As a therapist, Julia works with college students and young adults just entering the workforce. Julia has been successful in helping clients find relief from painful past experiences and overcome barriers towards meeting their goals. In your work together, clients will be able to discover new insights about themselves and get to the root of their challenges. Julia teaches clients systematic approaches to addressing life challenges, introduces relaxation techniques, and helps clients practice new behaviors or responses to difficult situations.

• Credentials: Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)

• Education: MA, Baruch College

• Specialties: Trauma, Anxiety, Relationships, Transitions, Boundaries

• Modalities Used: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Person-Centered Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Therapy, Psychodynamic

As a therapist, Maggie works with adults in their 20s and 30s dealing with a history of unresolved pain. With a keen awareness of both individual factors and the impacts of social injustice and intersectional oppression, Maggie supports her clients on their journeys of personal growth towards true healing. Maggie utilizes mindfulness practices, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), somatic therapy, and narrative therapy to help her clients understand and reimagine past experiences, challenge negative thinking, and promote holistic healing within their minds and bodies.

Maggie is passionate about creating a nurturing and welcoming therapeutic space for every client. As a therapist, she recognizes the vital role of lived experience in the healing process, and by prioritizing safety and client autonomy, Maggie partners with clients to explore how systemic, intergenerational, and interpersonal harm can impact mental health and well-being. Her mission is to partner with clients on their healing journey, helping them restore their sense of self, uncover their personal strengths, and cultivate peace in their body. Ultimately, she aims to empower clients to enhance their overall well-being and achieve their goals.

Maggie uses targeted questions to help clients examine their thoughts and beliefs more objectively, then uses that information to teach her clients structured approaches to tackle existing life challenges to make better decisions to reduce their stress and anxiety.

• Credentials: Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW)

• Education: MSW, Columbia School of Social Work

• Specialties: Trauma, Anxiety, and Depression

• Modalities Used: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Somatic Therapy, Narrative Therapy

As a therapist, Laina brings over 15 years of counseling experience, specializing in helping clients navigate the challenges of both historical and recent traumas, including sexual violence, as well as major life transitions. Laina's clients are often dealing with varying levels of anxiety, sadness, and disconnection, which can hinder their ability to sustain relationships, feel successful in their endeavors, set boundaries, find joy, or revel in the fullness of a life that integrates their whole self. Laina's approach focuses on helping clients understand and process their experiences, empowering them to regain control over their lives. Laina partners with her clients to teach them about their mental health conditions, CBT principles, and how thoughts influence emotions and behaviors. Using this framework, Laina assists her clients in using the tool of cognitive restructuring, or identifying and reframing irrational or unhelpful thoughts into more balanced, realistic ones.

• Credentials: Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)

• Education: MSW, University of Albany

• Specialties: Sexual Trauma, Anxiety, and Depression

• Modalities Used: Internal Family Systems (IFS), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Schema Therapy, Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Polyvagal and Somatic Experiencing

As a therapist, Allie helps clients overcome negative self-talk, life transitions, relationship issues, and imposter syndrome and achieve an increased understanding of feelings, emotions, relationships, communication, and self-worth. Allie works primarily with adults having difficulty managing the stress of their relationships, career, life transitions, self-esteem, communication, and boundaries. Allie works with her clients to create a safe space, empathetic self-perception, and an inviting environment to help clients achieve their goals and build long-lasting skills.

Allie creates a nonjudgmental and affirming space where her clients can feel seen and validated. This emphasizes a collaborative approach that fosters self-trust and personal empowerment, which is crucial when navigating identity struggles and societal pressures. Allie helps her clients understand their existing beliefs and thinking to identify where there may be distortions or negative self-talk, and then together they address and reframe those internalized negative beliefs, which leads to improving their self-concept by managing the complexities of relationships and communication.

• Credentials: Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)

• Education: MA, Baruch College

• Specialties: Trauma, Anxiety, Relationships, Transitions, Boundaries

• Modalities Used: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Person-Centered Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Therapy, Psychodynamic

Greta integrates CBT principles with mindfulness-based approaches to help highly sensitive young adults challenge negative thought patterns and perfectionism. She helps clients identify unhelpful thinking cycles and develop more balanced, self-compassionate ways of viewing themselves and their emotional experiences during difficult transitions.

• Credentials: Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW)

• Education: Columbia School of Social Work (MSW); Yale University (BA French & History)

• Specialties: Perfectionism, negative self-talk, emotional regulation, sensitivity-related shame

• Modalities Used: CBT principles, Psychodynamic Therapy, Internal Family Systems, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, mindfulness

Johanna uses CBT to help clients understand how thoughts influence emotions and actions. She's skilled at helping you notice patterns like "I'm not good enough" and reframe them into more balanced, supportive thoughts. Her CBT approach is particularly effective for cultural stress and life transitions.

• Credentials: Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW)

• Education: Columbia University (MSW); University of Central Florida (BA)

• Specialties: Thought pattern recognition, cognitive reframing, cultural stress, life transition challenges

• Modalities Used: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness, grounding techniques, trauma-informed therapy

Liz uses CBT to help teens and adults identify and challenge unhelpful thought patterns that contribute to anxiety and depression. Her approach focuses on building practical coping skills while helping you develop more balanced thinking patterns that support emotional resilience and personal growth.

