SPECIALIZATIONS

Anxiety •  Relationships & Attachment • Reproductive & Maternal (PMADs) & Parenting • Hormones (PCOS, PMDD, Perimenopause) • Adolescent Therapy • Couples Therapy

A note about working with us:

All of our therapists at The Centered Space are clinical psychologists, having attained a doctoral degree in psychology. In the course of earning their degrees, psychologists receive 6-8 years of intensive training, providing therapy and receiving supervision, education, mentoring and supervision of their work. After graduation as a psychologist, continued training, consultation, and therapy supervision may be serve to further broaden and deepen our understanding of the issues concerning the clients we serve. Our Psychologists have been trained in curriculums affirming of marginalized cultures and identities and we continue to seek out training on these topics as a part of ongoing improvements in our knowledge base. Our therapists are allied with marginalized populations and POC. Our practice is LGBTQ+ and HAES affirming.

Therapy for Reproductive, Maternal mental health (PMADs) & Parenting

At The Centered Space, we specialize in comprehensive assessment and therapy for reproductive and perinatal mental health issues. This includes therapy for:

• decisions about whether or not you want to get pregnant

• emotional support during fertility treatments (IVF, egg freezing, etc.)

• matrescence education, the process of becoming a mother

• postpartum anxiety, postpartum depression, postpartum OCD

• relationship/couples concerns

• parenting strategies

• birth trauma

• grief related to losses, miscarriage, birthing experience

• pregnancy loss (miscarriage, TFMR, stillbirth, infant death)

• infertility

All of our psychologists have received specialized training and supervision on maternal mental health and reproductive mental health. Some psychologists hold certifications through Postpartum Support International, The Postpartum Stress Center & the Seleni Institute.

Therapy for Anxiety

Anxiety serves a purpose in our lives, but over time we may build up patterns of responding to anxiety that are unhealthy or even harmful. Anxiety can build over time and can get in the way of things that make life meaningful. We specialize in treating anxiety including:

• Generalized Anxiety

• Relationship anxiety

• Perfectionism

• Fear of flying/turbulence

• Health anxiety

• OCD

• Obsessional thinking

Therapy for Relationships & Attachment

Relationships are an integral part of our lives and as humans we have an innate need for connection. At the same time, relationships are often a source of intense pain, fear, and stress. Your own parents may not have been what you needed them to be. Everyone’s relational patterns are different and through an exploration of your own comfort and relationship needs and their origins, we may identify old patterns that cause harm and places to create boundaries so that you can feel safe and enjoy relationships fully. Our couples therapists are trained in dynamic and CBT techniques including dynamic, EFT (emotion focused therapy), IFS (internal family systems) and attachment theory. We work with different attachment styles, attachment wounds, and personality disorders.

We provide mental health therapy for the following:

• couples therapy

• pre-marital counseling / pre-milestone counseling

• interpersonal conflicts and difficult relationships

• challenging peer dynamics

• teen/parent conflicts

• intergenerational trauma

• heartbreak

• inner child work

• creating new relationship patterns that are in line with your values

Women’s Hormones & Mental Health Therapy

Perinatal Therapy in NYC

Nurture yourself before, during, & after pregnancy and parenthood

What is Perinatal Therapy?

We are here to change your perspective on what the journey to parenthood is really like and what your real needs are during the time from pregnancy to after delivery. Perinatal therapy is a specialized branch of therapy that focuses on your health and emotional well-being from the moment you first consider whether or not to have children through the rest of your life (not just during pregnancy and the postpartum period). This specialized therapy is informed by the unique challenges, opportunities, and mental health issues that can arise during this time of immense transition. Perinatal mental health is a time of great change and opportunity, as well as challenges which can including perinatal depression, anxiety, relationship difficulties, and the adjustment to parenthood. We recognize that the perinatal period is a unique time of developmental change, with opportunities for growth, resilience, and self-realization that may have never been possible in your previous stages of life. Our perinatal therapists are trained in the evidence-based assessment, education, and treatment of these reproductive and perinatal mental health concerns.

Our goal is to provide a safe and nurturing space where each individual feels valued and respected on their unique journey towards mental wellness. We want you to step into your new role with more self-understanding, compassion, and genuineness and will teach you how to do this (it’s ok if you are skeptical!) Becoming better aware of your own thoughts, feelings and needs will help you to become a more understanding parent who raises resilient kids. In fact, studies show that parental interventions improve early childhood development in the realms of cognitive functioning, language and motor development, among others (1, 2). We know that this is a sensitive and ripe time during which support, guidance, and interventions can help parents to navigate these challenges and promote not only their own mental health, but the wellbeing of their children also.

What is Matrescence?

A paradigm shift is taking place regarding how we understand motherhood, and here at The Centered Space, our psychologists and therapists are at the forefront of educating and supporting people on this topic. Matrescence is the process of becoming a mother, which involves developmental changes across many domains of life including biological, neurological, economic, ecological, spiritual, and others (3). Matrescence may begin from the first moment a pregnancy is even considered, and does not have a known end, it is individual for each being. Matrescence is a natural process encompassing huge changes in identity, family roles, functional and structural changes in the brain (4), and new needs for resources and support. Rather than seeing the postpartum time as dangerous and dysfunctional, we understand that many common challenges are neuro-biologically driven and simply need educational awareness, understanding, and support in order to find a new normal for each individual. The truth is, postpartum anxiety, depression, and OCD are highly treatable and tend to improve over time with the proper support. Our society has forgotten how to hold and accommodate new parents and the changes that are a natural part of this huge developmental shift for the parents, but with an understanding of matrescence you will learn to make more space for yourself, to get the support you need, and to treat any symptoms that get in the way of living life meaningfully.

Selected References

(1) Jeong, J., Franchett, E. E., Ramos de Oliveira, C. V., Rehmani, K., & Yousafzai, A. K. (2021). Parenting interventions to promote early child development in the first three years of life: A global systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS medicine, 18(5), e1003602. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003602

(2) Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Rudolph, J., Kerin, J., & Bohadana-Brown, G. (2022). Parent emotional regulation: A meta-analytic review of its association with parenting and child adjustment. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 46(1), 63-82. https://doi.org/10.1177/01650254211051086

(3) Athan, A. M. (2024). A critical need for the concept of matrescence in perinatal psychiatry. Frontiers in Psychiatry 15:1364845. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1364845

(4) Orchard, E. R. et. al. (2022). Matrescence: Lifetime impact of motherhood on cognition and the brain. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 27(3), 302-316. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2023.06.002

We are clinically trained to Collaborate with other medical and therapeutic providers on your team

INDIVIDUAL AND COUPLES SESSIONS AVAILABLE IN-PERSON (UNION SQUARE)

BILINGUAL SESSIONS AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH and/or SPANISH

REDUCED FEE SESSIONS may be AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST