Child Therapists in Highland Park, NJ

I focus on helping clients of all ages and backgrounds heal their pain, overcome their challenges, develop their strengths, resources and resilience and accomplish their goals. I provide a positive, integrative, comprehensive approach, treating a broad range of mood, behavioral and relationship challenges. I have 30 years experience with children and adults in individual, couples, family and parent/ child modalities.

Have you ever felt your interactions with others do not represent your true self? Do you often feel misunderstood? Do you lack emotional energy or avoid uncomfortable situations? Are you often triggered but lack self-awareness to understand the source of your feelings? Perhaps you are a teen or young adult wondering how your feelings and emotional intelligence will affect your life.

Have you ever said: "No one ever taught me how to be a parent or spouse?" Perhaps navigating the relationships at work is posing a challenge. I help clients look at patterns of communication and behaviors that aren't working and help them understand their origins. Together, we develop an understanding of what is causing the difficulties so that we may address them successfully. I've been a psychologist for 25 years, helping clients enhance their relationships with family members, friends and colleagues. While much of my work is with adults, I am also a child psychologist.

I'am a clinician with more than 20 years of experience assisting children and adults with many of life's challenges. I look forward to providing a safe, gentle and genuine place for you to address your anxiety, depression and interpersonal issues. You will identify ways to solve the problems you face and develop the motivation and energy you need to reach your goals in every area of your life.

I have been in practice for over 30 years, working with couples, individuals, children and families. I use many therapeutic tools depending on my clients' individual needs. These include: helping clients look at the negative things they tell themselves; discover how their problem(s) arose, which often ends a cycle of shame and self-blame; learn the interpersonal skills they lack and then devise homework assignments to practice new skills. I often use hypnosis to address issues on a deeper level than our conscious will. Finally I help my couples and families to understand and change destructive patterns of interaction.

At IPG, we are proud pioneers in gender affirming psychotherapy for transgender and gender nonconforming people. We view gender diversity as normal, not a mental illness. We're more experienced than any other practice in New Jersey, with 800+ trans clients and 30+ years of experience. We were recently awarded a PROUD Award recognizing our decades of work with and dedication to the transgender community. At all three of our locations (Highland Park, Jersey City, and Freehold) we have skilled gender specialists who work with trans and GNC adults, adolescents, and children as young as three. Why consult anyone less than an expert?

When I think of my work as a therapist, what lifts my spirit is the enormous potential of people for living a full life; a potential they are often unaware of. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Therapy helps to identify them and develop the tools to improve their lives. The goals: enhanced self-esteem, reduced tension, more expressiveness....a fuller life. Whether I work with the child , adolescent, adult, individual, couple or family, I find the work inspiring.

Feeling understood is an important aspect of personal development and life satisfaction at any age. As a Columbia University trained therapist, I provide a warm and nurturing environment where children , adolescents, and adults feel supported and are better able to understand and manage their emotions and behavior. I offer a safe place for individuals to process and cope with transition and challenges such as relationship concerns, divorce, grief, and traumatic experiences. My passion is helping women, young adults and children meet their individualized therapeutic goals and live their lives to the fullest potential.

I have a diverse practice in which I work with adults, children , adolescents and couples who are struggling with a variety of different issues. These include depression, anxiety/panic attacks, relationship problems, school and behavioral issues, parenting challenges, ADHD, low self-esteem, stress, sexual orientation and gender identity concerns, struggles with spirituality, self-injurious behavior, adoption, dealing with medical problems, grief and loss, trauma, and coping with divorce and its aftermath. My ideal client is one who wants help and is feeling ready to do the work necessary to improve and enrich his or her life.

I am a firm believer in encouraging positivity, bolstering self-efficacy, and cultivating independence in others. My typical client is a child , adolescent, or young adult (age 3 to 29) who may be struggling academically, socially, or with developing effective emotional coping skills. Often, the individuals I see have difficulty with attention, concentration, organization, and with meeting the daily demands required of them at school. I also offer much support to parents who may be frustrated with their attempts at connecting with their kids and who are in need of guidance relating to discipline techniques and behavior management.

