My approach in therapy is collaborative, supportive, and goal oriented.

For over 13 years, I have dedicated myself to supporting people of all ages through a range of stressors, including anxiety, depression, tense family dynamics, grief, chronic illness, and life transitions. In this work, I’ve seen firsthand the tremendous pressures individuals face to appear “okay” and the self-blame that often comes from not meeting unrealistic societal expectations. These experiences have deepened my passion for helping those who are entering parenthood, raising young children, caregiving, redefining roles and boundaries in relationships, and navigating the complexities of grief and loss. Taking the first step to address emotional challenges is an act of tremendous courage, and you don’t have to face it alone. When life feels overwhelming, a strong therapeutic relationship can provide the support needed to navigate your journey toward growth and meaningful change. Together, we can draw on your strengths and collaboratively focus on your goals. If you choose to work together, we can uncover underlying barriers and unhelpful patterns contributing to your distress, while also identifying and strengthening your personal resources to foster growth. My clients frequently describe feeling genuinely listened to, understood, and met with warmth and authenticity during our sessions.

I love working with individuals and couples from diverse backgrounds. I have a warm and direct approach, and I work with couples to communicate and hear each other in a safe and productive way. I use IMAGO therapy/Imago Relationship Therapy (IRT), which most couples find very positive and quickly gives hope. With my individual clients, we work to understand your needs and desires and ways to help you find your inner strengths to achieve them. I also bring in some coaching tools when helpful. I respect and highly value the client-therapist relationship.

Therapy can help when life becomes overwhelming, when you feel alone in your struggles, or when you’re experiencing major life changes. You may find it difficult to talk about your problems with family members or friends, as they may not understand your feelings. My role as a therapist is to empower those facing various issues in their lives and to help you cope with difficult situations in a more adaptive way. Being listened to can help you feel understood and remind you that other people care about you and what you have to say. I provide a supportive, caring, nonjudgmental, safe, and culturally appropriate atmosphere. Therapy can help when life becomes overwhelming, when you feel alone in your struggles, or when you’re experiencing major life changes. You may find it difficult to talk about your problems with family members or friends, as they may not understand your feelings. My role as a therapist is to empower those facing various issues in their lives and to help you cope with difficult situations in a more adaptive way. Being listened to can help you feel understood and remind you that other people care about you and what you have to say. I provide a supportive, caring, nonjudgmental, safe, and culturally appropriate atmosphere. While deciding to begin therapy can be difficult, it can also be the first step toward achieving meaningful change. All clients are treated with respect and confidentiality. I invite you to take the next step and make an appointment so we can start this healing journey together.

I am a compassionate Mental Health Counselor specializing in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), an evidence-based approach that helps individuals understand the connection between their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. I work collaboratively with clients to identify unhelpful thinking patterns and develop practical strategies to create meaningful, lasting change. My approach is supportive, goal-oriented, and tailored to your unique needs. Whether you are struggling with anxiety, stress, or everyday challenges, I provide a safe, nonjudgmental space where you can feel heard and empowered. Through CBT, I help clients build effective coping skills, improve emotional regulation, and gain confidence in managing life’s difficulties. Together, we will focus on developing healthier thought patterns and behaviors so you can move forward with greater clarity, resilience, and a stronger sense of well-being. Clients come to my practice for a variety of reasons, often when life begins to feel overwhelming or difficult to manage alone. Many are navigating anxiety, stress, or persistent worry that interferes with their daily lives. Others may be experiencing feelings of sadness, burnout, or struggling to cope with major life changes such as transitions in relationships, parenthood, or career. Some clients seek support to better understand their thoughts and emotions, while others want to break unhelpful patterns, improve coping skills, or build confidence and self-esteem. I also work with individuals who feel stuck, uncertain, or simply in need of a safe space to talk and be heard without judgment. No matter the reason, each client is met with empathy, respect, and a personalized approach to help them move toward greater clarity, balance, and emotional well-being. I understand that reaching out for support can feel overwhelming, and taking that first step is not always easy. You may be feeling anxious, stressed, or simply unsure of where to begin—but you don’t have to navigate it alone. I am here to listen, support, and walk alongside you at your own pace. If you’re ready to start your journey toward healing and growth, I invite you to reach out. I would be honored to support you.

