Find a Therapist in Newark, NJ

You’re tired. Maybe you’ve been holding everything together for everyone else, but inside you feel overwhelmed, anxious, or stuck. Your mind won’t slow down. You replay conversations. Old pain shows up when you least expect it. You’re functioning but you’re not at peace. If that’s where you are, you don’t need to be fixed. You need space to breathe, understand what’s happening beneath the surface, and begin to feel steady again. When we work together, I help you slow things down. We identify the patterns keeping you stuck and gently unpack the experiences that still feel heavy. I don’t believe in just talking about problems. I focus on helping you experience real relief in your daily life. If trauma is part of your story, we may use EMDR to help your brain and nervous system reprocess painful memories so they stop hijacking your present. If anxiety is loud, we’ll build practical tools to quiet the noise and help you feel grounded and in control. I’m warm, direct, and culturally responsive. I’ll support you, challenge you when needed, and walk alongside you as you build clarity, confidence, and emotional stability. You don’t need the perfect words. You just need to show up. Healing is possible and you don’t have to do it alone.

At Peace and Wellness Center, we are committed to meet the emotional needs of our clients and to help them achieve a renewed sense of wellbeing. We believe that all people have the potential to achieve fulfilling and satisfying lives. The Center provides an array of behavioral therapy services to clients of different ages and backgrounds. Our psychotherapeutic services are tailored to our clients' needs in a nurturing and supportive environment. We are committed to providing compassionate and confidential care to our clients while they embark on a journey to achieve personal and emotional growth. Our goal is to always inspire and guide clients to identify their own inner peace, to harness it, and to use its tremendous power throughout the good and bad times in their lives. Therapy is most effective when there is a feeling of trust and when a strong connection is felt between therapist and client. Through experience, I have found that the client benefits from a first session where they can walk in and discuss their primary concerns and feelings without any pressure. Therefore, we offer an initial consultation. The initial consultation provides you the opportunity to ask questions, learn about the services we provide before you are asked questions about why you are seeking therapy. This initial consultation is also essential for us to assess what we need to know about the prospective client and to determine if the client and therapist are a good fit before we make an agreement to work together. Clients who have had an initial consultation approach their first session of therapy with a greater sense of comfort, commitment, and readiness. Each person has unique needs and goals for therapy. As skilled therapists, we bring a broad range of best practice knowledge gained from training, clinical and personal experiences. Therapy is a collaborative experience that develops as trust is established in an empathetic and nurturing therapeutic alliance. A well-prepared therapist understands just how challenging life can be and will help clients overcome the challenges that are impacting their quality of life.

I collaborate with arts and helping professionals on a variety of issues, including: finding your voice in negotiation and relationships, getting creative projects and careers off the ground, identifying what's working in your life--and what's not--and how to change things for the better. I also work with issues around bereavement and loss. My training and approach combines psychodynamic, mindbody and mindfulness aspects. I have expertise in stress management (how to handle the present), trauma recovery (how to integrate the past) and creative breakthroughs and empowerment (how to build a future). When appropriate, I use EMDR, a proven method of symptom relief from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); meditation and breathing exercises and other techniques. Equally if not more important is how we fit together as a working team. I invite you to consult with me for one or two sessions and see if you'd like to work with me.

Offices in HACKENSACK - TEANECK - RAMSEY - DENVILLE - RIDGEWOOD - PARSIPPANY - PARAMUS - ORADELL, NJ PLEASE VIEW PROFILE for LIST of SERVICES. We work with many insurance companies, and we submit all claims for you. Professional and compassionate coaching and counseling for adults, children and teens, couples, families, marriage, premarital, addictions, grief and bereavement, and pet loss therapy in Bergen County and Morris County, Northern New Jersey for over 30 years. Specific Issue(s) with which Search for Self (formerly Mars & Venus Counseling Center) is Skilled: -Adult counseling -Couples counseling -Relationship counseling -Premarital counseling -Marriage counseling -Family counseling -Child counseling -Teen counseling -Life coaching -Addiction counseling -Grief and bereavement counseling -Pet loss therapy -Stress and anxiety -Depression -Low self-esteem -Perfectionism -Worry -Indecision -Procrastination -Phobias -Assertiveness issues FOR COUPLES, RELATIONSHIP, PREMARITAL, MARRIAGE COUNSELING: We use "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus" as the basic premise and guidance for couples work. Dr. John Gray has developed a complete clinical approach to couples counseling that integrates all of his ideas. You will learn how to understand, respect, and honor the differences between yourself and your partner. You will learn what your needs are, as well as your partner's, and how to meet them. We also incorporate the theories and philosophies of other leaders in relationship counseling to develop an eclectic style of couples counseling. FOR INDIVIDUALS: We all bring our unresolved issues from our past into our adulthood. These blocks create obstacles to our individual success and happiness. There is an infinite number of issues that can be raised in counseling. The goal of the counseling is to help you achieve your own goals and feel free of issues by which you feel burdened. We have studied and integrated theories and practice methods of many leaders in the field of individual counseling. Our training has added numerous tools in helping one overcome blocks to success and happiness. FOR CHILD, ADOLESCENT, and FAMILY COUNSELING: We provide specialized, compassionate and professional services with expertise in varying symptoms and diagnosis for children and teens and their families. Some areas of concern might be behavioral problems, low self-esteem, hyperactivity, school problems, depression or adjustment and coping troubles. Spanish-speaking therapists available. We submit all insurance claims for you.

