Therapists in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY

Psychotherapy is an opportunity to actively engage and work on obstacles that may be inhibiting personal growth and happiness. It is a therapist's job to be actively engaged in this process and to help in a way that is sensitive, constructive, and sensible. I feel that it's important to work on the identification of key issues, but to also find practical ways of moving forward. My approach draws upon various therapeutic techniques and modalities. I work diligently with each individual to ensure that we work with a technique that will be the most productive for the client.

Over a decade working with young adults, millennials, BIPOC, Latinx, individuals experiencing chronic illness, new moms, and those who have experienced complex trauma.

If you are here, you are probably looking to affect some positive change in your life. I am here to help, support, and encourage you as we together explore, question, and practice new ways of being.

I am a licensed therapist who specializes in working with adult individuals and couples. I believe that therapy is most effective as a collaboration between therapist and client and that the relationship provides the foundation for personal growth and healing. Using our past as a guide to understand how our stories have shaped us leads to change and new opportunity. By using a combination of psychodynamic and evidence-based strategies, I take an integrative approach to therapy ensuring each client’s individual needs and goals are carefully attended to.

LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE! A phrase we often hear but seldom get to experience fully. And why? Because oftentimes people are going through life SURVIVING instead of truly LIVING. We make choices out of fear instead of love. When we are in SURVIVAL mode, we think only to stabilize ourselves in the moment. We may feel anxious, depressed, angry, or burnout. We may struggle with isolation, substance misuse, relationships, or risky behavior. In LIVING mode we are able to regulate our emotions appropriately, communicate effectively with others, maintain boundaries, practice self care, feel safe in our own body and THRIVE.

Life constantly presents us with challenges, choices, and surprises. Meeting life's challenges alone can lead to loneliness, isolation and depression. No one should have to meet their emotional pain alone. Using compassion and acceptance, I work with my clients to foster deeper connections to their intuitive selves, and more authentic relationships. My goal is for you to feel empowered to take values based actions and to develop closeness with yourself and others.

I am a psychotherapist, author, and public speaker specializing in psychospiritual development, with particular expertise in psychedelic psychotherapy. My book, Psychedelic Healing: The Promise of Entheogens for Psychotherapy and Spiritual Development, describes the influence of psychedelics on the development of my personality theory and clinical practice. (A six-minute interview “Fusion of Spirit and Science” may be found at: vimeo.com/7517009.) Trained in humanistic, transpersonal, and eastern traditions, I maintain a (non-psychedelic) psychotherapy practice in Brooklyn, New York.

Making the decision to start therapy can be daunting, but I believe that the therapy process can help you gain a better understanding of your behaviors, relationships and sense of self. I also believe that therapy can help to ease the emotional pain and discomfort that life changes and transitions can stir up. I create a safe and caring environment where we will work together to identify and work through the obstacles you face so you can achieve your goals.

I'll walk beside you along this journey if you're ready to take the first step. I work primarily with professional young women who can be described as responsible and stoic. Women who take care of others but have a hard time seeking care for themselves. Women who can be their own worst critic, who feel unseen and often sacrifice their comfort to keep things running smoothly. When things have been this way forever it can be hard to imagine a life with enough space to make yourself a priority. If this sounds like you, we can team up to bring ease and well-being into your life. Start a new path: reach out.

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in New York State. I have worked in various settings and capacities helping individuals with depression, anxiety, stress, medical illness, addictions, career concerns, and relationship challenges. In my work I find it useful to draw on a variety of clinical perspectives as each client brings to the process a unique set of needs, strengths, and goals. I love helping clients get unstuck from the patterns they live and relive over and over, whether it be in their jobs, families, relationships, or even inside their own heads.

I have worked in the child welfare system for over 20 years. I understand the individual and family struggles that come along with domestic violence, trauma, sexual abuse, physical abuse, etc. I have worked in New York City for my entire career serving the diverse communities in dealing with immigration issues such as acculturation, separation and reunification.

Do you want to change how you feel, your habits, or how you interact with others?  You deserve a therapist who will listen with empathy and offer insight without judgment, someone who will help you figure out what is holding you back and how to overcome it. This may require examining your perceptions, your beliefs, your interactions, and of course your history. Evidence-based techniques from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy may also be helpful.

Welcome! I’m Catherine, a licensed and board-certified psychotherapist. My practice is rooted in EMDR, attachment-theory and building a secure, safe, and nurturing therapeutic relationship as the foundation for change. I'm passionate about helping my clients break free from patterns and behaviors that are holding them back. As a relationally-oriented therapist, I am especially interested in how your early experiences shape your present ways of being, feeling, and relating to others. Our childhood experiences have a profound impact on who we become as adults.

I have over 30 years of experience working with individuals, couples, and groups integrating a wide range of treatment modalities. My specialty is focusing on relationships which include couple's counseling, straight/gay/lesbian/trans and parent/child issues. I use my deep capacity for empathy, my strong intuitive sense, and my well-honed clinical skills to empower people to reach their highest potential and to achieve their treatment goals. I feel it is important to add that I love what I do and I believe I can help.

Defne believes in the healing power of the human connection and works to establish a safe, genuine, and compassionate environment for personal growth and change. She collaborates with her clients to come up with the best strategies to meet their unique needs. As such, she makes use of different modalities while staying rooted in a person-centered and mindfulness-based approach. She has reflected on the meaning of multiculturalism, intersectional identities, and how they interface with mental health as a queer-identified therapist who had to leave her home country with the hopes of constructing a new future.