About my Practice
Over time a relationship can move in many different directions. In difficult times we end up repeating the same arguments and feel "shut down" or unloved. A partner can be a great source of comfort in life or a source of pain. We get stuck repeating the same solutions to the same problems without seeing anything change. When caught in these cycles, we lose connection to the parts of ourselves and our partners that we find most fulfilling. My work with couples and families helps to break these unproductive patterns so that new and more hopeful aspects of ourselves and our relationships can unfold. As the old patterns are disrupted, the hidden strengths of the family begin to emerge and change is possible.
Research has shown family therapy is a very effective treatment for many "problems", including depression and anxiety that appear to be localized within the individual. The effectiveness of couple and family therapy stems from its ability to identify and change the dynamics in our relationships that trigger and reinforce the individual problems we bring to therapy.
In addition to the problems that people usually come to therapy for, I have also found this work to be beneficial for families going through difficult life transitions such as divorce, becoming a step family, loss and bereavement, living with a chronic or life threatening illness and abuse of alcohol or drugs. Although always challenging, we can usually move through these hard times without outside help. Other times we get lost in these transitions and need help in regaining our centers and getting back to our lives. It is at these harder times where family therapy can help.
Children
Kids and teens can move through the ups and downs of life without much difficulty or sometimes they can get stuck. We all want our children to succeed and feel good about themselves and when this isn't happening, parents can feel frustrated, fearful or even overwhelmed. Families come to me for help for a wide range of issues, including: difficulty in school; a diagnosis of ADHD or bipolar illness; a teenager who has "shut down"; depression; and involvement in "risky" behaviors.
My approach with these issues is to work with the strength and resources of the family. Research shows that children and teens improve faster and results are longer lasting with this approach than with individual therapy for children. The goal in family treatment is to access the more helpful aspects of our kids and of ourselves as parents.
Biography
As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist I have worked with couples, families and children for more than 25 years. I have a Masters degree from Columbia University and post graduate training at the Minuchin Center for the Family in NYC.
I am an assistant professor at the New York University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and I am on the faculty of the Minuchin Center. In addition to my private practice I also supervise other therapists in their work with couples and families. I am a Program Consultant to various agencies in the Hudson Valley including substance abuse programs, mental health agencies and hospitals.
As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist I have worked with couples, families and children for more than 25 years. I have a Masters degree from Columbia University and post graduate training at the Minuchin Center for the Family in NYC.
I am an assistant professor at the New York University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and I am on the faculty of the Minuchin Center. In addition to my private practice I also supervise other therapists in their work with couples and families. I am a Program Consultant to various agencies in the Hudson Valley including substance abuse programs, mental health agencies and hospitals.
