Find a Therapist in Middle Village, New York.

I believe that an attuned and empathic relationship is the basis for effective therapy. Therapy can provide the space to address difficult life issues with support and guidance. I work to create an atmosphere of safety and respect in which issues can emerge, be understood and resolved. Psychotherapy can lead to deep and lasting change, and empower you to live life to the fullest.

My patients benefit from psychotherapy with me because I show them not only how to feel better but get better. Getting better means learning how they make themselves upset and how to stop doing this even when life and people are blocking them. I teach skills for directly changing self-defeating behavior. I give patients tools for self-direction and emotional responsibility. I send my patients emails to prompt them to think differently between sessions. I help them to transfer the skills I teach from my office to their home and work environments. I teach people how to maintain and extend treatment gains so that they do not need to be in psychotherapy forever.

Prioritize your wellness with psychotherapy in conjunction with medication management. Psychotherapy can offer a place to look at your current and past experiences from new perspectives and receive support as you move into the next chapter of your life. Let’s look at your wellness beyond just the biology. I want you to feel in control of your own wellness. As your doctor, I am committed to equipping you with the information you need to make clear, informed choices about your health.

My practice is based on an Integrative approach to psychotherapy and health and lifestyle. Expanded creativity and general ability for one to make positive changes is the goal. Neuro scientific research has shown that psychoanalysis evokes lasting change. Psychoanalysis makes use of metaphor, dreams, art, writing, and poetry for individual expression.

I am a trauma specialist who loves supporting college students, post-college grads navigating early adulthood, and adult children of emotionally immature parents. I focus on: -EMDR for trauma and PTSD -Overcoming depression and anxiety -Clinical Hypnosis -Recovering from abuse (physical, sexual, emotional) -Dealing with emotionally immature parents In addition to talk therapy, I offer an integrated approach to trauma healing that can include EMDR and clinical hypnosis for clients who want to try alternative treatments to reduce traumatic memories, get to know their healthier adult self, set boundaries others, and build more rewarding intimate relationships.

If you find yourself struggling with the same old issues to no avail, I can help. Using a collaborative approach, I will work with you to identify the feelings, beliefs and behavioral patterns keeping you stuck. We will get curious about the narrative you have about yourself and question long-held ideas of what you should and shouldn't do and be. Through this process of exploration, discovery and growth, you will open up to new ways of understanding yourself, the world, and what is truly possible for you.

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.

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 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 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.

Like most human experiences, I believe that Psychotherapy is a process. It needs a significant investment of time an energy and can be navigated in three stages: 1. Exploration; 2. Identification; 3. Change. My role as a therapist is to create the space for people to explore and identify some areas within themselves that they want to change and take the risk.

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.

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.