Internal Family Systems therapists in Bellaire, New York NY

From this point forward you are NOT alone! Asking for help in the first, and most difficult part of this process, and being here is a testament to your resilience. Expressive Connections Mental Health Counseling is a growing Group Practice with a staff of 12+ that works to empower you, your child/family to explore the inner most workings of and important messages communicated through the body in order to understand the physical and psychological manifestations of difficult to process emotions and experiences such as anxiety, trauma, anger/irritability, depression, ADHD, sadness, life transitions, relationship challenges and much more. We work to empower you and/or your child to improve your/their internal resources in order to gain awareness of your/their own strength and insight, and develop a stronger sense of self love to move through life's many challenges feeling both powerful and peaceful. We use trauma informed expressive arts, movement, CBT, emotional freedom techniques, intentional and respectful communication-based and family systems supported therapies to empower individuals, couples and families to improve their lives.  

If you’ve been feeling stuck, lonely, anxious, or unhappy, you're in the right place. Let’s unpack your story together.  

I view therapy as a testing ground for clients to bring their full selves and be met with curiosity, acceptance, and respect.  

I aim to create a safe space for us to process trauma collaboratively and work on issues such as anxiety, depression, chronic illness, relationship struggles, abuse, life and career concerns, and issues around identity and creative expression. I also specialize in helping people recover from coercive control and influence, including survivors of cultic abuse and high-demand groups.  

Our team has experience with a wide range of presenting concerns and treatment modalities. Our approach is holistic, individualized and affirming.  

My goal as a therapist is to create a warm, supportive, genuine and safe environment where you alone or with your significant other feel comfortable sharing with me your negative repetitive pattern that prevents you from from sailing through your relationship more smoothly. I want to help you to reinvent your marriage or long term relationship so that your lives intersect in the same space so I can get the opportunity to teach you how to respect each other's differences and teach you how you can agree to disagree and yet you are still able to say "I love you." I can help you both to come up with a common love language when you are home and happy or not so happy; and I can also teach you another love language that works well publicly. One works well in the bedroom and the other works well in front of strangers. All couples must develop love languages that work well privately and publicly. I want your relationship to maintain the love that brought you together in the first place. You may wonder why your love is not consistent, and you may notice that the respect you once had for one another has dissipated and the personal meaning once attached to your relationship is no longer there.. Most couples in your situation have what I refer to as their own "dance of anger" that happens again and again and again. By this, I mean couples fight about different issues but the way that they fight takes on a repetitive negative pattern and that pattern is their way of expressing anger and/or rage, regardless of the argument at hand. I refer to the way that most couples argue and fight as their "dance of anger". Remember, you can't change your partner and that is why you need professional advice. I can be your "go to person" who can teach you how to effectively communicate when you once again have disagreements that can be a threat to the survival of your relationship. I only accept accept couples who really want to preserve their relationship and can tell me that they are willing to put in the hard work, because married monogamous relationships are difficult to sustain, but by taking your marriage vows seriously, you both signed up for a loving partnership for a lifetime. Taking your vows and dancing at your wedding is just not enough because everyone's life is difficult. Life is more like "a bowl of cherries" and despite the succulent juice from the cherries, you will still have to deal with "the pits." We can't always dance through our problems. Despite making yourselves an expensive wedding or having gone to the court to take your vows,-what all married couples dwell on is trust. Is one person feeling like they don't trust the other or both feel the same way when it comes to trust, then pick up your phone to call Lorna Hayim-Baker at Riverdale Therapy & Counseling Services. I offer a free phone consultation before accepting new couples. I tell the truth when I counsel couples, and therefore, I vet each couple before I agree to meet with them in an "in person session" to avoid sessions where one partner or both can blow up my session because their personality does not mesh well with mine. My heart goes out to everyone who is about to experience "a bad breakup" or "a disastrous divorce.". I go many extra miles for each and every couple who comes into my office. I try to understand their shared stories and having a shared story is a lot easier to problem solve because they are in sync; but more often than not, I have to hear out each partner because they each have different stories to tell. I decipher their own personal stories because, in reality, there are two different versions of the same presenting problem and then their is the third version which is the most realistic story. It is only fair to hear each partner's voice as they often come to session offering their own point of view, but if one pays close attention, it often seems like there are 2-3 different problems; but in reality, there are two different sides about he same problem and sometimes even a third side that the therapist discovers and is being presented by each person. All three stories are different versions of the same problem. All sides are carefully listened to and It takes time to hear each person's interpretation of the same arguments. All stories are aired and I do my best to come up with possible solutions by providing lots of feedback. Couples can disagree with me about possible solutions that are offered. I have become very attuned to my couples because I have been doing this type of therapy for a very long time. I listen carefully to their presenting problems before providing feedback. I am not always right but I am pretty intuitive at this point in my career. Someone must try to understand the couple who came in to preserve their relationship and the hope is that I, as their therapist will remain neutral and unbiased in order to shed light on why the couples are not hearing each other as they each struggle to voice their complaints. More often than not, one or both partners become very defensive and neither one is listening to the other and their fight escalates. That's why they need an unbiased and caring therapist to intervene and help the couple deescalate by having them share the details of the original complaint that turned into a communication breakdown. Couples begin fighting right in front of me & my job is to stop their dispute and call a halt to their bickering so we can examine why their communication pattern broke down in the first place. Both partners are acting out and becoming nasty and defensive. Each partner had the same wish, which was to have their voice heard as he or she expresses their own complaint. I need to point out when their wheels are spinning but they are getting nowhere and they are in fact, stuck. Couples need to stop and listen to each other so I can help them come up with a plan that can get them "unstuck." To be an effective couples' counselor means that at the end of the session, the couple walks out with a sense of having a shared understanding of their problems and with a shared sense of hope because they learned how to tackle the types of ineffective communications that lead to "blow out fights" Hopefully, I will be your therapist who teaches you how to not add fuel to the fire. I want to be part of the solution and teach couples how to stop turning molehills into mountains. I am the therapist who loves watching love as it grows and makes both partners seem so much more mature.  

