Therapists in Chestnut Ridge, NY

Whether you're transitioning to a new job, anxious about a relationship, navigating a recent loss, these adjustments can feel stressful and overwhelming. I have experience working with trauma, grief, life transitions, depression, anxiety, relational difficulties, and academic/occupational issues. I enjoy working with college/graduate students and young professionals. am trained in a range of modalities including CBT and DBT, but overall, I am person-centered, attachment based and psychodynamically oriented. Thus, I approach therapy from a trauma-focused lens, providing a safe space for clients to process all thoughts and feelings.

Hi! I'm Dr. Winnie Ma (she/her/hers), a licensed psychologist in New York who is passionate about supporting immigrant and racial/ethnic minority youth and adults facing a range of issues – relationships, family, career, or identity. My own experience as an immigrant from Taiwan navigating interpersonal and systemic challenges taught me the importance of resilience, seeking support, and embracing diverse perspectives.

Jem’s therapeutic focus is on improving the quality of relationships in one’s life. Relationships involve your experience with yourself and others and may include food, sexuality, your body, work, money, and drugs and alcohol. By getting curious about real-time thoughts and feelings, Jem then helps you recognize patterns and larger stories that you carry about yourself and relationships. This allows for more conscious choices, with the purpose of building new or upon existing skills to express a client’s true potential and more fulfilling life.

Art therapy uses the creative process to identify and resolve thoughts, attitudes, and feelings that present obstacles to emotional and cognitive growth. Art is a language of symbols-the same language of symbols that our subconscious uses in dreams. At Creative Arts Therapy Studio, PLLC, artwork is created to give *voice* to the subconscious allowing patients to deepen insight, increase well-being and build the lives they want to live.

Specializing with young adults, adolescents/families navigate the often stormy path toward becoming a healthy individual has been my clinical passion for the past 10+ years. Prior to becoming a psychotherapist, I have extensive training in mindfulness/depth psychology, hypnosis, writing as a way of healing through journaling, slam poetry, collage and narrative. I see opportunity for transformation in difficulty and believe that crisis can often facilitate greater life meaning. Helping teenagers as well as adults discover their true sense of self through dialogue and attunement is key to my work as a psychotherapist utilizing compassionate inquiry and mindfulness practice.

I’m an experienced therapist who specializes in both individual and couples work. My approach involves creating a comfortable, non judging environment to safely explore challenging concerns and difficult emotions such as anxiety, anger, fear and depression. My goal is to work through any self defeating patterns, help process through overwhelming feelings and heal negative experiences that may be effecting you or your loved ones.

* DEPRESSION- ANXIETY- STRESS- TRAUMA- RELATIONSHIPS- MIDLIFE- LIFE TRANSITION - GRIEF AND LOSS - PHYSICAL ILLNESS - LIFE-PATH AND PURPOSE * I work with many individuals who feel that they have come to a crossroad, that their life situation is troubled or unfulfilling. Issues of low self esteem, anxiety, depression, feeling stuck or various stress related symptoms are common. Many tools are offered to assist the journey towards self empowerment and mastery, increased happiness and fulfillment. My approach include: in depth heart centered dialogue; mindfulness techniques, cognitive-behavioral , emotional healing; meditation and expressive arts.

I work with goal-oriented women who want to succeed in breaking through old patterns of trauma, pain, and anxiety and who want to achieve their impossible. People often come to me when they have been talk therapy and feel frustrated by lack of change. Whether you are struggling with anxiety, grief, relationship difficulties, or chronic and/or acute trauma, I applaud you for reaching out for help. The first step is believing that things can be different. I believe in the innate wholeness of all human beings and am inspired daily by the resilience and fortitude of the people whom I see. My mantra is: Hope. Belief. Change. Growth.

Are you struggling to find clarity, peace of mind, connection and/or belonging? Does life seem unnecessarily difficult or are you are unable thrive? Do you find yourself engaging in unhelpful behaviors, thoughts or feelings? I am here to help. Using a multi-modal approach to therapy, I will work with you to process your emotions, thoughts, physical symptoms, and behaviors so that you may overcome what is impacting your life and find lasting relief. By maintaining a safe and comfortable space for you to grow, I use specialized techniques to create a personalized experience and guide you within the framework of your life.

