Chronic Illness Therapists in 10013

I am a licensed clinical social worker who believes in the power of understanding ones own story. I do not believe that you are “broken,” or that you need “fixing.” I use a combination of mindfulness, strength-based, and compassion-focused approaches to empower my clients to re-claim parts of their story and achieve self-acceptance. I strive to help clients interpret past experiences and to unburden emotional pain, which can improve your relationships, help you achieve your goals, and improve your overall quality of life.

Are you struggling with the impact of a chronic illness in your 20s, 30s or beyond? Do you find your thoughts are taken over by anxiety about flare ups, uncertainty about what the future holds? As a licensed clinical social worker, I will work alongside you to address areas in your life that have been causing distress. I value warmth and humor in my relationship with every person I work with and I know what it's like to feel stuck, sick, and consumed by anxiety. I will work with you to create a trusting environment where you can feel safe to be vulnerable at your own pace, and celebrate alongside you in your successes.

Sometimes it feels like we're moving through life on auto-pilot. With work and other stressors, it is hard to find time to slow down, to breathe, to focus on the present. I believe therapy is about letting go of the things we are trying to control and making choices towards a more fulfilling life. To facilitate this, I help clients openly face life’s challenges and create lasting changes. I offer a collaborative, non-judgmental, and safe space for my clients to facilitate behavior change and self-exploration.

I work with individuals navigating the intricacies of the human experience to help them cope with emotions that impact relationships with the self and others. My practice specializes in supporting individuals facing anxiety, depression, grief/loss, chronic illness, life transitions, and pregnancy/postpartum support.

To me, as a therapist, it is essential to develop a safe, nonjudgmental, honest, and supportive space for each and every client to unpack, process and move forward. I work with children ages 3-18 years, adults, and families facing various challenges and diagnoses.

Everyone deserves to be seen, heard, and valued. I collaborate with families, couples, and individuals to unpack and work through challenges and struggles from a strengths-based perspective. I work with clients to understand the larger cultural systems around all of us and how they impact our relationships and identities. I work from an anti-oppression, anti-diet, neurodiversity- affirming, disability justice, and Covid-conscious lens.

Living in NYC can be both exciting and overwhelming even on your best days. Between your daily responsibilities, taking care of others’ needs, and the pressure to always have it together, you wonder how you can find the time or space to attend to your own needs. I want to help you harness your hidden superpowers to better manage the changes and stressors in your life (even the positive ones), improve your quality of life and relationships, find purpose and fulfillment, use your time more meaningfully, set healthy boundaries without guilt, and decrease feelings of burnout, shame, sadness, isolation, chaos, numbness, or pain.

Therapy is a two way street. Not only do you have to put in the effort and work, but you also have to find a therapist who will do the same with you. You need to click with your therapist and find someone who will help you grow. I believe in creating safe spaces for you to be yourself and to be vulnerable.

Acknowledging the need for support is an incredibly brave step — I’m so happy that you are here. I work with adults in individual and group psychotherapy, and specialize in treating adults with chronic medical conditions such as cancer, Lupus, Crohn’s disease, and Cystic Fibrosis. My additional areas of expertise include helping adults navigate the LGBTQ experience and women’s health concerns, as well as depression, anxiety and trauma. Although you may not yet be able to fully appreciate your strength and resilience, I am here to hold this vision for you as we work together to guide you towards a life of deep fulfillment.

I am a licensed social worker utilizing a number of techniques to treat anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship issues, and health-related conditions. I believe that anyone can benefit from therapy. Setting aside time to process emotions can help to develop coping skills, self-compassion, and generally connect with your purpose in life. My approach to therapy draws from an eclectic mix of evidence-based practices to provide services that are both individualized and collaborative.

Many of my clients describe losing a loved one was like being hit by a Mac truck. There is something unbelievable about how a loved one is no longer with us ;it is akin to a sudden shock. The need to tell one's story and organize the narrative is essential to the process of healing. Repeating the story in front of witnesses either in a group setting or individually helps integrate this new reality into one's frame of reference. The purpose of the sessions individual or group in to help to make you feel less alone in your personal tragedy. Repeatedly group members report a sense of healing being connected to others.

Pursuing therapy is a courageous act because it is a process where you can grow and evolve. I like to think of therapy as a collaborative healing experience where we can work together to help improve the aspects of your life that are troublesome. I'll help you discover your untapped strengths and potential in the process. My hope is that you can feel empowered, increase your confidence, and develop a better understanding of yourself. The ultimate goal of working with me is not to be stuck in therapy, but to be able to live your life more fully!

As a WOC in the LGBTQIA+/kink/poly/consensual relationship community, my approach is anti-racist, anti-oppressive, trauma informed, sex affirming, and abolitionist. My work with queer, transgender/gender non-conforming folx has led to a focus in issues relating to internalized and institutional racism and oppression, sexual identity, trauma, domestic violence, depression, anxiety, disordered eating, relationship issues, and self-esteem. By employing strengths-based, narrative-lead therapy, I will help you to embody being the expert of your experience.

What makes me different? 
I’m a survivor: I’ve been through it. I am committed to providing creative, dynamic, evidence-based, mental health therapy to a diverse body of clients. I am passionate about providing Anti-Oppression, Trauma-Informed individual and couples’ counseling to clients from all backgrounds. In our sessions, expect to laugh, cry, cuss (if you want to), have “lightbulb” moments, and be embraced for who you are. We’ll work together to improve your relationships, identify and change patterns and behaviors, grow your emotional intelligence, break generational cycles, to live your most authentic, fulfilling life.

A highly intelligent, sensitive and responsive psychotherapist, Julia Pema will help you decipher the meaning of life and being, figure out how to realize your dreams, overcome challenges, and heal your wounds, and will sit with you in moments of despair and indescribable grief. Whether you want to grow better and deeper or survive and just function, she will uphold your safe space.

My work is informed by intersectionality and motivated by my personal experience with the communities I serve. As a therapist on his own path of healing, I share what I learn with my clients and celebrate our wins. I’m a bisexual transman who has personal experience with kink and non-monogamy. I’m a loved one of sex workers. I’m an addict in long term recovery. I believe in healing through community, and in practicing radical self disclosure—with boundaries. I provide clinical supervision to a team of LMSW therapists. Outside of session, I enjoy practicing yoga, dreaming up my future animal rescue, and spending time with loved ones.

Experience has taught me that there is no single script for a successful therapeutic endeavor. You bring to each encounter exactly what you are experiencing in the moment. You may arrive looking for clarity, healing, or hope. Our task is to clear some space to enable new thoughts and perspectives to emerge. Insight can lead to change, but not always in a straight line. Our ongoing conversation is the place of discovery, dynamic struggle, and meaning making, all of which contribute to new ways of relating and perceiving.

I offer talk therapy and art psychotherapy for adults seeking insight, personal growth and change after major life transition, loss or trauma. These experiences may pertain to medical illness, injury, disability, relationships, loss of loved ones, job loss, relocation, or more. In our sessions together we can explore issues that come up around the extreme shifts in how you know how to be in the world, your self expectations and sense of identity, feelings of confusion, and distress. We will gently address your stressors and feelings of misunderstanding, to foster integration, advocacy and renewed inspiration for a path forward.

The most important part of working towards your mental health wellness goals is to have a positive therapeutic relationship in which you feel respected, validated, and understood. I work in a collaborative manner with clients to create a safe space as you embark on your journey towards improved mental health. I am passionate about working with clients who are open to increasing insight and making positive changes.