*FREE ONE HALF HOUR EVALUATION SESSION *AWARD WINNING PRACTICE: "BEST OF 2018, PSYCHOTHERAPIST" *RESULTS THERAPY *LIFE COACH *BUILD A LIFE SKILLS TOOLBOX OF STRENGTHS. *PROCESS AND RESOLVE ISSUES. *WEBSITE: https:buffy-bernhardt-k52s.squarespace.com *5 Star Google Reviews ***RESULTS THERAPY: A PROGRAM THAT TEACHES YOU HOW TO ELEVATE YOUR LIFE. LEARN TO OVERCOME CHALLENGES THAT THROW YOU OFF. WITH PROVEN TECHNIQUES TO HJELP SOLVE YOUR ISSUES, YOU WILL LEARN TO CREATE THE LIFE YOU ENVISION FOR YOURSELF. ***INDUSTRIES SERVED: BUSINESS, ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS, SELF-EMPLOYED, EDUCATION, MEDICAL, HUMAN SERVICES, SPORTS, GOVERNMENT, LAW, ETC. We process issues together, then build a life skills toolbox. These tools will help you successfully resolve issues and empower your life. From a heart centered, holistic perspective, (body, mind, spirit). I will work with you as a psychotherapist-life coach in resolving life's challenges in order to develop direction, clarity and personal inner strength.....and create the life you want. I invite you to let me help you heal your life. THERAPIST ROLE: With a gentle, and compassionate approach I create a safe space in which we can explore your issues together. Sometimes we can find ourselves in state of "stuckness", negativity, confusion, fear, with limiting beliefs that can prevent us from moving forward. My role as a therapist is not only to guide you through challenges and transitions in an inclusive and nurturing way, but also to provide you with a deeper understanding of behaviors and stories that may be limiting your resolution and growth, in order to integrate the many parts of your self and manifest a life of fulfillment. PEOPLE SEE ME FOR: Marriage counseling, relationships, all stages of life transition, bereavement, emotional, behavioral challenges, birthpregnancy, personal coaching, personal and spiritual growth, etc. INNER STRENGTHS: Engaging in an inner process while learning to access your "wiser Self" is part of restoring your life to one of harmony, empowerment and well being. As you journey into this process, you will access your greater potential and creative gifts that will serve you in this transformation. TOOLS FOR GROWTH: Insight is only part of the process. It is also important to learn new tools that help change and heal your issues. As you develop deeper insights into your circumstances, you will want to implement new behaviors, healthy thought patterns, while enhancing your strengths. Together we will explore your history, unpack insights and create a tool box of life transforming techniques that will help you develop new and positive ways to grow and cope with life's challenges. SESSIONS MAY INCLUDE: Each session is tailor made according to my client's needs. Discussion, processing, goal and achievement setting, stress reduction, mindfulness practices, meditation and guided imagery, affirmations, personal coaching and other holistic techniques that promote personal awareness, healing and positive growth. BUFFY BERNHARDT, LMSW Director of Nyack Center for Counseling and Coaching, is a HarvardFordham trained New York State licensed social worker: 25 years of advanced training and experience as a psychotherapist and coach. She has developed the "AWAKENED HEART SYSTEM" (based on how to heal, grow, empower yourself), incorporating numerous therapeutichealing modalities, including traditional and body-mind transformative techniques.

Please contact me via email. It is the best way to reach me. I provide individual mental health counseling services and strive to create an atmosphere where my clients can feel empowered, respected, safe, and understood. In my practice, I work with a wide variety of problems and difficulties; however, areas of particular expertise include treatment for anxiety, depression, anger management, alcohol and substance abuse, and trauma. Additionally, I am a Certified Anger Management Specialist-II and also approved by OASAS to provide Clinical Screening and Assessment services for motorists who have been charged with or convicted of an impaired driving offense.

I work with adults and young adults that desire change in their lives. My areas of expertise include anxiety, depression, perfectionism, stress and life transitions. I specialize in helping my clients develop the tools needed to manage difficult emotions and create a healthier way of thinking. In my virtual practice I prominently use Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) as my treatment approach. I help you develop coping skills to manage emotions that are interfering with your day-to-day life. We simultaneously explore your underlying thoughts to create an understanding of why these emotions exist and how they can be overcome.

At the heart of everything I do is this simple belief: you deserve to feel deeply known and accepted, exactly as you are. I know what it's like to feel stuck—caught between where you are now and where your heart longs to be. My role isn't to fix you (because you're not broken), but to help you discover the incredible strengths you already possess and use them as stepping stones toward the life you want.

Thank you for being here and taking the first step in your journey. My greatest hope is to be someone who can offer you genuine understanding and empathy, and to provide a compassionate space where you can explore your thoughts and feelings. Together, we will create an environment that feels both empowering and supportive, helping you move toward a sense of direction and balance in your life. My approach to therapy is integrative and inquisitive, drawing from a variety of methods to best suit your individual needs, circumstances, and goals. I am deeply curious about the complexities of the human experience, and I believe that exploring your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors is key to understanding yourself more fully. I view our work together as a collaborative process, where we explore your experiences and concerns in a safe, nonjudgmental way. I am committed to fostering an environment where you can feel truly seen and heard. This space is for you to discover and be your most authentic self, and I hope to help you cultivate the self-compassion and self-trust necessary to navigate life’s complications. Every perspective and every story has meaning, and I am genuinely excited to learn about yours.

Nominated top doctor in 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2015, I dedicate myself to helping you out of feeling stuck, down and anxious. I offer practical and valuable help within the first session. Most patients describe me as very helpful, warm and insightful. I will tailor a treatment to your needs and pick the best therapy modality for you. I will then match you with a therapist in my practice whose personality and modality of therapy are the most effective for you. You will, therefore, get great help right away and get the most effective treatment for someone who is a great match for you. My patients love this model and I hope that you do too.

I specialize in working with young adults struggling with anxiety, relationship issues, life transitions and substance use. When we are anxious and overwhelmed, it can cause us to feel disconnected from others. Feeling stuck and stressed can trigger self-doubt and poor decision-making, and this chips away at our self-esteem. Personal challenges have taught me that tough times can be an opportunity to gain wisdom and resiliency. I can help you identify the core issues that are negatively impacting your life and deterring you from enjoying your life and achieving your goals. I am an ‘active’ therapist, who makes suggestions and offers guidance, as opposed to just asking “how does that make you feel”? I forge close relationships with clients, who appreciate my warmth, openness and good energy. I provide clients a safe, judgement-free space, where they feel heard, respected and supported. Using holistic and science-based methods, I teach clients solution-focused strategies that they implement in their daily life and for future bumps in the road. With my help, clients learn to step into their personal power. This increases their self-confidence, optimism, and self-awareness. If you are ready to step into your power, I can help you get there.