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The life we’re living today is a result of the choices we made yesterday. The life we live tomorrow will be a result of the choices we make today. Here is where we begin.
— Ric Mathews, LMHC

Clinical Psychotherapy | Sex Therapy | Couples Therapy | Mindfulness


Healing Takes Courage

If you’re feeling like something is missing and finding it difficult to feel grounded in yourself, I want to help you figure out what you need and how to get it by understanding what might be getting in the way. Unresolved grief, trauma, feelings of abandonment, shame, and anger can hide in the unconscious mind and keep us stuck in toxic patterns that ruin relationships, sex, our ability to experience pleasure and joy, and our sense of self. Anxiety, fear, and unmanaged stress can wreak havoc on our ability to hold on to a sense of hope. For BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ individuals, fear of violence and injustice adds more stress to the weight of these hardships.

It takes courage and commitment to face ourselves. You’ve taken the first step in listening to the core part of you telling you that it’s time for change. I want to help you translate that inner voice into meaningful insight and action. Together, we’ll work to deepen self awareness, explore what's hiding in your unconscious, and begin to heal the untouched pain and wounds in your mental and emotional body.

Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.
— Carl Jung

My Approach

I use an integrative and holistic style of therapy. My style moves between insight and behavioral oriented frameworks that always begin with meeting you where you are. My approach is culturally sensitive, open, positive, anti-oppression, anti-racist, anti-patriarchy, anti-heteronormative and feminist. My clinical orientation includes psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, narrative, existential, and yoga and mindfulness therapy.

As a sex therapist, my training is based in the framework of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT). When working with couples, I use the Developmental Model developed by The Couples Institute. I hold postgraduate certificates in sex therapy (ICP), gender and sexuality (ICP), EMDR (Helping Hands), trauma-informed clinical care (NYU), as well as multiple certifications in yoga and meditation.

I believe therapy can help to deepen your understanding of who you are, why you are who you are, why you do what you do, and how you live in your body. Together, we’ll enlist the techniques best suited to your personality and goals. Here is where we begin.

Areas of Focus
Sex Therapy
Sexual Identity
Racial Identity
BIPOC
LGBTQIA+
Relationships & Interpersonal Issues
Mindfulness Therapy
Spirituality
Meditation & Yoga Therapy
Men’s Issues
Career Counseling
Life Transitions
Existential Exploration
Depression
Anxiety

Feel Seen

I’m passionate about social justice causes and working with racial, cultural, and sexual identity issues. We’re being pushed into difficult and uncomfortable conversations, even with ourselves, as we witness a polarizing, divided and turbulent sociopolitical climate. For many BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ individuals, fear and worry of violence and injustice is a real threat in today’s charged society. I offer a safe space to feel seen and heard to anyone seeking refuge. As an advocate for antiracism and sexual and gender equality, I’ll help you navigate your questions, challenges, and concerns around existing fully and feeling seen in a multicultural society.


You have to decide who you are, and force the world to deal with you, not with its idea of you.
— James Baldwin
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Getting Started

Finding the right therapist is no easy task. Personality, rapport and chemistry all play a big part in deciding who to work with. With that in mind, I offer two ways for us to get to know each other and talk about what you hope to get from therapy and go over any questions you have about getting started. Consultations can be either a 20 min phone chat (free), an in-person (or virtual) introductory session (full fee), or both. To get going, you can send me a quick note directly to my email, or via text message (917) 725-0446. I will be sure to respond within 24-48 hours, except for weekends. Please read below for some information on frequently asked questions.


Fees

My full fee is in line with the market rates for private psychotherapy in New York City. Whenever possible, I strive to remove financial barriers for those seeking treatment, particularly BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ individuals, and I am happy to offer a sliding scale to those who demonstrate need. Please note that at the moment my sliding scale time slots are full.

Insurance

I am not in-network with any insurance panels at this time. This means you will pay out of pocket, and if you have out-of-network benefits, a portion of the fee will be reimbursed to you by your insurance provider. If you cannot pay out of pocket and your insurance plan does not have out of network benefits, I can make recommendations to providers you may be able to receive treatment from within your financial frame; feel free to ask.


Services & Policies

  • Sessions are 45 minutes in length for Individuals and 60 minutes for Couples.

  • The expectation is that we will meet at an agreed upon day and time on a weekly basis.

  • Please note I do not offer frequency that is less than weekly at this time.

  • Please note that I am only licensed in NYS and you must reside in New York in order to receive psychotherapy services from me.

  • I am offering both in-person and tele-therapy sessions. Video sessions are conducted on a HIPAA-compliant platform that can also be done as audio calls when necessary.

  • My physical office is in an elevator building located in the Chelsea neighborhood of NYC.

  • Payment for services is accepted via Venmo, Zelle (Citi and Chase EFT) or checks. Credit Card and PayPal Payments accepted with additional processing fee of 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction.

  • CANCELLATION POLICY: Up to four missed sessions per calendar year. 24-hour notice for missed sessions is requested, but not required.


If it turns out that we’re not a good match for whatever reasons, be that fit, finances, scheduling, etc., I am more than happy to make referrals to my trusted network of therapists, healers and wellness centers.


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Read my work

Excited to be part of the third edition of New Directions in Sex Therapy edited by Peggy Kleinplatz. Check out my chapter on Intersectionality and Sex Therapy, co-written with Dr. Suzanne Iasenza, founder and author of Narrative Relational Sex Therapy.

New Directions in Sex Therapy: Innovations and Alternatives, 3rd Edition focuses on new and cutting-edge therapy paradigms as alternatives to conventional clinical strategies, challenging practitioners to expand our thinking about how to deal with sexual concerns. Award-winning sex therapist, Peggy J. Kleinplatz, Ph.D., brings together the best therapists and sexologists to advance beyond predominant approaches to sexual difficulties. Part I highlights the major problems and criticisms facing sex therapy and furnishes a rationale for new directions, with chapters on ethics, heteronormativity and comprehensive sexual education/healthcare as human rights issues. Part II demonstrates new approaches to dealing with traditional sex therapy concerns, including sexual desire discrepancies, difficulties with erections and orgasms and sexuality in older couples. There is also attention to concerns typically overlooked including those related to consensual nonmonogamy, sexuality and disability and marginalized populations. This edition is replete with helpful new clinical illustrations across the spectrum of theoretical orientations, such as EFT/EFIT, narrative-relational, psychodynamic, CBT, experiential and group therapy modalities to demonstrate these approaches in action. There are also queer-informed perspectives on sex and relationships and innovative contributions on the person of the therapist and on promoting optimal erotic intimacy.

This book is intended for students and clinicians who deal with sexual issues and concerns in therapy–clinicians of every kind, novices and advanced practitioners– rather than only those who define themselves as sex therapists.

Check out some of the news articles and media where I am mentioned and featured discussing psychotherapeutic issues.