What to Say When You Don’t Know How to Start Therapy
If you’ve ever found yourself staring at your therapist, unsure what to say, you’re not alone. Many people struggle to know how to start therapy sessions or what to talk about first — especially when every thought seems to vanish the moment the session begins.
Postpartum OCD: Understanding and Managing Intrusive Thoughts After Birth
Postpartum OCD Understanding and Managing Intrusive Thoughts after Birth
Most new parents expect some degree of exhaustion, feeding challenges, and emotional adjustment after bringing a baby home. What many don’t expect are sudden, unwanted thoughts or mental images, often about something bad happening to their baby.
Are You Codependent, or Just Deeply Committed to Not Being a Burden?
A Psychodynamic Take on Codependency, With a Wink and a Quiz
Somewhere between "I'm just a really caring person" and "I'm emotionally fused with my barista" lies the tender terrain of codependency. And while TikTok might call it a vibe, psychodynamic theory offers a deeper lens.
The Myth of the Together Person (and Why Your Lists Aren’t Helping)
You look like you’re doing fine.
You’ve got a system—sort of. You keep things moving, mostly. But behind the scenes?
You stare at your inbox like it’s a haunted house.
Your to-do list isn’t a list. It’s a self-replicating anxiety machine.
You avoid opening mail because one envelope might break you. And when you finally sit down to start? Suddenly it feels urgent to alphabetize your spices like your future depends on placing paprika in its perfect alphabetical spot.
10 Common Reasons People Avoid Therapy (And Why We Get It)
10 Common Reasons People Avoid Therapy (And Why We Get It)
Why Am I So Hard on Myself?
Why Am I So Hard on Myself?
Your inner critic isn’t the enemy. It’s a protective voice that learned its job long ago. With curiosity, reflection, and the support of a therapist— especially one trained in psychodynamic therapy— that voice can loosen its grip.
Why Am I Struggling to Get Things Done? Understanding Executive Functioning and How Coaching Can Help
Have you ever looked at your to-do list and felt like your brain just short-circuited? You know what needs to get done—but somehow, the day slips away, and the list remains untouched. Maybe it’s missed deadlines, running late (again), or realizing you’ve been so locked in on one task that suddenly it’s three hours later and everything else has fallen by the wayside. Or maybe it’s the opposite: just thinking about your to-do list gives you a pit in your stomach, and you don’t even know where to start. That constant, gnawing feeling of falling behind—no matter how hard you try—is exhausting.
Addressing the Mental Health Impact of a NICU Stay: Coping with Stress and Trauma
A stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) can be an incredibly overwhelming and stressful experience for parents. Whether it’s due to a preterm birth, complications during delivery, or health issues arising shortly after birth, having a newborn in the NICU can affect both the baby and the parents—emotionally, mentally, and physically.
Mental Health and the Executive Function Connection: How ADHD, Anxiety, and Depression Relate to Executive Functioning
Mental Health and the Executive Function Connection: How ADHD, Anxiety, and Depression Relate to Executive Functioning
Strategies for Responding to Imposter Stress
Have you ever felt self-doubt, fraudulent, or wondered if you are as competent or qualified as others perceive you to be? Believe it or not, these feelings are quite common, especially among high achieving people who have a hard time believing in their competence. These feelings and thoughts often arise when we begin something new, step into a new role, and enter environments that invalidate aspects of our identity. Here are some practical suggestions for how to respond to imposter stress.
Practical Techniques to Help You Handle Criticism
It is very common for people to have strong emotional reactions to perceived criticism. This is because criticism often triggers an underlying negative narrative or belief we hold about ourselves, which can provoke the experience of shame. When we receive criticism that touches on a negative belief we have about ourselves or something that we hold shame around, it can feel like that feedback is proving that there is something inherently wrong with us as a person, instead of serving as a piece of feedback about our performance.
The Relationship Between Alcohol and Anxiety
Many of us who tend to feel anxious in social situations, otherwise known as social anxiety, may lean on alcohol to help manage those feelings of anxiety when we do socialize. A few drinks can make us feel carefree and confident and this can make alcohol feel important to our enjoyment of socializing. However, the relationship between anxiety and alcohol might be more counterintuitive than it seems.
NYC as Exposure Therapy for Social Anxiety
One of the most frequent reasons people seek out therapy is to address their anxiety. Anxiety can be a debilitating condition in which it feels like your anxiety runs your life. Symptoms of anxiety include racing negative thoughts, a tightening of the chest, rapid heartbeat, difficulty staying present, lightheadedness, queasiness or stomach pain, and restlessness. One of the more common forms of anxiety is social anxiety, which is when someone has outsized, persistent fears about being exposed to possible scrutiny.
Can I really talk about _____ in therapy??
In the realm of polite society, there are topics that we’re often advised to steer clear of - the kinds of conversations that make us squirm in our seats. But the truth about therapy is it’s not polite company; it’s a space designed for you to delve into every nook and cranny of your life, even those that feel awkward or uneasy to discuss. So if you’ve ever wondered, “Can I talk about __ in therapy?”, the answer is a resounding yes.
A Case For Going to Therapy When You Have “Nothing” to Talk About
Have you ever found yourself rushing into your therapist's office, flustered and unprepared, only to draw a complete blank when you're finally seated? It happens to the best of us. But guess what? Those unscripted moments in therapy, when you're not sure what to talk about, can be incredibly valuable.
3 Myths About Substance Use Treatment
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 46.3 million people met DSM-5 criteria for a substance use disorder in 2021. And yet, only 6% of these people received substance use treatment. One possible reason for this could be the stigma and mystery that still surrounds substance use disorders and their treatment today.
Here are some of the common myths surrounding substance use and its treatment:
Normal Nervousness or Postpartum Anxiety? Understanding the Differences
Postpartum anxiety is estimated to affect around 10% to 20% of women in the postpartum period. However, it’s important to note that the actual numbers may be even higher due to the underreporting and difficulty in distinguishing between normal nervousness and postpartum anxiety.
Better Together: Debunking Myths About Group Therapy
Group therapy is one of the most misunderstood forms of therapy. Often, joining a group sounds intimidating to those who have never tried it, but group therapy provides a safe space where you can share your thoughts, experiences, and emotions with those who are struggling with similar issues. This post hopes to challenge some common preconceived notions about group therapy and open your mind to the potential benefits of the approach.
Panic Attacks: Your Emotional Fire Alarm
Roughly one in ten adults will have at least one panic, or ‘anxiety’ attack every year. Fortunately, panic attacks aren’t random. In fact, panic attacks are very predictable because they are triggered by internal or external cues of perceived threats.
I think I have PTSD: Now What?
When struggling with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), life can feel scary and limiting. Intrusive symptoms of PTSD can look like being haunted by unwanted memories of the traumatic event, having intense physical sensations like heart palpitations or sweating, experiencing strong emotions of fear, anger, or shame when reminded of the trauma, and enduring flashbacks of the event. These intrusive symptoms indicate that something about the event still needs to be processed. However, these symptoms are so distressing and confusing that many people develop beliefs such as, “I’m going crazy,” and “I can’t handle this,” and start avoiding reminders of the trauma that bring up these symptoms.
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