Existential Therapists in Clinton, NY

Hi, I’m Lori. I’m a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. Counseling can be a difficult choice, but also a brave choice! I work with adults of all ages dealing with a range of issues related to anxiety, depression, life transitions, college stressors, relationships, substance abuse and addiction. I believe that counseling provides a safe space that allows us to explore our feelings and identify a path for growth and change.

I enjoy working with motivated-for-change individuals, whose goals involve exploring their areas of strength, and areas needing improvement, in order to live their most fulfilling lives. I work with adults who struggle with complex trauma, relationship concerns, anxiety, grief, life transitions, and identity and existential crises.

Dealing with various types of trauma and the ways in which it can impact our daily lives can be challenging. I am here to help you understand that your trauma does not define you, your trauma reactions are valid and I’d like to support you in the development of healthy coping skills. This will allow you the freedom to transcend beyond traumatic experiences, forging a new path toward growth, healing, recovery and wellness. I can help you navigate and cope with addiction/substance use, PTSD, depression, anxiety, life transitions, identity related issues, and family/interpersonal relationships.

Note- please reach out via email only! Learning how to navigate throughout the different stages of your life can sometimes feel stressful, difficult, overwhelming, confusing, depressing, and more. Learning how to live your life to the fullest while also learning how to cope and manage your mental health can also be a challenge. You may even find yourself having difficulties enjoying your life due to the unpredictable nature of this world. From childhood trauma to life transitions, improving self-worth to navigating a new diagnosis, therapy is an essential tool needed to help you acknowledge, process, accept, and adapt.

Over the years I have worked with various individuals and couples who have experienced hardships related to trauma, grief and loss, mood disorders, family dynamics, relationships, identity development & acceptance, coping, and more. Additionally, I work closely with the experiences of immigrant, refugee, and international communities specific to cross-cultural adjustment; multicultural, diversity, and social justice challenges; and community coping and resilience.

Making the decision to engage in therapy can be a daunting and at times a scary undertaking, but rest assured, this is a time of self-growth and positivity. I believe in a Person-Centered approach, which means that WE work together in the process of therapy toward formalizing your desired treatment goals for self-growth.

You are not broken, you do not need to be fixed, and you are enough. The circumstances you have faced and symptoms you experience are very real, but they do not define you. I strongly believe we as humans are resilient and capable of healing ourselves when we actively choose to. Through my years of working with survivors of trauma, I have found many symptoms, habits, and reactions to simply be adaptions; Ways in which the nervous system learned to cope with unsafe, chaotic, and/or unpredictable environments.

I work with BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ adults, with focus on helping you feel empowered and effective in your life. My approach pendulates between somatic, or body-based, techniques and guided conversation to cultivate self awareness, emotional regulation, insight, and meaning making. Using your goals, experiences, and preferences, we will co-create a path towards wellness, however that looks for you. You will come away from sessions feeling understood and valued, and with the skills and mindset to navigate life's obstacles.

I have over 40 years of experience in the counseling field and I bring an integrated approach to my work that incorporates the unique experience of the client/family matched with the appropriate treatment plan and approaches in a collaborative manner. My specialties are families, couples, children and adolescents, and addiction issues. I work with blended families, grandparents raising grandchildren and am trained in treatment of anxiety and depression through CBT. I am licensed and credentialed as a Marriage and Family Therapist and Addictions Counselor

People seeking to become who they really are---that is, whole, balanced, resilient, contented---seek me out. I support kind, healthy, authentic relationship with all aspects of oneself because such relationship is key to kind, healthy, authentic relationships with others. It's also key to expressing ourselves most fully, both creatively and pragmatically. Whether working with individuals or couples, these principles apply. I try to make our work together as fun, co-creative, and as low in stress as possible. I intend for clients to leave therapy with personalized skills and skillful means for ongoing lifetime growth and resiliency.

I have experience working with adults and children, specializing in trauma work, anxiety, depression, loss, adjustment/transitions including immigration issues. I have taught Master level clinical courses, worked with victims and perpetrators of domestic abuse and with client's and families dealing with end-of-life issues and loss. I also have training in and have responded to community crisis/ emergencies such as flooding and mass shootings.

In psychotherapy, we work together to understand the meaning of your symptoms and the sources of your pain. The therapeutic process is in large part a careful encounter with the past in the hope of getting beyond what happened to you and discovering who you are apart from your history. It also includes the exploration of your beliefs, emotions, protective strategies, recurring patterns, and relationship dynamics. From a stance of compassion and curiosity, we put words to your experience and what has been unsayable before.

Pain seeks our attention. Emotional distress manifests or "speaks" through physical distress. Adults living with physical or emotional pain can benefit from BODY-CENTERED psychotherapy. Sessions can include BODYWORK. Dreamwork and expressive therapies can also be utilized to amplify awareness. Like dreams, body symptoms are dynamic conduits into the unconscious; likewise, they serve as messengers charged with waking us up and redirecting our energies back toward life. Clients become adept explorers, listeners & learners, moving with curiosity toward rather than away from feeling, as they befriend disenfranchised parts of themselves.

All appointments are currently offered online only via Skype or Zoom. I use an integrative approach to treatment including psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, person-centered, existential, and multicultural approaches to help adults and older adults with a variety of issues including anxiety and depression. I also have clinical knowledge of abnormal psychology, mood disturbances, and self harming behavior. I take a strength based approach to the work, and I work with patients for short-term therapy and for longer-term therapy. I focus on unconscious factors to help patients increase self-awareness and insight.

“What are we here for, if not for each other” ~ Siddiq. As a global crisis changes life as we know it, we are in uncharted territory. Discomfort, vulnerability, fear and anger are normal responses to an abnormal situation. You may be feeling alienated, anxious, isolated, frustrated, depressed, and stressed. Individually and as a society we are grieving the loss of what was “normal” as we adjust to the oft-mentioned “new normal”, and we do not yet know what the future holds. You may be grieving the loss of face-to-face social connection, a sense of safety, financial security, or—even worse—the loss of loved ones. You are not alone.

Have you been contemplating exploring yourself in a deeper way? Do you feel as though you are being blocked in understanding yourself or working toward your goals? I specialize in helping individuals get to the root of what is going on through self-exploration and gaining insight. I approach my work with individuals through a nonjudgemental, open, curious lens. I prefer to view my clients as "fellow travelers", as we are both on this journey together. No one person is immune to the struggles of human existence. I have experience working with college students and adults. I value the unique aspects that each individual brings.

One life is One story, is it time to change yours? I aim to help folks take life to the next level, whether it's improving relationships, healing old wounds, or making meaning out of life. I like to integrate both concrete and abstract methods to help folks with work towards their hopes and dreams. Sessions are through telehealth to people across NY and FL. >Appts avail for individuals (no couples/relationships) Mon wkly at 1pm, Tues biwkly at 11am, Tues biwkly at 1pm, Tues biwkly at 2pm, Tues biwkly at 5pm, Weds biwkly at 11am, Weds wkly at 12noon, Weds biwkly at 1pm, Thurs biwkly at 12noon, Thurs weekly at 1pm<

Life is hard. There are so many challenges that can get us off track. Most challenges can be diminished if not overcome by closely examining them and seeing them from a different vantage point. We can work together to pinpoint what makes meaning in your life and use what motivates you to overcome or better traverse whatever problem may be that you are experiencing. With good communication and a solid understanding and grasp of who you are and what you want out of life, I don't believe there is any issue in life that we cannot work together to mitigate or overcome. I have flexible hours that include days and nights.