We all struggle to improve our lives - to change and grow in ways that make us feel more fulfilled. As a psychotherapist for over 20 years, I often see people who are stuck, in unsatisfying relationships or jobs, alcohol/drug dependence or struggling with anxiety, depression or fears that hold them back from living more fully. My background in fine arts and personal experience as a painter has made me especially attuned to issues of artists who feel blocked in their creativity. Helping people with inhibitions in expressing feelings and asserting themselves is another area of interest.

Life comes with countless peaks and valleys, ups and downs. Having the space to ventilate your feelings is important to better understand your emotions and those around you. Therapy can help you confront challenges - whether it is frequent anxiety at work, low self esteem, or relationship set-backs - and master the skills and attain the self-awareness to succeed. We can work together to help you achieve your individual goals.

Taking this step is likely a daunting and courageous one for you. I offer a safe, supportive environment in which to help you deal with difficult problems. Whether you are unhappy, overwhelmed, struggling with your relationships or are feeling stuck regarding your personal goals, I will actively listen and help problem solve around how to make changes so you can live more freely and feel more empowered. I will help you build more awareness and self care so that you will feel better.

Feeling anxious, depressed, stressed out, stuck? It takes courage and strength to recognize that sometimes life becomes too difficult to bear alone but realizing you need help is the right step towards change. I can provide a safe, nonjudgmental and respectful environment where you can understand and work through your difficulties and develop to reach your fullest potential. I will help you to explore the roots of your problems and rethink the issues that are holding you back so you can understand yourself and your behavior. I have over 17 years of clinical experience, having practiced in Detroit, London (UK) and New York.

My psychoanalytic training and my 20 years work experience has taught me the importance of understanding the full individual and his/her own unique experience in the world. In therapy, I provide a supportive environment that focuses on symptom-reduction while also exploring underlying roots of emotional discomfort. I encourage self-exploration, emotional processing and self-acceptance. I believe in helping clients understand how their past experiences impacts their lives, and in utilizing the therapeutic relationship to foster clients' growth and self-fulfillment. I find psychotherapy to be powerful and exciting and I consider it a privilege to help people strive for their potential.

I am the director of Arrow Psychology and a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice in Hoboken, NJ. I pride myself on my warm and collaborative style and believe therapy should be an interactive and engaging process. I utilize an integrative approach guided by psychodynamic, relational and cognitive behavioral principles. My aim is to encourage insight and reflection while facilitating symptom reduction. What distinguishes my practice is my use of humor and candor to create a comfortable environment for self-exploration.

Making the phone call to initiate therapy is a very personal experience. Whatever may have led you to make the call I see this as the start towards creating a more meaningful, satisfying and purposeful life. My approach to therapy is less about identifying something "wrong" in you, but rather to provide you a safe, non-judgmental and supportive space for you to explore and challenge unhealthy patterns of perception, emotion, cognition, and behavior that have become barriers to effective functioning, satisfying relationships, and a general sense of personal well-being.

Therapy should be a collaboration to help you meet your personal goals and cope with whatever challenges you are facing. Everyone has innate strengths and talents that he or she can use (and has used in the past, whether or not he or she is aware of it) to manage and resolve problems. In hearing clients' stories, I am always listening for these natural strengths in order to explore how they can be used to cope with current stressors.

I have advanced training in cognitive behavioral therapy with a special focus on adult ADHD (attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder). I also have successfully treated a variety of mood, anxiety, and personality disorders. Cognitive behavior therapy, or CBT, has been supported by a wide body of research as an effective approach for depression, anxiety, and a variety of other issues. The focus of treatment is in the "here and now" and what you can do today. You will learn concrete tools to help you cope more effectively and make the changes you want in your life.

After working for the past 6.5 years closely with survivors of sexual abuse at a prominent NYC hospital, I have developed a strong passion for continuing my work with survivors. Recently, many survivors are being triggered by events in the worlds of entertainment, national, and local news. The increased reporting has created significant public awareness leading people to flashback to painful and traumatic events of childhood and adult sexual abuse. You do not have to live alone with those memories, thoughts, feelings, anxiety, and depression. If untreated, the effects of trauma can have a lasting life impact.

