My Background and Therapeutic Approaches
I have been a psychotherapist for over 25 years and have a multitude of experience. I treat a wide variety of issues and I am trained in various therapeutic approaches including—Cognitive-Behavioral, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Psychodynamic, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), SE (Somatic Experiencing), EFT (Emotionally Focused Therapy) and Pet therapy.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is an action-oriented form of therapy that assumes that maladaptive, or faulty, thinking patterns cause maladaptive behavior and “negative” emotions. The treatment focuses on changing an individual’s thoughts (cognitive patterns) in order to change his or her behavior and emotional state.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is designed to help people who suffer repeated bouts of depression and chronic unhappiness. It combines the ideas of cognitive therapy with meditative practices and attitudes based on the cultivation of mindfulness. The heart of this work lies in becoming acquainted with the modes of mind that often characterize mood disorders while simultaneously learning to develop a new relationship to the mind and body.
Psychodynamic therapy is a type of psychotherapy that draws on psychoanalytic theory to help people understand the roots of emotional distress, often by exploring unconscious motives, needs, and defenses.
SE (Somatic Experiencing) is a potent psychobiological method for resolving trauma symptoms and chronic stress. The SE approach releases the traumatic shock, which is key to transforming PTSD and the wounds of early developmental attachment trauma.
EMDR treatment works by helping the sufferer more rapidly process-distressing thoughts, feelings and memories that can reduce symptoms of trauma, improve functioning and improve one’s psychological state.
EFT is a short-term psychotherapy approach to working with individuals and couples. EFT proposes that emotions themselves have an innately adaptive potential that, if activated, can help clients change problematic emotional states or unwanted self-experiences. Clients undergoing EFT are helped to better identify, experience, explore, make sense of, transform and flexibly manage their emotions.
In addition, upon request, or with client consent, I offer the positive and effective healing technique of pet therapy. Pet therapy involves having your pet, or my certified therapy dog, present during the session to aid in the therapeutic process. Pet therapy has proven to be a very powerful and beneficial tool for many of my clients.
Education and Training
New York University, Advanced Certificate In Clinical Social Work
Hunter College School Of New York, Masters Degree In Social Work
New York University, Masters In Psychology