Suicidal Ideation Therapists in Wyncote, PA

We all experience loss, illness, and other challenging life events. They can unsettle our emotional equilibrium, making us feel vulnerable and looking for assistance to discover a new path to equilibrium. Depression, anxiety, diminished motivation, relationship difficulties, and even suicidal ideation often accompany such losses, changes, and disappointments. Ignoring these issues can exacerbate the pain and may pose a risk to those experiencing severe distress.

I view therapy as an opportunity to build a meaningful life. This can be through either discovering new meaning or recognizing meaning that's been there all along. In building therapeutic relationships, I aspire to form genuine, authentic connections with patients. My specialities include working with those experiencing existential anxiety or dread, those with complicated grief, trauma survivors, those with persistent suicidal ideation, and those who use drugs and aren't interested in abstinence.

Being a caregiver for a loved one who has a chronic or terminal illness can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience. It also comes with stresses that can be hard for friends and family to understand. Being a person who needs help to manage day to day activities of living can also be hard to handle, even if the help is appreciated. Sudden life changes are difficult to navigate; such as loss of a loved one, death of a pet, or diagnosis of a debilitating disease. Even positive changes like retirement, downsizing, or relocation can be painful at times. Talking it through can help.

I have personally experienced grief or what is sometimes called "the dark night of the soul." This seemingly dark experience could provides a great opportunity for transformation if the appropriate work is done. I know how to lead you from darkness into the light. I am also very experienced with life transitions. I will guide you to gracefully move from one life state to another. I am trained to work with couples and families and I lead groups as well.

My name is Michael and I am the owner of the Behavior & Counseling Center, Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Licensed Professional Counselor, National Certified Counselor, and Licensed Behavior Specialist. I have extensive experience working within the field of ABA/behavior modification as well as within the field of clinical counseling. I work within the framework of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) while incorporating a person-centered approach for my psychotherapy clients, and intertwine Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and (CBT) for my children and adolescent clients.

My style is a relaxed conversation, my experience, is as follows; working within mother baby shelters over 25 years, Adolescents, Level of care (acute med surg) inpatient, First Responders, Law enforcement. Populations that I have worked with include areas of trauma, grief, depression, suicide, bullying, substance abuse, self esteem and includes Life Changes.

I am dedicated to helping individuals break loose from feeling stuck in bad habits, past memories, or unhealthy relationships. If you feel like you just can't measure up to the version of yourself that you know you can be, I would like to listen. Once you've felt heard, we can figure out how to get you unstuck from your current situation. No one escapes this world without getting hurt but that should not stop you from making a life worth living for yourself. I create sessions that are totally about you and our goals will come from what you want to see change in your life.

Are you an individual or couple that are new to therapy? Wouldn't you love to embark on a journey to discover your true self and/or develop meaningful relationships with the significant people in your life? We are all inundated with "shoulds" or conditioned to fulfill other people's expectations. Identifying and accepting your true self will help shed anxiety and overcome depressive symptoms. I understand the importance of living a fulfilling life, and I am here to help you achieve that. Together, we can work toward setting realistic & achievable goals that will bring you happiness and satisfaction.

"I can’t believe I did it again! Why do I always do this to myself?" "OK, I decided to stop drinking, now what?" Or “ I just want my kid to talk to me. I have no idea what’s going on and I’m worried.” Sound familiar? Being stuck in a cycle you want to break can bring shame or guilt that you are not enough, or not doing enough. You want to learn how to live without numbing out, overcompensating, or burning out. Maybe you have gone to therapy before and it helped, but you feel you’re slipping. Now you want to do something different and step away from thought-focused work as you see it’s limitations to incorporate your whole self.

Having extensive experience, I use empirically supported therapies, and have treated a wide range of ages as well as the most serious disorders. It is my belief that salient therapy treats a client in 3 different directions: top-down (spiritual dimension), inside out (healing of memories), and outside-in (Cognitive-Behavioral and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy). After a thorough assessment, I would identify with my client, determine problems on which to work, set appropriate goals, and determine the correct therapeutic intervention(s) to be used. Meeting those goals would be a therapeutic benchmark throughout the therapy.

My clients describe me as warm, engaging, thoughtful and funny, but also as direct, challenging, and focused; seeking out the hard and stuck places in their approach to living and loving. I don't try to convince my clients that life is easy or carefree, but I do believe a lot of contentment with life and acceptance of the self can be found when we face and come to terms with our truths. Unlike many folks offering therapy services, I have engaged in extensive education and training, in analytically informed psychotherapy, which I belief enriches and deepens the work.

Life can be full of challenges and tribulations that can impact our well being and mental health. I believe our inherent resiliency and adaptability as human beings helps us overcome the many challenges that we face. A strength of therapy is the ability to allow a person to be their true self and to have their strengths and talents fully recognized. My work with clients is grounded in acceptance, validation, and empathy. I strive to create a safe environment for my clients to begin the process of change and growth.

I practice a holistic model focusing on addressing body, mind, and spirit. Clients I see often come in wanting to decrease feeling anxious or depressed. Other issues I commonly address are managing navigating transitions, managing chronic pain and illness, supporting sobriety and getting unstuck from problems in relationships or work. I strive to support clients in building lives that are meaningful for them.

Each of us comes to psychotherapy for different reasons, and while no two psychotherapy journeys will be alike, we all require the same essential conditions of empathy, acceptance, and supportive encouragement to examine our lives with an attitude of curiosity and a creative vision for change. As a licensed psychologist with a wide-range of training and clinical experience, I am committed to establishing a therapeutic relationship that is dedicated toward understanding the circumstances that have brought you to this point in your life and in drawing upon your strengths and resources for taking your life in a new direction.

Therapy can seem daunting and overwhelming if you have not experienced it or had a negative experience in the past. The most important part of therapy is establishing a trusting relationship with your therapist that allows you to feel comfortable, heard, and validated. In therapy (and in life), I take a strengths-based, growth stance. I truly believe you are doing your best AND you have room to grow. My place in the therapy room is to take the journey with you. I love helping adolescents and emerging adults with their identity exploration and helping them to be true and authentic to who they are (however that may apply to them).