road to having a brighter future. I look forward to speaking with you, and answering your questions.