Therapists in Red Oaks Mill, NY

I believe that each person’s individual experiences are essential to the therapy journey. With this in mind, I encourage you to draw from your personal experiences and natural creativity as primary tools for discovering positive, quick, and long‑lasting solutions to your concerns. I embrace cultural diversity and genuinely respect people’s differences. People of all genders, sexual orientations, ethnicities, religious affiliations, and diverse cultural, social, and political backgrounds will find a friendly and welcoming atmosphere at Good Start Therapy. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, I enjoy a holistic approach to psychotherapy. A holistic approach helps us become more aware and balanced in our daily lives, allowing us to connect with our emotions, thoughts, physical sensations, and spiritual selves. It combines clinical interventions from various psychotherapy schools and treats each individual as unique, yielding positive, effective outcomes and opening the door to lasting life changes. I have been trained to work with adults facing mood changes, anger, anxiety, stress, trauma, and depression. I am proud to be a graduate of Goddard College in Vermont, where I earned my Master’s Degree in Psychology and Counseling. I also hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on Crisis Intervention from Empire State College, State University of New York. In line with New York State’s Continuing Education requirements, I completed a one-year Post-Master’s Continuing Education Program in Advanced Clinical Practice at NYU. Additionally, I fulfill the 36 continuing education clinical hours every 3 years. I am fortunate to have attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in NYC, where I completed a two-year Certificate Program in Acting for Theater. It was a great pleasure to work at The Door, a Center for Alternatives, for six years, in both clinical and management roles within the Supportive Housing program for young adults ages 18–24 facing mental health challenges. I have also worked at various substance use treatment centers, private psychotherapy clinics, and homeless shelters in New York and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I offer therapy in both English and Portuguese.

As a licensed therapist in New York, I specialize in supporting individuals through complex life transitions and emotional challenges. My approach is rooted in compassionate, holistic care that honors each person's unique journey. I have extensive experience helping clients navigate stress, anxiety, grief, depression and self-esteem challenges across diverse life stages. My therapeutic work focuses on addressing a wide range of concerns, including communication difficulties, social anxiety, life purpose exploration, attachment issues, and multicultural experiences. I am particularly committed to supporting young adults, parents/caregivers, those healing from challenging life experiences, and anyone in between that could just use a listening ear. Drawing from a Christian-informed perspective (Psalm 83:18), I create a supportive environment where clients can explore their emotional landscape, develop resilience, and cultivate meaningful personal growth. My goal is to walk alongside you with empathy, understanding, and genuine care as you work toward developing a life worth living.

By way of introduction, I am John Shafer, LCSW-R. In 1998, I graduated from Syracuse University's School of Social Work with my master's in social work. Throughout my social work career, I strived to learn from the highest credentialed and experienced professionals. Background wise, I have experience working with people in the following areas: rural community mental health settings, school-based mental health settings, city and suburban settings. Vocationally, diversification of approaches to working with people from an array of different environments provided my basis for success. I worked with people across the spectrum of age ranges from three years old to people in their nineties. Also, I gained experience working with people from different socio-economic statuses. Over the years, my ongoing diversity training afforded me opportunities to hone my clinical skills related to populations covering a wide gamut of racial and ethnic backgrounds. I sought to develop techniques to address gender identity expressions that was done in a culturally sensitive manner. Along the way, I prided myself on developing counseling and psycho-therapy skills. In the course of working with people, the therapy models I used most often included: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness, Narrative Therapy, Strengths Based Therapy, and Solution-Focused Therapy. In general, my employment opportunities accorded me the chance to develop clinical skills. I implemented different types of therapy such as individual therapy, couple's therapy and group therapy; all of which provided me with professional development opportunities. Interweaving professional experiences with evidence based therapy models, I work collaboratively with people to attain client-centered and person-centered goals.