Psychotherapy can be challenging, but it is a rewarding process. Most people come in to discuss the problems in their lives. They often forget about what is going well, and what are their natural talents and abilities. I train and supervise psychologists at area hospitals. Because of this I am sensitive to ethical concerns: honesty, integrity and practicality. I strive to create a very kind and safe atmosphere where personal exploration is possible. Psychotherapy should be collaborative. I am vocal and active and give my clients ongoing feedback, inquiry and support.  

Frequently, people who have experienced trauma develop extraordinary survival skills. Often the strategies that were critical for survival when you were a child, thwart the ability to develop satisfying work, family and/or romantic relationships in adulthood. Psychotherapy provides an opportunity to transcend patterns that are holding you back from achieving your goals, and realizing your potential. This often includes addressing family, career, and relationship issues within the treatment as well as recognizing thinking and/or behavior which may be harmful or holding you back. I specialize in the treatment of PTSD, anxiety and depression, and am certified in EMDR(Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), CPT and MI. My practice is influenced by CBT, psychodynamic, Schema, Internal Family Systems and mindfulness-based therapies. We will spend our first sessions exploring important historical information, assessing your needs, and setting goals. You do not have to sit with your pain in silence, alone. I strive to nurture relationships with clients that are compassionate, kind, and non-judgmental, yet safe enough to tolerate direct but gentle confrontation. Together we will determine the approach and pace that will work best for you.  

FREE INTRO - to see if we're a good fit. My main focus is working with ACAs - adults who were raised in an alcoholic / narcissistic family. The long-term goal is to uncover your True Self, develop a Loving Parent voice, heal the Wounded Child, & encourage the Healthy Child to shine. Together we identify the harsh beliefs you absorbed from your family, school & religion, and work on transforming them into positive do-able ‘rules’ to live by. EXP: “I know what I know”, “I have a right to my needs”, “”There’s no such thing as perfect”….. I also provide a safe place for you to experience painful or joyful emotions you weren't allowed to feel growing up. ACA Recovery work is about facing the reality of early damage, and working to overcome the after-effects. “Trying to flourish in an atmosphere of criticism is like trying to get sober in a bar.”  

If you are looking for an authentic, empathetic, and non-judgmental therapist, you've definitely come to the right spot.