I believe that therapy is about listening effectively and helping unpack complicated situations to examine options and pick the best path forward. There are no right or wrong choices, just what makes sense and works for you.

I feel that my greatest asset as a Therapist is to offer active listening skills to my clients and to present a safe space with the opportunity for my clients to be gently challenged for the purpose of improving oneself and promoting overall wellness and healing.

If you are interested in scheduling an appointment with one of our therapists, please use the contact form on our WEBSITE www.imaracounseling.com and a member of our intake team will be in touch with you within 24 business hours. Unlike many other practices you reach out to, we will respond and do our best to schedule you with someone who can assist you.

People - like plants - don't thrive in less than optimal conditions. However people - unlike plants - have the ability to improve the conditions in which they exist and give themselves the gift of positive and exuberant growth. Is your growth as an individual being limited by ~ anxieties & fears ~ lack of direction ~ depression ~ past trauma ~ poor self image ~ relationship issues Any one of the above can make you feel stuck and uncertain. Growth oriented psychotherapy will help you rediscover your purpose and direction. My task is to guide you as you identify your goals and the resources you'll need to achieve them. My belief is that most of these resources already exist within you or are readily accessible to you.

Working from a trauma-informed, non-pathologizing, strengths-based, systems model of care, I work to help you better understand the impact of trauma on mental health and relationships. I specialize in the treatment of trauma across a full spectrum of conditions, including the use of dissociation, addictions, self-harm, and eating disorder behaviors, as well as challenged family systems, mood disorders, and maternalparental mental health issues. I have many years of advanced trainings and experience to help clients in therapy make and maintain positive changes, find needed resources, and work from personal strengths. You can learn much more about my style of care by reading the articles on our website blog - I have been writing those for 5+ years.

I like to describe my therapeutic style as eclectic. I pull from many different modalities to find what works best for each individual client. I believe that nothing in life is one size fits all and therapy is no different. Each individual needs something different when they engage in therapy and I strive to help my clients based on their individual needs. I like to take time to get to know my patients at to work collaboratively with them to create goals that make sense for their lives and needs. I primarily work with adolescents, teens, and young adults. I love working with these age groups because there is so much change happening during this time in someone's life. I am a fairly casual person and (when appropriate) like to use humor to connect and engage. I also am a bit of a nerd and have at least a basic to moderate understanding of many of the things that the younger generations enjoy (video games, TikTok, memes, movies, tv, etc.). I love to use this to connect with my clients and to allow them to feel seen.

In my practice, I work with adults, defined as approximately age 20 and older. I work with individual clients, with couples, and with groups. In group therapy, the clients are almost always in individual therapy as well, with me, with my co-therapist, or with another therapist who has referred the client to the group. I work with clients presenting a variety of issues, including: *Depression Relationship Issues *Life Transitions *Anxiety *Addictive Behaviors *GLBT Issues *Anger *Grief and Loss *Sense of Self/Self-Esteem *Men's Issues *Trauma and PTSD *Partners of Abuse Survivors *Adult Children of Alcoholic/Dysfunctional/Abuse Families *Couples Issues, including Re-Marriage, Extramarital Relationships, and Step-Families I have had experience working with diverse groups of people. I have been a consulting psychologist to an orthodox yeshiva, I have worked with Catholic seminarians, I have taught and supervised trainees in a largely Catholic Pastoral Counseling program, and I have taken numerous workshops in working with Gay, Bi, and Lesbian, and Questioning clients. In addition, I have been involved in Multicultural work since 2001, and seek to keep an open mind and continuously question my assumptions about people whose lives are different from mine. I believe that psychotherapy is an interactive process that calls for both the client and the therapist to be as fully involved as possible. Therefore, I participate actively with my patients, sharing my thoughts, impressions, and reactions to what we are talking about. I believe that people can change even long-standing patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior if THEY participate actively. My job is to create a space where clients can be curious and learn about the ways of thinking, feeling, and acting that they bring to their lives, and about how these ways work for them and against them. I create this space by bringing both my professional training and understanding and my human compassion, empathy, and respect. In my practice, I typically meet with people once a week; if there is a need for additional support, or if we decide together that more intense work is called for, meeting twice a week can be very useful. Even meeting once a week allows clients to develop enough comfort with me and with therapy for our work to be effective and helpful. Regarding my theoretical grounding, I have intensive training in Psychodynamic, Cognitive-Behavioral, Gestalt, and Existential therapeutic approaches, and I draw from each of these as the client's situation, needs, and goals call for. Some therapists subscribe to and identify with one school of thought and apply that way of thinking and working to every client. I first work to understand each client's particular issues, needs, and style of thinking and feeling. THEN, I use the approach and methods that I believe would be most useful to that patient, and remain open to using whatever else might work based on what develops. Therefore, my orientation is eclectic, and my methods are determined by the client's personality and needs.