My goal, through Source Therapy, is to help you develop an awareness of your unique inner resources - creative, spiritual, intellectual and emotional - to bring your inner life into harmony with your outer world experiences, and to heal psychological wounding. Whether you are 18 or 80, your quest for meaning and self-expression will guide the treatment process and help you to deepen your relationship with your life and sense of self. It is my hope that in the safety of the treatment space, you will find the trust to release that which no longer serves your life's purpose.

I understand the struggles we all face. In my experience of over 30 years working in the mental health and human service fields with children, adults, couples, families and groups, I’ve developed great insight and understanding into what helps us heal. It is the relationship between the client and therapist that is of utmost importance. Most of us, grew up with unmet needs as children and/or have experienced loss and trauma and now struggle with expressing our emotions, trusting others, lack of confidence or motivation, poor self-esteem, relationship difficulty, issues w/ anger, self-doubt, poor decision making, saddness and worry.

Whatever feels “off” in your life—depression, unhealthy boundaries, a dead-end career, anxiety, loneliness, low self-esteem—is a symptom of a larger problem: an unbalanced and under-appreciated Self. Just like a fever lets us know we have an infection, life problems let us know something deep within us isn’t right. We don’t blame the fever, we thank it for alerting us to the bigger problem. Using life’s challenges as a guide, we work together to build the foundation of self you need in order to live an enriching and fully human life. This deep work benefits not only yourself but also your loved ones and the rest of our human family.

Being a human on this planet may bring difficulties that can impact how we live, how we love, how we work, and how we play. Life's challenges, losses, and traumas may have left you feeling lost, alone, disconnected, stuck, and unable to live to your fullest capacity, in spite of your best efforts. Challenges can exist in many areas: relationships, work, sense of identity, how you live in the world, even how you live in your own body. Sometimes you need a professional and non-judgmental ally to assist with restoring and preserving emotional and relational well-being, so that you can live more fully and authentically in the world.

I offer a space where clients can speak freely and be seen, heard, and understood. I work with clients who are seeking to rediscover who they are and help them live a more authentic and intentional life. I have a focus in supporting clients who are navigating their identity, future, relationships and survivors of trauma. In sessions, we work together to challenge and change patterns, reclaim your power, and transform into the best version of yourself. I welcome clients of a diverse background and those who are members of the LGBTQIA+, sex-positive, and kink community.

The decision to engage in psychotherapy is a very personal and courageous decision. I believe that it is important to obtain psychotherapy from a licensed professional who can provide you with the tools to heal your whole body and mind. I will provide you with the techniques to help you cope with the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that cause difficulties in your life. Whether you are depressed, anxious, or are dealing with another mental health concern, I provide a holistic type of therapy that will help you feel better and guide you through the difficulties and transitions in your life.

My practice and philosophies are unconventional, existential and relationally -focused. How conscious you are while experiencing attachment within our therapeutic dynamic is a rich, nuanced, living model of your history and unintegrated wounds. My niche lies in the realm of unveiling unconscious influences, healing fragmented child parts, and bringing forth higher alignment between your internal and external worlds. I enjoy building an environment that supports the creation of your story, because it deserves to take up space and you deserve to be heard.

My ideal client is trying to understand not only the root causes that created a less than optimal life functioning emotionally, socially, occupationally, academically, or intrafamilially, but the actual cognitive behavioral steps to remedy the problem. I believe most problems we encounter in our everyday lives can be improved upon and transformed into a life we have chosen.

With an infusion of humor and genuine warmth, I offer care that is direct, person-centered, and liberatory. By fostering a collaborative, empowering, anti-oppressive atmosphere, I actively support you as you navigate life's challenges while also celebrating your unique strengths. I encourage open communication, foster active self-discovery, and facilitate goal-setting to empower you on your personal journey toward growth, resilience, and overall well-being.

I believe that healing and growth are part of our human experience. Our anxiety, depression and trauma often times are some of  the barriers that prevent us from achieving these goals. Are you struggling with anxiety, depression, life transitions and/or trauma? Let’s meet and figure out what you need in order to cope better with these challenges. I hope that with our work together & emotional support, you will be able to conquer these obstacles and live a life full of healing and growth. As a therapist, I provide a safe space for clients to engage in the process of self-discovery while providing structure for change to take place.