I work to foster an environment of open communication, where clients feel safe to express knowing they won't be judged or their concerns disregarded.

I try to build a solid foundation of support and compassion with my clients. I am warm and lighthearted but also structured enough to make sure you are seeing results. I am told that I bring a comforting presence to sessions. I take my work very seriously and want to make sure my clients always feel respected and understood.

My 25+ years of experience has taught me the importance of making the time to listen and understand before I start making suggestions. This involves understanding each person's life story, administering assessment tools, reviewing relevant records, and interviewing other people that my client and I agree should be involved. I believe strongly in evaluating strengths as well as pain, with my feedback emphasizing the former. I also believe in letting my clients know about what research-based treatments are available to them so that we can collaborate in experiencing transformative change ASAP. I believe in setting life-altering goals before beginning, and checking on progress as we go. My intention is to promote healing, wellness, and happiness as thoroughly and as effectively as possible. With child and teen clients, I use a variety of methods to make each person comfortable (e.g., I use magic to connect with kids and teens, referring to myself as a wizard).

People - like plants - don't thrive in less than optimal conditions. However people - unlike plants - have the ability to improve the conditions in which they exist and give themselves the gift of positive and exuberant growth. Is your growth as an individual being limited by ~ anxieties & fears ~ lack of direction ~ depression ~ past trauma ~ poor self image ~ relationship issues Any one of the above can make you feel stuck and uncertain. Growth oriented psychotherapy will help you rediscover your purpose and direction. My task is to guide you as you identify your goals and the resources you'll need to achieve them. My belief is that most of these resources already exist within you or are readily accessible to you.

I counsel individuals, families, couples, and children. My specialties include depression, anxiety, trauma, self-esteem issues, relationships concerns, family conflict, and grief. My goal is to help clients better understand themselves so that they can improve their relationships and quality of life. I tailor my approach to the needs of each client, responding to their own unique challenges and personality. I do not use a one-size-fits-all approach. People sometimes struggle to understand their distress, behavior, and patterns. By offering a safe, thoughtful environment, I empower my clients to cultivate a deeper understanding of their feelings, thoughts, and behaviors, enabling them to identify the issues that undermine their quality of life. We live together in the same society, but we each experience life differently, and everyone faces challenges that can make leading satisfying and happy lives more difficult. Accessing your inner strengths is possible, and this empowerment can help to resolve your pain, suffering, and confusion.

I believe that the innate nature of human beings is to survive and be well, and that varying degrees of life experience and trauma create psychic structures that inhibit that natural process from occurring. My job is to help client's develop compassionate awareness for these structures that are no longer functional in their lives and help them to build tolerance for the underlying feelings being protected by these structures. And ultimately to help client's choose and develop healthier more functional thoughts, feelings and behaviors to expand their well being, life satisfaction and treat themselves with loving kindness.

Accepting new clients- Life is hard. Most of us want to think that it gets easier but that only occurs when our skills (emotional, mental, physical, spiritual) improve. Therapy is the perfect place to learn and practice new skills while getting the encouragement to make it through life's toughest moments. And I am ready for you. I work with all clients and specialize in the BlackBrown communities, LGBTQ population, couples, and adolescents. I value intersectionality, solutions-focused work, and holistic practices. I specialize in following therapies: cognitive-behavioral, play, solutions-focused & strengths based. I value & support parent educationcounseling especially as parents navigate through the school system while raising a child with mental health concerns. I strongly value a holistic & organic approach to mental health progress. As a Counselor in an urban setting, I understand the time and transportation constraints that many clients may face. Therefore, I am able to provide on-site services (in-home andor confidential setting) or in my office.

I view psychotherapy as a collaborative process of self-discovery that is both supportive and directive. As many problems stem from either escalating emotions or efforts to avoid them, time is spent exploring and trying to understand your distress to help you create a more satisfying and healthier way of living. To inform my work, I draw from three areas of theoretical research: cognitive behavioral theory (skills-focused), attachment theory (insight-focused), and neuroscience research (psychoeducation-focused re: the mind-body connection and physical response to trauma). When we listen to our emotions without judgment and try to understand what they are telling us, more often than not, we can figure out what we need to regain emotional peace, balance, and life satisfaction. Many of my clients are highly successful on the outside; leaders in their field, individuals who handle intense and stressful jobs. They are the ones that other people look to for insight and guidance. But on the inside, these clients often carry a great deal of weight from past difficulties, including feelings of tremendous anxiety, self-loathing, shame, and low-grade chronic depression, because they have never received the expertise needed to truly overcome their past experiences and maladaptive coping strategies they have developed. I bring my 30 years of experience as a trauma researcher, clinician, teacher, and clinical supervisor to every one of my sessions. I find my work inspiring and a privilege. Through our work together, my clients find someone who has the years of experience and expertise to create the sense of security needed to explore and understand these difficulties, and finally overcome them.

