Out of Network Therapists in Highland Park, NJ

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.

FREE CONSULT. Do RESULTS matter to you? Everyone I see has OCD, Panic, Agoraphobia, PTSD, or Social Anxiety. These conditions are extremely treatable with the RIGHT kind of DRUG-FREE CBT Exposure therapy. I aim to eliminate symptoms, not just treat or manage them. Clients are liberated to move on with life--get married, prevent divorce or firing, have families, advance or change careers, resume friendships, return children to school--often in the middle of therapy. Therapy doesn't stop at the door. I contact my clients after every session to check on them.

In my 30 years of treating people with emotional problems, I have worked in-patient, in extended out-patient settings, early recovery from substance abuse. With trauma victims, soldiers returning from Iraq at Fort Dix and also spiritual and Christian counseling. All people with various challenges are welcome. I am also Licensed as a Rehabilitation Counselor by the State of NJ and work with people who have physical challenges. Anger management is a speciality as is addictions counseling. sexual orientation is not a barrier to receiving treatment.

Trust is the most important part of any relationship. It's important to be able to trust others but more importantly to trust yourself. “The true key is trust in self, for when I trust myself I fear no one else, I took control of my life, just as anyone can, I want everyone to see it’s in the palm of your hand, the past is gone, the future yet unborn, but right here and now is where it all goes on”-MCA Beastie Boys. With trust you can increase your connection to others as well as increase your ability to tolerate life’s ups and downs and enjoy life in the moment.

My passions are about collaboration. Whether I am working with individuals, clients or groups, as a psychotherapist, consultant or educator my process is about working together. Working together to uncover what gets in the way of your success and happiness, working together to uncover what gets in the way of satisfying relations and working together to discover how to work most effectively in you career endeavors. As an interpersonally oriented clinician my interest is helping you see how your relationships are the at the heart of your life's gratifications

If you're reading this, I invite you to take a moment and breathe. May you receive this affirmation: "I am glad that you are here." It may have been a long journey: painful and lonely, confusing and frustating, and maybe even scary and hopeless. That you have made it here, is something to uplift. It is not easy to be known by those around you, and sometimes most of all, to be known to yourself.

Mindful-based therapy combined with solution-focused therapy can help you attain your goals, find your true potential, better manage your stress and your responses. We work as partners to resolve relationship, parenting, work, or other issues. Mindful therapy will help you connect to yourself and others authentically, to create a greater closeness in relationships. It will improve your creativity and your decision making. It provides new options for living a fuller life and becoming more resilient.

You’re aware that time is running out. You think about this more than others, which can get very lonely. You seek that which is meaningful, authentic, sacred. You’ve put time, money and energy into this quest. You’re exhausted. You’ve been disappointed so many times. Don’t settle. This is your life, your therapy. You know you need the courage to live by your convictions, but it’s hard to clarify exactly what you believe in. You know you need partnership and community, but when things go sideways in your relationships, at work, with family and friends, they’re not telling you what you’re doing wrong.

We all want to be genuinely seen, heard and understood. Whether the pain stems from the past, major life changes or simply feeling lost, therapy is a safe place to express your feelings without the fear of judgement. It is an amazing way to partner up and connect with someone who will support you. In these difficult times, it is important to find someone who can hold space for you to help untangle the web of confusion that may exist within. I aim to create a safe, warm and therapeutic atmosphere. You will be met with someone with a genuine desire to understand and who strongly believes that there is always hope.

My specialty is difficult life transitions. Perhaps you have just received a serious illness diagnosis for yourself or someone in your family. Or you have recently lost someone you love. Maybe you're a parent struggling to balance family, work and self-care. You may feel too discouraged, too overwhelmed, or too exhausted to make a change. As an experienced hospice social worker and birth doula, I have witnessed pain and suffering, as well as the growth, strength and joy that become possible amidst difficult circumstances.

Welcome! I am the founder of Meraki Psychology Center (MPC). Whether you’re looking to start therapy for the first time or try something new, I am here to help you rewrite your story and work towards the life you want. At MPC, we strive to embody our name in the services we provide. Everything we do is with 'meraki' or passion. We hope to instill this passion in each of you. We provide individual, couples, parenting & family therapy for adolescents & adults. Each of your identities influence who you are & our treatments are adapted to fit your individualized needs.

Are you or your loved one experiencing difficulty managing emotions, chaotic relationships, overwhelming stress, or high risk behaviors? Have other treatments been unsuccessful? We offer evidenced based treatments designed to help you gain control of your life and adopt healthy and balanced thinking/behaviors. Individuals will gain greater awareness of self, ability to manage emotions, improve relationships, and build a life worth living. We offer a safe environment, personalized treatment plans, and are dedicated to helping you reach your personal goals.

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.

Taking the first step towards making a change is the most challenging part of any process. I foster a safe, compassionate, and non-judgemental space so that you can begin to work and process through what has brought you to therapy. Whether you are looking to work through anxiety, depression, a recent/past trauma, or substance use issues, I am here to listen and help you to improve your overall well-being. I believe you already have the capacity for healing - I can help you to tap into this part of yourself. I will help you gain greater insight into your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

C.G. Jung stated, "In many cases in therapy the patient who has come to us has a story that is not told, and which as a rule no one knows of. To my mind, therapy only really begins after the investigation of that wholly personal story. It is the patient's secret, the rock against which s/he is shattered." My practice involves creating a client/therapist relationship and environment where this wholly personal story can be explored and brought to consciousness. I work to create a safe, accepting, nonjudgmental, and collaborative space that will bring wholeness and meaning to the suffering that every human experiences.

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.