It's hard to admit needing, or accept help sometimes. Maybe you are feeling overwhelmed, lost, or inertia about self-motivated change? If you're struggling with managing anxiety or depression, infertility, adoption issues, trauma, LGBTQ, ADHD, child behavior, mariage, or impulse control I can help. I will "meet you where you are" emotionally, and together we can navigate what you are experiencing. I want to walk with you while you find mental wellness, manage stressors, obtain clarity, and gain the peace of mind that you deserve. There's much healing in being heard, understood, and taking time to process emotions.

For many children and teenagers, it’s difficult to talk about feelings and disappointments.  In psychotherapy, they learn to identify and express their emotions verbally or through the way they play, to gain insight into how their behaviors are affected by their feelings.  The increased awareness of their emotions in response to life events will help to build confidence that they can cope with whatever life brings their way.  ​ Psychotherapy can help patients cope with Depression, Anxiety, Panic Attacks, School Refusal, Anger, Resentment, Phobias, Social Isolation, Bullying, and Family Conflict. 

I work with individuals, couples and families to set and achieve their goals- resolving conflicts, increasing their life satisfaction, overcoming estrangement, depression, anxiety. I focus on couple issues, individual problems, child focused problems, secrets, grief, intergenerational conflicts, divorce, remarriage, step-parenting, sibling conflicts.

Here at IPG, we know it's the connection between therapist and client that is most important. We have around 30 therapists through 3 offices in Freehold, Highland Park, and Jersey City. Since 1983 we've combined compassionate care with high-level expertise. We provide individual, family, child , and relationship counseling for problems ranging from depression to life transitions to marital strife. We also have a large group of certified sex therapists, a special focus on the LGBTQ community, services for transgender youth, therapy for those involved in BDSM and/or consensual non-monogamy, and a group for sex and pornography addicts.

Everyone encounters problems which have the potential to negatively impact our sense of relational, mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. Often, I work with people who have adopted patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving that leave them feeling 'stuck' in repeating faulty problem solutions, With my support as a trained mental health professional, therapy represents an opportunity to slow down, develop an expanded view of 'the problem', understand what happened to block problem resolution to date, renew hope, develop and implement a roadmap to get where you want to go, and, ultimately, achieve the balance essential to realizing one's full potential.

Not everyone has the same approach to life's problems such as grief, loss, bereavement, illness and stress, nor to the typical challenges of family relationships. The context of culture, ethnicity, race, gender, class, sexual orientation and spiritual beliefs influence the ways in which we view the world and how the world views us. I work with children , teens, individuals, couples and families to resolve issues in a way that is sensitive to their culture and context; and together we develop solutions that are congruent with their values.

I am a clinically trained, psychodynamically-oriented psychotherapist. I received my Master’s in Social Work with an area of emphasis in mental and behavioral health from Rutgers University. I have provided psychotherapeutic services to children , adolescents, and adults in inpatient, outpatient, and school settings. These professional experiences have allowed me to work with clients from different backgrounds, belief systems, and orientations and to better understand the unique and shared experiences that are part of the human condition.

Hello! I am currently accepting new clients and am open to all populations although I primarily work with individuals who identify in the LGBTQIA+ community. Many people have been impacted by mental health issues recently and I can walk with you through your challenges to get you back on track. I have experience helping clients with anxiety, depression, and trauma. My approach is flexible and down to earth using research proven techniques. I AM ALSO A GENDER SPECIALIST who provides assistance to transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming adults, adolescents, and their families.

If painful experiences were met with confusing or anxious responses from others or described in manners that did not respond to emotional needs, then a child or individual would likely cope with difficulties by disconnecting from the threatening emotional meanings. We need another at times, or search for a healing process. If you have been struggling with strong feelings or a particular situation, it is time to get help. You can find the way through fears, loss or other struggles. I am here to support you through your struggles, through personal hardships, finding truths or make sense of confusion in your mind or life.