**I have a limited number of in-person and telehealth sessions available. Please contact me to see if I am a good match and our schedules align.** My initial goal in therapy is to deeply understand the unique individual sitting across from me. I take a holistic approach to this task. I understand that the mind, body, spirit, and relationships are all connected and impacted by one another. I think of my clients as more than just a collection of problems and diagnoses. I want to understand your strengths and talents as well as your struggles and areas for growth. I also want to understand where you have come from and where you would like to go. As we better understand how your life story impacts your current feelings, motivations, and relationships, you will likely experience increased self-acceptance and the ability to make to make better decisions about your future. Intellectual insight alone, although useful, is often not enough to allow clients to fully make the kinds of life changes that they desire. Consequently, I also utilize methods from more action-oriented approaches to therapy that focus on obtaining new skills and practicing new behaviors. These skills are often focused on learning new ways of managing difficult feelings and improving communication and intimacy in relationships. I believe that a therapist and client should work together as a team. I will bring my energy, experience, and compassion to the therapeutic relationship. I ask you for openness, honesty, curiosity, and a willingness to experiment with new ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving. My goal is to work with you to help you achieve a greater sense of happiness, peace, integrity, and satisfaction in your life.

If you are interested in scheduling an appointment with one of our therapists, please use the contact form on our WEBSITE www.imaracounseling.com and a member of our intake team will be in touch with you within 24 business hours. Unlike many other practices you reach out to, we will respond and do our best to schedule you with someone who can assist you.

In my practice, I work with adults, defined as approximately age 20 and older. I work with individual clients, with couples, and with groups. In group therapy, the clients are almost always in individual therapy as well, with me, with my co-therapist, or with another therapist who has referred the client to the group. I work with clients presenting a variety of issues, including: *Depression Relationship Issues *Life Transitions *Anxiety *Addictive Behaviors *GLBT Issues *Anger *Grief and Loss *Sense of Self/Self-Esteem *Men's Issues *Trauma and PTSD *Partners of Abuse Survivors *Adult Children of Alcoholic/Dysfunctional/Abuse Families *Couples Issues, including Re-Marriage, Extramarital Relationships, and Step-Families I have had experience working with diverse groups of people. I have been a consulting psychologist to an orthodox yeshiva, I have worked with Catholic seminarians, I have taught and supervised trainees in a largely Catholic Pastoral Counseling program, and I have taken numerous workshops in working with Gay, Bi, and Lesbian, and Questioning clients. In addition, I have been involved in Multicultural work since 2001, and seek to keep an open mind and continuously question my assumptions about people whose lives are different from mine. I believe that psychotherapy is an interactive process that calls for both the client and the therapist to be as fully involved as possible. Therefore, I participate actively with my patients, sharing my thoughts, impressions, and reactions to what we are talking about. I believe that people can change even long-standing patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior if THEY participate actively. My job is to create a space where clients can be curious and learn about the ways of thinking, feeling, and acting that they bring to their lives, and about how these ways work for them and against them. I create this space by bringing both my professional training and understanding and my human compassion, empathy, and respect. In my practice, I typically meet with people once a week; if there is a need for additional support, or if we decide together that more intense work is called for, meeting twice a week can be very useful. Even meeting once a week allows clients to develop enough comfort with me and with therapy for our work to be effective and helpful. Regarding my theoretical grounding, I have intensive training in Psychodynamic, Cognitive-Behavioral, Gestalt, and Existential therapeutic approaches, and I draw from each of these as the client's situation, needs, and goals call for. Some therapists subscribe to and identify with one school of thought and apply that way of thinking and working to every client. I first work to understand each client's particular issues, needs, and style of thinking and feeling. THEN, I use the approach and methods that I believe would be most useful to that patient, and remain open to using whatever else might work based on what develops. Therefore, my orientation is eclectic, and my methods are determined by the client's personality and needs.

If you feel anxious, sad, overwhelmed, or stuck, if you are frustrated by your family or relationships, navigating a challenging life transition, or are worn out by the stress of work, life, or parenting, my practice may be a good fit for you. My therapy style is collaborative, warm, and nonjudgmental, with room for humor. Together, we will work to improve your symptoms, gain a deeper understanding of your concerns, and bring about lasting change. I have extensive experience with college students, young adults, and mid-career professionals, with a particular focus on individuals navigating life transitions such as graduation, relationship changes, and the transition to parenthood. I also work well with clients who feel stuck professionally, struggle with work-life balance, or are considering a career change.