I am most well suited to help people working through life transitions, difficult relationships, trauma and loss. I also find that I work particularly well with people interested in visual imagery and other nonverbal experience. While verbal expression is essential, we all also carry internal images, physiological and emotional expressions that can stretch well beyond language. I find that creative efforts to make use of these nonverbal elements can often expand therapeutic potentials in very useful and generative ways. What kinds of images come to mind when you think about your life experience? What kinds of sounds and smells?

I work with clients who would like to become their best selves. Clients who are dedicated towards their own personal growth by being genuine and honest, acknowledging their struggles as well as their passions and what makes them feel enlivened. My clients are open and willing to engage in the therapeutic process, showing courage and trust when confronting change. My clients know that they are not alone in their journey--that they are supported, guided, and shown genuine compassion. They are resilient, and understand that seeking help is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength.

Seeking therapy to make important life changes deserves tremendous respect. I have witnessed the inner power of the individual for transformation when offered individualized treatment in a collaborative therapeutic partnership. Extensive training in a variety of techniques and a flexible approach enables me to help clients take on areas of their life where they feel stuck. I believe a therapeutic relationship in which you feel heard, safe, and truly understood is the key to unlocking the hold of symptoms, relationship impasses, or bogged-down transitions.

Throughout my many years serving a young adult/adult population, I have gained a great respect for working collaboratively with each client to understand the most effective approach for the individual. My approach involves providing a nonjudgmental therapeutic environment in which we can gain a greater awareness of the individual's unique concerns and work from this awareness to affect change in the present.

In the therapy room, I aim to create a safe & confidential space for self-exploration, emotional healing, personal transformation, & self-discovery. My counseling style is collaborative, empathetic, non-judgemental, warm & extremely supportive. I use an eclectic approach, blending evidence-based interventions. I am a results-driven, trauma-informed, solution-focused clinician that stays abreast the most current research. My primary goal is to help you find peace & to help you thrive & solve the problems that brought you to therapy in the first place! Please book initial appointments via my website at sarapasternaklcsw.com.

If you and/or your love ones are struggling with life, work, family or school, I can help with getting "unstuck." With 15 years counseling experience and training from Columbia University, I utilize specialized skills in CBT/DBT to support professionals, young adults, youths and families living and working in greater New Jersey. I will identify the triggers that you need help with, and create an action plan to help you move forward. IMPORTANT: CURRENTLY ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS FOR Telehealth/Telemedicine sessions, private pay and out-of-network insured ONLY. Please check back for updates to insurance.

Sometimes words are very hard to find, when many feelings, thoughts, and emotions are going on all at once. They're hard to define. Maybe your work or personal events have triggered some confusing emotions to surface that you just can't shake off,or articulate. The important element to notice right now is that you are listening to your needs to get help with some areas in your life needing kind attention. As my client, I will guide you into a therapeutic relationship that promotes your mental wellness and rekindles your happiness.

I specialize in short term therapy (brief psychotherapy) through the use of solution focused counseling. Emphasis is placed on what the client wants to achieve by focusing on the present and the future. Through the establishment of trust and my skill as an excellent listener, my goal, through patience, understanding and compassion, is to help you resolve issues and challenges you may have. The environment is safe and comfortable. I assist with the billing process for those with out of network benefits..

Dr. Sugar is the founder of Behavioral Psych Studio, a small group practice dedicated to providing effective, evidence-based treatment to teens, adults, couples and families struggling with psychological or social issues. Specifically, we use Cognitive Behavioral and Dialectical Behavioral Therapies to help clients learn more about themselves and create the lives they want to be living. At BPS we treat people struggling with Mood Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Emotion Dysregulation issues, and Substance Abuse. Likewise, we offer services to parents and teens experiencing high-conflict relationships. We are committed to helping parents gain the knowledge and tools necessary to improve their relationship with their teens.