• Credentials: Licensed Mental Health Counselor with Diagnostic Privilege (LMHC-D)

• Education: Marist University (MA Mental Health Counseling); Marywood University (BS Clinical Psychology)

• Specialties: Thought pattern identification, coping skill development, anxiety management, emotional regulation

• Modalities Used: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), DBT, Psychodynamic therapy, mindfulness-based strategies

Your therapist will greet you and invite you to sit comfortably.

They'll ask how you're feeling and if there's anything specific you want to discuss.

You'll talk about your concerns, experiences, or goals for therapy.

Your therapist will ask questions if you feel stuck in order to gain deeper insight into your thoughts and feelings.

Depending on the therapy type, you might engage in specific exercises or activities.

Your therapist may offer observations or suggestions based on your discussion.

You might receive tasks or homework to complete between sessions.

The therapist will summarize the session and set the stage for the next meeting.

You'll confirm your next appointment before leaving so that you don’t leave it open-ended.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a practical, goal-oriented form of individual therapy that aims to change negative patterns of thinking and behavior. Here's a basic explanation of how CBT works:

CBT is based on the idea that our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are interconnected. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in NYC focuses on identifying and changing the negative or distorted thinking patterns and unhelpful behaviors that contribute to emotional difficulties. 

In CBT sessions, your therapist helps you become aware of inaccurate or negative thinking, allowing you to view challenging situations more clearly and objectively, and respond to them in more effective ways. You'll feel safe in learning how to recognize how your thoughts and behaviors affect your emotions, and vice versa.

The therapist will guide you through exercises to challenge and replace negative thoughts with more balanced, realistic ones. You'll also shift unhealthy patterns, learn and practice new coping skills, and implement those replacement behaviors to deal with various life challenges. CBT often involves homework between sessions, where you apply the techniques you've learned in real-life situations. This practice helps reinforce new thought patterns and behaviors, making them more automatic over time, so that you can focus on living a more fulfilling life.

By addressing both thoughts and behaviors, CBT helps create lasting change, equipping you with tools to manage your mental health long after therapy ends.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has proven highly effective for a wide range of mental health issues and populations. It is particularly well-suited for:

• Depression and mood disorders

• Anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety, panic disorder, and social anxiety

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

• Phobias, panic attacks, and specific fears

• Eating disorders

• Sleep disorders, such as insomnia

• Substance abuse and addiction

• Anger management issues

• Poor social skills

• Low self-esteem

• Stress-related problems

• Chronic pain management

CBT treatments are effective for both adults and children, and can be adapted for various cultural backgrounds and life stages. It's particularly helpful for patients experiencing unhelpful thoughts who prefer a structured, goal-oriented approach to therapy.

CBT can also be beneficial for many other issues not listed here. Even if you don't see your specific concern mentioned, CBT's versatile techniques can often be adapted to address a wide range of psychological challenges. If you're considering therapy, don't hesitate to reach out to us to discuss if CBT might be right for you. Our CBT therapists can help determine the most appropriate treatment based on your individual needs and circumstances.

While Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is highly effective for many people, it may not be the ideal approach for every person or every situation. Here are some potential instances where CBT might not be the best fit:

CBT focuses primarily on current issues and may not address deep-rooted childhood traumas or complex interpersonal dynamics

• Some individuals find the structured, goal-oriented approach too rigid or impersonal

• It requires active participation and homework, which can be challenging for those lacking motivation or energy

• The goal-focused nature of CBT may not provide enough support for those with chronic or recurring issues or who want to spend a lot of time learning about the psychology behind different disorders

• CBT's focus on individual thought patterns may overlook broader societal or systemic factors affecting mental health (which is why all of our therapists are culturally competent and culturally responsive to these factors)

• Children often lack the self-reflection or insight needed for CBT to practice response prevention, a technique where patients are taught to resist the urge to perform compulsions in order to neutralize their obsessions

• Folks with suspected personality disorders should seek out the right approach for their diagnosis, such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for Borderline Personality Disorder

• Patients seeking group therapy may feel that group CBT primarily focuses on action and does not get into the practicing psychology of their issues

It's important to remember that no therapy is one-size-fits-all. If you're unsure if CBT is right for you, consider reaching out to our mental health professionals for a free consultation. They can assess your specific needs, discuss various therapeutic approaches, and help determine the most suitable treatment plan. All of our therapists offer integrative approaches that combine elements of CBT with other techniques, tailoring the therapy to your individual circumstances.

As virtual cognitive behavioral therapists in NYC serving the entirety of New York state, we can work with you anytime, anywhere, any way that suits you best. You can meet in the mornings after dropping the kids off at school, during your lunch break from a conference room, in the afternoon as you take your daily walk, or in the evening when everything is quiet and you have time to yourself. All you need is a quiet space and an internet connection. We provide the best parts of in person therapy without the hassles. No sweaty commute. No awkward waiting room. No social anxiety. Just expert support, wherever you are.