When you walk into therapy, I want you to feel safe, welcomed, and understood exactly as you are. My role is to be there with you: listening deeply, learning your story, and helping you feel less alone. You don’t have to have it all figured out; we’ll navigate it together, at your pace. I combine evidence-based tools like dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) with the depth and insight of interpersonal psychodynamic work. This means we’ll focus on helping you cope with what’s happening right now, and look at patterns, relationships, and experiences that shape how you see yourself and the world. Along the way, you’ll gain skills, emotional control, clarity, and new ways of dealing with life’s challenges. People often tell me I bring warmth, compassion, and a calming presence to our sessions, along with the kind of honesty and gentle encouragement that makes it easier to make changes. My hope is that you leave therapy feeling better in the moment, and also more confident, more connected, and more hopeful about your life.

I practice in a Relational psychoanalytic style in which we work together to honestly, creatively and sensitively address whatever issues, conflicts, losses and dysfunctions you may be contending with. With 34 years wide-ranging clinical experience and extensive postgraduate training, my aim is to promote a steady and supportive therapeutic connection between us where all thoughts, feelings, behaviors and other aspects of your unique self may be safely revealed, explored and understood. My areas of specialization include all forms of addictive disorders (alcohol, drugs, sexual compulsivity, eating disorders, gambling), trauma issues and personality disorders as well as depression, grief and loss, LGBTQ issues, chronic medical illness and sexual concerns. Throughout my career, I have worked empathically and effectively with an adult clientele of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds as well as all sexual and gender identifications. I bring both passion and compassion to my work and welcome the opportunity to share the therapeutic journey with anyone to whom I can be helpful.

I'm an individual and couples therapist specializing in issues such as communication barriers, work-life balance, stress and anxiety, intimacy, infidelity, breakups divorce, blended families, and increasing relationship satisfaction. I implement individualized techniques to address issues that are faced in today's relationships with self and others. With all the movement and overstimulation happening around us, it can be difficult to hear our own thoughts, let alone others. We often keep moving at full speed, not realizing how many feelings and emotions we are suppressing and avoiding. Therapy can be intimidating; you're not sure how you got here, but you're ready to shed the negative and repetitive behaviors that are not serving you. I am passionate about helping you understand the root cause of your patterns and learning how you got to where you are today, but most importantly, changing your path to reach your future goals and where you ultimately want to be. I'll help you develop skills to communicate, build confidence, and feel understood in a safe space for open conversations through exploration and collaboration with a direct, nonjudgmental approach. Together, we will create a long-term lifestyle change that you will be able to maintain and feel fulfilled with.

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.

I am a Certified Emotionally Focused Therapist. I offer an warm and compassionate approach that allows individuals, couples and families to explore issues that they feel they are getting suck in and interfere with their ability to navigate life challenges. I am also trained in AEDP and IFS as well as Somatic Experienced therapy.

Life can be very challenging, and at times, unbearable. I understand that. Whether you're navigating through a difficult relationship, family crisis or trying to figure out your place in life, I would be honored to walk alongside you. I offer an eclectic approach to counseling that is flexible & dynamic to suit your needs. I have over ten years of experience helping pre-teens, teenage youth & young adults work through economic, academic and psycho-social challenges & adjustments. I also work closely with parents & their children to help navigate through challenging family dynamics. I offer practical skills for couples to improve their relationships & space for the single person to explore. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at the phone number or email listed.