Online in New York
(Online Only)
As an experienced psychologist, I've witnessed psychotherapy transform people's lives--relieve shame and guilt, assuage sadness and loneliness, allow forgiveness of self and others, reveal assets and goals. But it's hard work -- intimate, uncomfortable, sometimes painful. The patient must do the work, but he/she needn't do it alone. The "right" therapist as guide, companion, witness, can ease the pain, deepen the discovery, enhance the joy. I offer a free initial consultation as an audition for both patient and therapist to assess the "fit" and decide whether to embark on this intimate work together.
Client Focus
Session Format: Couple, Individual sessions.
Age Specialty: Adult, Senior, Young Adult
Demographic Expertise: Men, Military / Veterans, Women clients.
Languages: English
Treatment Approach
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) One of the most widely used approaches, CBT helps people identify unhelpful thoughts and replace them with healthier patterns. It is effective for anxiety, depression, and many other concerns.
- Gottman Method Couples Therapy Based on decades of research, this method gives couples tools to improve communication, manage conflict, and strengthen intimacy.
- Imago Relationship Therapy Helps couples understand how childhood experiences influence adult relationships. It teaches communication techniques to deepen connection.
- Psychodynamic Therapy Explores unconscious thoughts and patterns that influence current behavior. It builds insight into how the past impacts the present.
Approach Description: As therapist, my part is to listen, observe, and interpret within psychodynamic principles and to employ Cognitive-Behavioral, Gestalt, or other strategies as appropriate to effect desired change. But the foundation and context for the work must be the relationship--loving, empathic, honest, and non-judgmental on the part of the therapist; trusting, connected, and committed on the part of the patient.
Education & Credentials
Dr Laura Soden PhD, Clinical Psychology
- Female
- License # NY State: 12954
- Licensed in New York
- Practicing Since 1991
Education: Undergraduate: BA, Psychology, Fordham University, 1986;
Graduate: MA, Developmental Psychology, Teachers College, Columbia University, 1988;
PhD, Clinical Psychology, Teachers College, Columbia University, 1995
License NY, 1996.
Finances
Fees
- Average Session Fee $150 to $200; fee negotiable in appropriate circumstances
- Affordable sliding scale therapy: apply if you may be eligible.
- Because I do not accept third-party payments, I am willing to negotiate my fee of $200 per session. My goal is to make my services accessible to those who need them.
- Out of Network
Dr Laura Soden Practice Details
Therapy Sessions
- Available Online for residents of New York
- Online Therapy Details: Secure video through Psychology Today "sessions".
In my clinical training and in 25+ years as a psychotherapist, I've learned multiple techniques, some very effective (e.g., psychodynamic therapy, cognitive-behavioral strategies, John Gottman's "Marriage Clinic"), some less so. But even the best therapeutic strategy or technique, may be rendered ineffective without a well-established empathic relationship between the patient and therapist. Only such a "holding environment" can allow the patient to relinquish harmful but cherished habits, resentments, and grievances; can enable excavation of shame, guilt, and self-loathing, and restore peace, even joy. Thus, the therapeutic space must be (1) non-judgmental as ensured by the quality of the relationships; (2) stable and well-defined, and (3) utterly private. The quality of the relationship is the foundation of all three; privacy is rendered sacred by patient-therapist confidentiality and barring even the intrusion of third-party insurers.