Therapists Beginning With W in New York

Life presents many challenges that can result in feeling stressed, anxious, overwhelmed, or full of despair. When it feels like a burden too difficult to bear, it helps to find someone who can provide support and tools to help empower change. My mission is to help others learn how to tap into their inner strengths and resources to help them achieve their goals and improve their quality of daily living. My passion is working with adolescents and young adults navigating life transitions and struggling with anxiety and depression, particularly related to emerging adulthood issues or interpersonal challenges with peers and family.

Reaching out for help can often be the hardest step when struggling emotionally. Finding a therapist that is the best fit for you can be just as challenging. I specialize in helping clients develop coping strategies to manage and overcome obstacles in their lives. I have a compassionate, person-centered approach that is customized to meet your needs in the most effective way. If you or your family member are in need of emotional support I am here to help you find the tools you need to navigate through this difficult time in your life and provide strategies to manage any future obstacles that may arise.

Seeking help is not always easy, but I have found that most patients end up feeling relieved and more optimistic once they have taken that first step. As a therapist, I try my best to make you feel comfortable and understood. I work in a supportive, interactive, and collaborative manner and it is my goal to help you develop tools, right from the start, to help you manage your situation as we continue to get to know one another. I have over 15-years experience working with adults, adolescents and young families with a variety of concerns including anxiety, depression, difficult transitions, stress, and parenting challenges.

Find the support you deserve with a compassionate therapist who prioritizes your unique needs and personal well-being, no matter what beings you therapy. I focus on fostering growth and cultivating positive change with every client I see, by helping you to better understand yourself and by working together to develop new ways to cope with life stressors. I use a client-centered, insight-oriented approach to explore your unique internal world and individual identities, and to delve into the life experiences that have shaped who you are today.

Anxiety, depression, Covid-19, concerns about the future, financial worries, children, aging parents, climate change…our world is full of uncertainty and asking for help reveals strength, not weakness. I am a New York state licensed clinical psychologist who will work with you in an empathic, collaborative environment to help you feel less overwhelmed by the issues that consume you. Using a directive, cognitive behavioral approach, I will help you create a “toolbox” so that you are better able to cope with feelings that inudate and paralyze you.

Melissa Wacks, LCSW is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 20 years experience specializing in individuals in the arts and young adults.

I am a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in working with adults from a mindfulness based perspective. I believe that therapy can help you make meaning of pain, struggle and confusion in order to let go of suffering and find purpose in all the phases of life. Every moment of pain presents an opportunity for growth into deeper self-awareness, enhanced relationship intimacy and life fulfillment. I integrate concepts from psychodynamic, internal family systems, cognitive behavioral therapy and the major meditative traditions to address your individual needs.

As we move through the journey of life, new transitions can be difficult and confusing. Perhaps you need to reinvent yourself to face new challenges."Sometimes... you just need someone to talk to..."

We’ve all felt stuck, trapped, alone at some point in our lives. Whether you’re here because of a loss, change in health, parenting struggles, anxiety, depression, stress, or just looking to feel more fulfilled in life, I thank you for taking that first step. It wasn’t easy getting here, but you’re here and you’re ready to make a change. You have inside, the ability to re-build, to move away from the old way of thinking – those old stories – that are not your words, and to create new connections.

Hello, and welcome! Please, come on in and take a seat in my virtual office. I want to begin by applauding you for recognizing the areas in your life that may not be aligning with your vision and for taking the courageous steps to initiate change. Whether you're navigating a significant life transition, managing neurodivergence, dealing with trauma, facing LGBTQIA-related challenges, or even experiencing all of the above, please know that you are not alone in your journey. My goal is to help you navigate the unique obstacles that can arise from living in a society that may not always provide the support you need.

My therapy practice is currently full. I am not accepting new therapy patients. Please feel free to contact me to be added to my Waitlist. I am accepting new psychological assessment patients. I am a Licensed Psychologist in New York State offering in-person appointments for evaluations. I provide psychological assessment to adults and children for concerns including Learning Disability, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, and Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Life presents with numerous challenges. As children, teens, and young adults are learning about themselves and the world, seeking support to navigate life's stressors can assist in creating a happy and fulfilling life. I utilize an empathetic and active therapeutic approach. I work with client's to identify their core values and establish meaningful life goals. We will discuss your life events while generating thought and behavioral strategies to cope with current and future life stressors.

I am happy to announce I am accepting new clients as of January 1, 2024! I truly believe we all have an inner light in us that longs to shine. My approach to therapy is very solution focused and I am known for meeting my clients where they are, not where I want them to be. If you are considering therapy for the first or the tenth time, I invite you to reach out for a consult and we will get it figured out together.

A satisfying life requires a balance between how much attention we pay to the external world (work, relationships, etc.) and the extent to which we attend to our internal, emotional world. This can be challenging because our culture favors focusing on external stimulus (relationship status, satisfying societal expectations, getting a job promotion, comparing our lives to Instagram highlight reels) over our vast internal worlds. It’s almost by design that we spend so much time focusing outside ourselves!

Throughout life we all face challenges. Whether it's life circumstances, unexpected or anticipated stress, traumatic events and loss, internal or relationship conflict, social or medical stressors, emotional pain and sadness, low self-worth, or family conflict, seeking help is a step towards feeling happier and at peace. Although we don't always have control of the events in our lives, we can choose how to handle them. I offer counseling services for children, tweens, adolescents, and adults.

My passion is treating severe OCD and anxiety. My clients joke that I am "not a talk therapist, but a 'do' therapist," as sessions are often very active and skills focused. I provide evidence-based treatments (methods proven by research to be more effective than general talk therapy), as my goal is to help people get results as soon as possible. In addition to providing therapy I am the founding director of two Western NY based clinics: Genesee Valley Psychology and Meridian Psychology Practice. I am also affiliated with the University of Rochester Medical Center and McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School.

Psychotherapists like to think of themselves as insightful and caring. Their clients are likely to have all sorts of impressions. So it goes. Successful therapy can emerge, not through platitudes, but the achievement of mutual understanding and faith in the process. I would probably be best described as a non-dogmatic relational psychoanalyst, with extensive training in a wide variety of modalities. I have the privilege of being a graduate and member of the National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis (NPAP) & supervisor/ faculty member at Washington Square Institute. I am also on the Board of Trustees and Training Committee at the Harlem Family Institute.

I believe that a trusting therapist-patient relationship is key to helping you achieve the growth and change you are looking for. Success in therapy occurs when you learn more about yourself, your thoughts, and your feelings. I aim to facilitate this process through an active, empathic, non-judgmental approach. We will work together to identify your own unique goals for therapy, help you access and use your individual strengths, and navigate the challenges that might be getting in your way.

I specialize in trauma, depression and anxiety in young adults and adults specifically experiencing difficulty with life transitions (going to college, new job, divorce, having children, death of a loved one etc). As most people can relate, we all have felt sadness, overworked, overwhelmed and all other emotions that come with everyday stress (especially during this pandemic). Sometimes our emotions can be too much to handle on our own.