Individual Therapy On Long Island
Counseling to explore what’s happening and help you move forward
When Life Doesn’t Feel Like It Used To
You might reach out for individual therapy when something in your life stops working the way it used to. Maybe you’re stuck in the same old patterns or you’re someone who overthinks things you used to feel confident about.
Your anxiety may be on the rise or your feelings of sadness have taken over. Perhaps you react in ways you don’t fully understand or you just don’t feel like yourself anymore.
Sometimes there’s a clear reason like a change in an important relationship, your career, your family, or your health. Other times, it’s harder to point to one thing, but you simply feel like something is off and you want to feel better. Any of these places are the perfect place to begin therapy.
What Brings People To Individual Therapy
People come in with all different kinds of experiences.
You might notice:
- You can’t shut your mind off
- You keep second-guessing yourself
- Your feelings are overwhelming
- You feel more reactive than you want to
- You feel stuck in your life or your decisions
- Your friends or family have pointed out something is different, off or concerning
- Your work is affected by your emotions in ways that are unproductive
- You feel something is not right
- You experience your first panic attack
Any of these reasons are signs that it’s the right time to seek out the support of a trusted therapist.
What Therapy Actually Looks Like
Lots of people who have never been to therapy have questions about the process. In our practice, most people start with a weekly session so we can really understand what’s going on and begin to see the patterns more clearly.
Sessions are typically 45 minutes, and we offer both in-person therapy in Roslyn Heights, Manhattan, and virtual sessions, depending on what works best for you. Some people prefer one or the other, and many do a combination.
In the beginning, we’re getting a clear picture of what’s happening, what keeps repeating in your emotions and thinking, what’s triggering you, and how you’re responding in those moments. From there, the work becomes more tailored to your needs and goals.
In our sessions, we’re not just talking about what happened during your week, we’re actively paying attention to how you think through decisions, how you respond under stress, and what happens emotionally to you in real time. If something more specific is coming up like a memory, an experience, or a stressful situation, we may bring in approaches like EMDR or EMDR Intensives to help you process that more directly.
Some people come in for a shorter period to work through something specific. Others stay longer as they continue to build more awareness and make deeper changes over time.
Therapy Isn’t Just About Talking
A lot of people come in saying they’ve already talked about things before. And that’s an important part of the process, but insight alone doesn’t always create change. In our sessions, we focus on what’s actually happening in your day-to-day life.
This could include:
- What you experience sitting with a decision and going back and forth unsure of what to do, asking other people for their advice but still not trusting yourself with what to do.
- How a small comment throws you off for hours, or you replay a conversation long after it’s over.
- When you pull back in relationships, or overcompensate (saying yes when you mean no, or second-guessing what you said).
- How you respond when you know something isn’t working, but you keep doing it anyway.
When we work on evaluating your patterns, we start to see details emerge that give insight into why your nervous system, brain and heart respond the way they do. It’s from this place that things begin to shift.
How Your Life Changes With Therapy
As things start to shift, it shows up in ways people don’t expect at first. You catch yourself in something you’ve done a hundred times, and this time, you pause instead of going all the way down the spiral or replaying it for hours. And you don’t need as much reassurance to feel okay about your decision.
It may be subtle at first, but the goal is feeling less reactive, anxious, depressed, stressed, or unsure of yourself. As you explore the deeper roots of your challenges, you gain the insight, acceptance and relief that comes from doing this kind of work. And you start to feel more like yourself again, which leads to stronger relationships, clearer direction, and a greater sense of being grounded in your own life.
Individual Therapy On Long Island FAQs:
How do I know if individual therapy is right for me?
If something keeps showing up, thoughts, reactions, patterns, and it’s not shifting on its own, that’s usually a good place to start. Just like you would seek out a specialist if you had certain medical needs, our work focuses on life transitions and personal growth and development.
What if I don’t know what’s wrong?
That’s very common. You don’t need to have a clear explanation. We start with what you’re noticing and work from there.
Do I need a specific issue to begin?
No. Many people come in because something just doesn’t feel right, even if they can’t fully explain it yet.
How is this different from talking to a friend?
What can I expect?
We will talk and share to the level of your comfort. Whether we are working together short or long-term we will focus each session on what is going on in your life and learning the tools, perspectives, and strategies to maximize your well-being.
If it is of interest to you we can also practice tools such as meditation and mindfulness, which can be used in your everyday life. Each session will be personalized to your needs.
What kind of therapy do you provide?
Just like there are multiple ways to address certain medical issues there are different perspectives on how to best work with others therapeutically.
We are trained in a number of different therapeutic modalities:
Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR) is a simple but efficient form of therapy that utilizes bilateral stimulation (BLS) usually in the form of eye movements, tapping or auditory tones in order to accelerate the brain’s capacity to process and heal a troubling memory, thought, feeling, or phobia. This therapy can help with both the healing of emotional pain as well as physical discomfort related to trauma, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem issues and other life events. It is used to effectively treat both upsetting past events and present life conditions.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has been found to be effective in treating anxiety and depression by changing unhelpful thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes. The focus is to help you improve your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) builds upon Cognitive Behavioral Therapy by adding in techniques for regulating your emotions and building mindful awareness. It teaches new skills to manage distress and communication, and decrease ineffective behaviors. It was first developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan to treat suicidal and self-injurious behaviors, and can also be effective with treating impulsivity, anger management, addiction, depression, anxiety, and eating disorders.
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is designed to address stress, illness, and pain by calming your mind and body. The purpose is to stay more present to your thoughts, emotions, and feelings as an outlet for coping.
Psychodynamic and Interpersonal Therapies are designed to help you explore the full range of your emotions and understand how unresolved issues and unconscious feelings are impacting your mood. This can be particularly effective with depression and improve relationships with family and peers.
Family and Couples Therapy is about nurturing change and development within your interpersonal relationships.
We use an integrative approach offering different modalities and treatments to fit your individualized needs. This way you get the best quality of care with the most effective results.
When You’re Ready
If you’re looking for individual therapy on Long Island or in New York City, reach out. You can begin by contacting us. From there, we will schedule a brief consultation to understand what you’re looking for and how we can support you.
We offer both in-person and virtual sessions.
If it feels like a good fit, we will move forward together and create a plan that helps you reach your fullest potential.