*Hello and Welcome ! I'm Jenna McDonald . I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) based in Western New York and also working with clients statewide (NY) via Telehealth. I work with teens, adults, and couples; specializing in anxiety, stress, life transitions ( ex : work/school stressors), relationship concerns, substance use and trauma. I use different types of therapies to help my clients make progress and start feeling more in control and on their way to a more mentally stable wellness.* My approach to therapy varies based on the needs of each client I work with. I most frequently use Person Centered Therapy as I find it helps the client to organize his/her goals so that we can work through those together, based on what is most important and meaningful to that client. Solution Focused therapy, and Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), are other modalities that can help myself and the client build a shared understanding of their reality, and allow us to work together to create a path forward. I have found that my style and approach is a good fit for clients who may be dealing with the challenges of life transitions ( work/life balance, job change/ school/social pressures), relationship issues, anxiety, and depression . I work to help my clients navigate these transition periods and to build skills to allow them to feel better about themselves and develop a more positive outlook on life. I have had success working with shy clients, young adults , or just those new to therapy who are apprehensive to open up at first , given my down to earth personality. My communication style is working with my clients to understand what it is they are experiencing and build that rapport. My hope is to provide supportive problem solving and collaboration, while I can also be that listening ear. I pride myself on my ability to listen without judgment. I will also be that realistic reminder to my clients of what is healthy/what is not, so that we can work towards optimal mental wellness. I will challenge my clients and not be a person to enable negative behavior. My approach to goal setting with clients is all about working together to define what you want to accomplish in our time together. This often starts by building trust between us, and getting comfortable with what it means to be in therapy. Over time, we’ll work together to set goals and track your progress. Sometimes we just want someone to listen to us and have the ability to vent our emotions and frustrations. I can be that person who is neutral, which can give me a great outside view and ability to provide assistance when needed. What you can expect from our first session together is for us to spend the majority of our time talking about your past experience with coming to counseling, what worked well with past counseling/ what didn’t, what you are coming to counseling for currently and me asking questions to better understand some of why you may be feeling that way. The first session is about us building an initial connection and helping me get a sense of where we should go from there.

I am a licensed therapist (LCSW) in both Florida and New York. I am a Master's Level Certified Addiction Professional (MCAP) in Florida and a Certified Addiction & Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC) in New York. I bring over eighteen (18) years of dedicated experience in supporting individuals through complex life challenges. The last four (4) of those years were with Betterhelp. My professional approach is based on a Strengths Perspective. It centers on helping clients achieve emotional wellness, with specialized expertise in addressing depression, anxiety, relationship dynamics, and especially, addiction recovery. I focus on empowering individuals to develop deeper self-understandings of themselves, to improve their communication skills, and to overcome the personal barriers in their way. My practice is particularly attuned to supporting older adults and individuals experiencing workplace challenges, isolation in general, and stressful life transitions. My therapeutic style emphasizes a compassionate, goal-oriented path through collaborative work and guided discovery. The aims of therapy are to explore personal growth, to heal from past experiences, and to develop meaningful strategies that help generate more fulfilling lives. Whether you're struggling with emotional pain, seeking purpose in life, and/or working through interpersonal challenges, we'll put our heads together and work to resolve those issues. I provide supportive, non-judgmental care in relationships that are neither normal-abnormal, ordinate-subordinate, nor superior-inferior.

I am licensed in New York with 50 years of professional work experience. I have graduated with a PhD from Fordham and also attended an international institute for advanced clinical hypnotherapy. I have experience in helping clients with intimacy related issues, motivation, self esteem, and confidence, career difficulties, & coping with life changes. I work with my clients to create an open and safe environment where thoughts and feelings can be shared without fear of judgment. It takes courage to seek out a more fulfilling and happier life and to take the first steps towards a change. I am here to support & empower you in that journey.

I am licensed in New York with 11 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, relationship issues, anger management, & depression. I believe in treating everyone with respect, sensitivity, and compassion. I will tailor our dialog and treatment plan to meet your unique and specific needs. It takes courage to seek out a more fulfilling and happier life and to take the first steps towards a change. I am here to support & empower you in that journey.

I am licensed in New York and Florida and have been a psychologist for 40 years. I have experience in helping patients with stress and anxiety, LGBTQ+ related issues, coping with grief, loss, & depression. I believe in treating everyone with respect, sensitivity, and compassion. It takes courage to begin therapy in order to seek out a more fulfilling and happier life and to take the first steps toward change. I am here to support & empower you in that journey. I am to provide each patient with a safe and nonjudgmental place to explore their issues, change their perceptions and create a repertoire of healthy and productive behaviors.

