Find a Therapist in Brookville, New York.

Psychotherapy can be an effective tool in providing you with the necessary support and strategies to overcome the challenges you face. By starting therapy, you are taking control and action to change what no longer works in your life. I utilize Utilizing a variety of approaches including Cognitive/Cognitive-Behavioral, Existential/Humanistic, Person-Centered, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, and more. I work along side you to create a treatment plan that is customized to meet your unique circumstances.

I gear the therapy I provide to each individual client or couple based on what I believe will be most helpful. To me, psychotherapy begins when there is safety and a trusting therapeutic relationship. I meet the client where they are at and we work at a pace that feels comfortable for them. I have tremendous respect and admiration for my clients and appreciate their willingness to open up to me and let me into their lives.

I leverage a solution-based approach to clearly outline your primary challenge, work through an exercise to meditate on and define your future state and then work over 8 sessions to achieve it via homework and 1:1 sessions. Clients have experienced great success with this approach, my goal is to empower you - YOU have the answers and I want to help you find them.

Psychotherapy is not anything to be scared of, or intimidated about. Seeking out a therapist or being in therapy isn't an admission of weakness or some kind of character flaw. Therapy is a collaborative process and a partnership with someone who is trained in and experienced with facilitating personal growth. And in this process, you are in the driver's seat. Our minds and emotions and relationships involve complicated machinery just like our bodies do and in the same way a medical doctor helps you stay physically healthy, Psychotherapy is designed to help you be and stay mentally and socially strong, and continually in a position to take on life's many challenges as your best self.

At Core Relationships, we are here to guide you towards stronger, more authentic connections that enrich your everyday life. Our therapists understand the heartache involved when issues such as low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, or relationship conflict are present. Our work is centered around finding the areas where you can touch base with yourself in a more present and authentic manner so that you can navigate your interpersonal relationships with confidence and ease. Whether you’re seeking individual or couples therapy, we’ll work together to find the inner alignment and strategies that empower you to thrive in all of your relationships beyond therapy.

Psychotherapy allows you to explore your struggles, issues, conflicts and insecurities in a supportive, non-judgmental environment. I work with you to assist you in finding ways to navigate and cope with your stressors. I utilize a solution focused approach, behavioral techniques and mindfulness, as well as other tools and techniques. Sessions are interactive.

Many people say, "The past is the past," or "I want to leave the past behind." I support these statements, as long as the past is actually there...in the past. Many people find that their current experiences in life and relationships mirror situations from their pasts. Without meaning to, you may re-experience pain and/or discomfort in areas such as work, home life, parenting, marriage, or dating that feel familiar from early life experiences and relationships. This is common. Learning about your patterns is the beginning to making more positive choices for yourself.

Psychotherapy, encompassing modalities like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), offers a powerful and multifaceted process for addressing a wide range of mental health concerns beyond just depression. Through the therapeutic relationship, individuals gain a safe and supportive space to explore their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. CBT equips clients with practical tools to identify and modify unhelpful patterns, fostering healthier coping mechanisms and improved emotional regulation. EMDR, when appropriate, can address the impact of past experiences and traumas that may underlie present difficulties, facilitating emotional processing and reducing their lingering effects. This holistic process empowers individuals to gain self-awar

In my continued endeavor to help and guide my patients, I embrace the Integrative Psychotherapy approach. In short, Integrative Psychotherapy is a “big picture” approach which seeks to bring together the therapeutic elements from the different schools of psychotherapy into the process of positive and wholesome change for the patient. Working in the Integrative Psychotherapy approach we can embrace and affirm your inherent values and your own inner healing ability. It is unifying and balancing.

As experienced, highly-credentialed clinical psychologists and couples counselors, Dr. Joel Stukalin and Dr. Sara Mandelbaum have the necessary background to conduct short-term or psychoanalystic psychotherapy with clients. This means that clients can decide to work on direct symptom-relief or more comprehensive therapy that may lead to a deeper understanding of inner-conflicts, self-aspirations and unconscious processes. In order to do our psychotherapy compassionately and effectively, Dr. Joel and Dr. Sara collaborate closely with clients to understand their initial motives and unfolding goals within the psychotherapy process. Clients often benefit from this higher standard of care.

Psychotherapy is the use of psychological methods to help a person change behavior and overcome problems in a positive manner. Its aim is to help people understand the thoughts behind feeling anxious or depressed and addressing these thinking patterns. Psychotherapy will help you change behaviors and habits that are limiting you, to experiencing your fullest potential.

I am honored to work with individuals and couples from many different walks of life. My approach is rooted in respect, authenticity, and collaboration — always holding you as the expert in your own story. In our work together, I strive to create a space that feels safe, supportive, and genuinely affirming, where you can explore challenges honestly and move toward healing, growth, and deeper connection.

I welcome and foster your deep expression of joy, sadness, vulnerability, and wisdom. When you know that you are fully accepted as yourself, and when you can fully see yourself, then you can also accept and love your full self as you truly are, because ultimately we are all amazing beings. By the therapy pointing to moments and narratives that are full of authenticity and feeling, as well as clarifying narratives that hold you back, you can start to sense and feel areas of yourself that you had forgotten existed, or had forgotten the importance of. Through therapy you can, via open, insightful discussion and safe emotional connection, reclaim lost parts of yourself and thrive.