Existential Therapists in Philadelphia, PA

As a clinician experienced in providing outpatient mental health services to a diverse range of individuals, I am deeply passionate about facilitating connection. That includes building an authentic connection with each of my clients but more importantly, helping you authentically connect and commit to yourself. My work with clients is a partnership in which I aim to help you identify and reduce barriers on your path, while we lean into your strengths and goals. As a cognitive-behavioral therapist, I strive to understand how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors relate to one another and how they may serve or challenge your path.

Three beliefs I hold that influence how I practice are 1) human beings are not problems to be solved 2) therapy is ultimately about relationship 3) the process itself is the solution. We humans are infinitely complex; we're full of opposition and paradox. Our culture pushes quick fixes and immediate answers, but lasting change rarely comes about when we work in this way. I'm interested in helping you come into fuller, richer, more conscious relationship with all of your moving and sometimes disparate parts. Together we will work from the inside out through a deep, relational process.

At times you may feel too depleted to consider making needed changes in your life, or to know what is even possible to change. Old coping mechanisms no longer work so well, bringing diminishing returns and unhappiness. It may take a crisis to be ready to seek help. Psychotherapy can reveal ways of replacing the behavior patterns and symptoms that cause us trouble with real solutions. Using the insights of existential and psychodynamic perspectives of psychology - including dream work - as a basis, I will help you understand yourself, care for yourself, and discover strength and meaning wherever you may find yourself in your life.

Looking deeply into your life, your struggles, and what gives you strength and meaning can be a transformative and a healing process. Helping people to do this is a passion of mine. Working to understand your struggles in greater context, changing behaviors or transforming suffering through insight, we will work directly with the feelings and roots of your struggles. We will work towards goals of greater presence with all aspects of life, and a steady foundation to live a life that has meaning, value, and joy.

I believe that it is necessary to interact with clients as feeling, thinking, and embodied beings; therapy must address each person holistically and relationally in all aspects: emotional, cognitive, and behavioral. Therapy can help us make sense of our selves, our world, our relationships, our personal stories and the paths we take - other words, how to live life as our best, fulfilling selves. A former high school and university teacher, I have a passion for working with adolescents & young adults. I also have a keen interest in working on men's issues, helping men and those close to them to live more in-touch and connected lives.

Covid-19: Meet by Zoom or in person. For over 30 years, I have offered attentive and thoughtful psychotherapy and psychoanalysis in a comfortable home office with a private waiting area. My style has been described as welcoming, engaging, flexible and "serious yet playful". I work with a wide range of problems: work and relationships struggles, depression, anxiety, insomnia, alcohol abuse, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, personality disorders and many other matters people bring up. I am slow to recommend medication, but work in concert with a number of psychiatrists should either of us believe medication might be beneficial.

I am a psychotherapist and health care journalist in the Philadelphia area that specializes in personalized treatment for eating disorders, generalized anxiety and depression, and psychosocial issues for ages 14 and up. I also provide supervision for therapists pursuing licensure. I have freelanced for the APA Monitor and write regularly for the Philadelphia Inquirer about current psychological issues and eating disorder treatment.

My clients present a spectrum of needs including navigating substance use, relational distress, chronic health issues, and productivity burnout. Often I assist clients interested in exploring impacts of capitalism, social disenfranchisement, and unhelpful narratives that can create negative self-talk, feelings of hopelessness, and existential anxiety. I identify as part of the queer community and work to support LGBTQIA clients in connecting to community, establishing boundaries, and exploring internalized messages that can impact self-esteem, communication skills, and destructive patterns.

As a Mental Health professional I was always sensitive to individuals' needs and oriented to help them overcome difficulties in their lives. I understand asking for help is a difficult step. Building and maintaining a positive therapeutic relationship based on trust and confidence is essential in interaction with my clients.

Clients seek therapy with me because they are stuck in some part of their lives and have found that short-term solutions can bring some relief but not the depth of work necessary to truly move forward. They want greater self-understanding, a space to openly explore their thoughts and feelings, and a source of new possibilities for how they think about, experience, and engage the relationships and areas of their lives that are posing challenges for them. My clients have varied concerns but what unites them is a desire for a therapist who is thoughtful, attentive, connected, able to hold space for nuance, and grounded.

Because you will be putting a good deal of time, money, and energy into therapy, you should choose a therapist carefully. I believe you should feel comfortable with the therapist you choose, and hopeful about the therapy process. When you feel this way, therapy is more likely to be helpful to you. I have more than 20 years helping people work through grief and loss, life transitions, relationship struggles, career indecision, anxiety and depression. In addition, I have considerable experience helping individuals struggling with issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity.

I view psychotherapy as the ultimate practice of self-care. Sessions are a time to explore your inner self, your outer relationships, and evaluate how your past and present influence your future. I approach treatment though an existential , intersectional feminist, and person-centered lens – this means I consider gender, race, class, sexuality, belief, biology, ability, physicality, and life experiences during our work together.

I like to help people explore their patterns in life and discover ways to become a happier and healthier person. Feelings and experiences may be keeping us stuck. I provide a safe space to express these feelings, offer tools how to work with feelings and thoughts, and then help clients discover their interests and path forward. Therapy may be helpful to deal with a difficult event or a way of living. I help my clients to navigate a better, more fulfilling life.

If you are someone who is seeking healing and growth in a safe therapeutic space, then I believe you've come to the right place. I specialize in the treatment of anxiety, depression, grief, and difficult life transitions, in addition to working with a number of different other psychological issues, such as substance use, trauma, self-esteem, men’s issues, anger, relationships problems, and ADHD. I integrate various therapeutic models in my work, including CBT, Existential Psychotherapy, ACT, Solution-Focused Therapy, and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy.

For 10 years I have worked in mental health with individuals and families working through existential questions, difficult interpersonal issues and their changing sense of self. Often, we rely on tricks and tools that have assisted in the past to deal with new problems. This becomes a problem when these tricks and tools no longer work.The modalities that I utilize when working with a client is a blend of psychodynamic therapy, intersectionality, liberation psychology, and relational therapy. I work across the life cycle with children, teenagers, adults and the aging.

I provide treatment to children, teenagers, adults and families, focusing on my clients’ strengths to help them to establish meaningful relationships and pursue fulfilling lives. Trust and collaboration set the foundation of the therapeutic process, and so it is vital for me to meet my clients where they are as we work together to individualize treatment based upon their unique qualities and experiences.

Being a human being isn't easy. Unfortunately, it seems we are destined at times in our lives to experience pain, fear, confusion, and difficulty. The good news is that it is often through befriending and understanding that which is most painful, frightening, or challenging that we grow and find more enduring freedom and peace. As a therapist, I see my role as offering the nurturing environment within which individuals can better understand themselves and their lives, overcome their challenges, and discover their true potential.

My speciality is working with individuals experiencing issues with stress, anxiety, depression, addiction, over-eating, grief and trauma. My approach is to first identify existing coping strategies to deal with the current stressors. Together, we sort out the underlying problems and identify and develop a tool kit with more effective coping strategies for the many challenges that the world throws at you. We examine and re-frame your emotional reactions to current and past trauma. The relationship between therapist and client is really important for change; and I do my best to provide a warm, natural, humorous and relaxed atmosphere.