I am licensed in New York and Connecticut with 30 years of professional work experience. I am a LCSW-R and a CASAC(Certified Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselor). I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, relationship issues, trauma and abuse, motivation, self-esteem, and confidence. I believe in treating everyone with respect, sensitivity, and compassion. I will tailor our dialog and treatment plan to meet your unique and specific needs. Taking the first step to sign up for therapy can take courage and I am proud of you for getting started!

I am licensed in Florida. Virginia, Washington DC, Oregon, and New York with over 20 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping adult clients cope with and manage stress and anxiety, and a range of many other co-occurring disorders. I have helped clients coping with addictions, grief and loss, improving motivation, self-esteem, and confidence. I have a good working and interactive experience with my clients to create an open and safe environment where their thoughts and feelings can be shared without fear of judgment. It takes courage to seek out a more fulfilling and happier life and to take the first steps towards a change. I am here to support & empower you in that journey.

As a licensed therapist in New York, I specialize in supporting individuals through complex emotional landscapes. My approach is deeply compassionate and tailored to each person's unique journey. I have extensive experience helping clients navigate challenges related to depression, anxiety, stress, self-esteem, and interpersonal dynamics. My therapeutic work centers on creating a supportive environment where individuals can explore difficult emotions, heal from past experiences, and develop stronger coping strategies. I'm particularly passionate about working with clients facing life transitions, relationship challenges, and personal growth opportunities. Drawing from evidence-based practices, I offer holistic support across a wide range of concerns—from mood disorders and trauma recovery to life purpose exploration and communication skills. My goal is to empower clients, helping them build resilience, self-understanding, and meaningful connections in their lives. I approach each therapeutic relationship with genuine empathy, respect, and a commitment to supporting your individual path toward healing and personal transformation.

As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with over 15 years of experience, I offer a compassionate and supportive space for both adults and children navigating emotional and behavioral challenges. My approach is client-centered, culturally sensitive, and rooted in building trust and connection. I specialize in supporting individuals through anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship struggles, life transitions, and low self-esteem. When working with children, I incorporate age-appropriate techniques to help them express themselves, build emotional awareness, and develop healthy coping skills—often involving caregivers as active partners in the process. Whether you're seeking therapy for yourself or your child, my goal is to create a space where healing, growth, and self-discovery can take place. I believe that meaningful change begins with feeling seen, heard, and understood—and I’m honored to walk alongside you on that journey.

I am licensed in New York and bring over 11 years of professional experience as a therapist. I earned my graduate degree from New York University (NYU), where I received a strong foundation in clinical social work and evidence-based therapeutic practices. Over the years, I’ve had the honor of working with a wide range of individuals facing challenges such as stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, career difficulties, and adjusting to major life changes. I also had the meaningful experience of working with World Trade Center (WTC) first responders through the FDNY, which deepened my understanding of trauma, resilience, and the unique mental health needs of those in high-stress professions. I believe in treating everyone with respect, sensitivity, and compassion. My approach is personalized and collaborative—I tailor our dialogue and treatment plan to reflect your unique needs, values, and goals. I draw from a range of evidence-based interventions, including: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – to help challenge and reframe unhelpful thoughts Solution-Focused Therapy – to set meaningful goals and focus on your strengths Trauma-Informed Care – to support healing in a safe, grounded way Mindfulness-Based Strategies – to improve emotional regulation and self-awareness Narrative Therapy – to help reshape the stories we tell about ourselves Person-Centered Therapy – to foster autonomy, empowerment, and unconditional support It takes courage to reach out and begin the process of change. Whether you're feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or simply looking for deeper self-understanding, I’m here to support and empower you on your journey toward a more fulfilling life.

I am a LCSW licensed in in Minnesota, New Jersey, New York and North Carolina with over 10 years of experience working in clinical practice. I work with clients who experience a wide range of symptoms and concerns, including depression, anxiety, relationship issues, parenting problems, career challenges, OCD, and Trauma. My therapy style is trauma informed, warm and interactive. I believe in treating everyone with respect, sensitivity, and compassion, and I don't believe in stigmatizing labels. My approach combines EMDR, ERP, cognitive-behavioral, humanistic and psychodynamic. I will tailor our dialog and treatment plan to meet your unique and specific needs. It takes courage to seek a more fulfilling and happier life and to take the first steps towards change. If you are ready to take that step, I am here to support and empower you. I look forward to working with you!