My Approach to Helping
The therapist-client relationship is the foundation on which the work of counseling or psychotherapy builds. While psychological understanding certainly is most important to therapeutic change, the client-therapist relationship is crucial to a successful outcome in therapy. Clients will experience me as supportive and nonjudgmental. I endeavor to help my clients feel comfortable in my care so that we can work as a team to understand and resolve the difficulties presented. Also, clients will find that I take a strength-based approach to treatment, meaning that as personal and systemic issues are addressed, an almost equally important emphasis will be placed on identifying and building upon the strengths that couples and families invariably possess.
Of course, the therapist's knowledge and skills are crucial to the effectiveness of therapy. Clients can expect that I will offer new perspectives on problems and communicate psychological understanding appropriate to the situation at hand. New perspectives frequently suggest new solutions. I have a post-doctoral certificate in marriage and family treatment from an institution accredited by the AAMFT and my work is informed by family systems theory, as well as principles deriving from psychodynamic, interpersonal, and cognitive-behavioral schools of thought.
More Info About My Practice
I am not an in-network provider within insurance plans. However, I can be flexible regarding my fees depending on the extent of a client's out-of-network insurance coverage.
I have evening hours three nights a week and also Saturday hours.
Specific Issue(s) I'm Skilled at Helping With
As a trained marriage and family therapist, I specialize in the counseling and treatment of distressed couples and families. The bulk of my practice consists of couples seeking to communicate more effectively around differences or other stressful situations affecting their relationship and family life. I also have expertise in helping couples to recover from extramarital affairs, manage emotional or behavioral difficulties of children, negotiate divorce, remarriage and step-family adjustment issues, and cope with non-normative and more highly stressful life events (e.g., death of a child, serious illness, etc.). Often, a crisis within a relationship--even something as serious as an extra-marital affair--can be an opportunity for eventual development of deeper and happier commitments.
A broadly trained clinical psychologist with over 20 years of experience, I also hold a post-graduate certificate in marriage and family therapy from the Family Institute of Westchester, accredited by the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy. My work is informed by family systems theory, as well as principles of psychodynamic, cognitive and behavioral treatments. Clients can expect a supportive and collaborative treatment relationship.