Do you ever feel like there's an instruction book to life that everyone got but you? Does it seem like everyone else "has it all together" and you're just trying to fake your way through life? Not a good feeling, is it? Believe it or not, you're not alone, and you're not as bad as you think. You've learned ways to think and feel about yourself that made sense in the past, but they aren't working so well now. I specialize in helping my clients identify their unhelpful ways of thinking and feeling so they can choose to think and feel differently about themselves and improve their self-esteem. I also help clients to process traumatic experiences, both "big T" traumas (like combat, sexual and physical assaults, and car accidents), and "little T" traumas (like negative interactions that lead to a poor self-image). Contact me today so I can help you to understand why you shouldn't believe everything you think!

Therapy is a journey that gives us the opportunity to find our genuine selves and ultimately become the best person we can be. Through therapy, profound and lasting change and growth can occur. I am a doctor of psychology as well as a licensed independent clinical social worker. I have deep expertise in working with addiction and recovery issues, alcoholism, as well as family, relationship, and couples issues. I have spent more than 20 years in the psychotherapy field. I work with adolescents and adults in individual, family, and couple modalities. As a therapist, my approach to therapy is to meet you at your current place in life and to support you to advance toward your objectives, work past obstacles, and attain supreme growth. I utilize various therapeutic approaches, comprising psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, and strength-based techniques.

I believe therapy works best when it feels like a safe and genuine conversation. My role is to listen closely, help you feel understood, and work with you to uncover patterns that may be holding you back. I draw on both psychotherapy and psychiatry, so we can address the whole picture—your thoughts, emotions, relationships, and, when helpful, medication support. I value collaboration and tailor treatment to each person’s unique story and goals. My hope is that our work together not only eases current struggles but also helps you grow in ways that feel meaningful and lasting.

I began working in this field almost 30 years ago because I wanted to make a tangible difference in people's lives. Over the years, I have worked with countless individuals, couples, families, and groups to help them improve their quality of life. Through my experience, I have learned that: Although many may appear to be similar demographically in terms of age, race, gender, socioeconomic status, religion, etc., everyone brings hisher own individual histories to therapy -- histories that distinguish each client as a unique individual. As a result, I welcome all clients, and I recognize that each client will bring hisher own history and values to therapy. I commit to working within each individual's system of values as I try to help the individual draw from hisher history to improve hisher quality of life. My two primary metrics are: a) tangible improvements in an individual's life, and b) the individual's feelings and understanding regarding change and the process of change. Like physical therapists and coaches who are willing to challenge their athletes to perform at full potential, I am willing to challenge my clients to reach their full potential in life. But my guiding philosophy is: "challenge by choice" -- I will only as far and as fast as my clients are comfortable.

Do you ever feel like happiness eludes you while those around you seem to have it all together? Do you find yourself questioning if others are simply pretending to be happy, as you struggle with overwhelming emotions? Rest assured, experiencing seasons of anxiety and depression is a normal part of life. As a therapist, my mission is to provide unwavering support and guide you out of this challenging season. With a focus on anxiety, depression, eating disorders, couples, and families, my practice caters to individuals of all ages, from children and adolescents to adults. I also specialize in addressing relationship issues and offer valuable dating assistance for singles. During our collaborative journey, we will incorporate a range of evidence-based treatment modalities, such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and the renowned Gottman Method. My utmost priority is to cultivate a calm, safe space where you can freely express yourself without fear of judgment. Together, we will explore all aspects of your life, identifying areas that are no longer serving you while building new coping skills and adopting healthier thought patterns. Your healing journey starts today, and I am here to guide you every step of the way. Let's embark on a path of transformation and rediscover the joy and fulfillment that await you. Reach out today, and let's begin this empowering and transformative process together. I am accepting new clients: in-person and virtual!