Welcome To AK Psychotherapy!

Virtual Online Therapy

  • Relational Trauma

  • PTSD & Complex-PTSD

  • Anxiety & Burn Out

  • Codependency In Relationships

  • Depression & ADHD

  • People Pleasing & Perfectionism

  • Disordered Eating & Body Image

  • Alcohol Use & Sober Curiosity

AND: Teens & Young Adults Facing Anxiety And School/Social Avoidance, Depression, Self-Harm,
Low Self-Esteem, Disordered Eating, And ADHD.

Teens, Young Adults, & Adults

Alyssa Kushner, LCSW
Licensed Clinical Social Worker/Therapist

Approaches: Relational, Holistic,
& Trauma-Informed

Modalities: EMDR, Somatic, Mindfulness-Based, & Integrative (pulls from variety according to needs)

Will incorporate DBT skills
& CBT if/when needed

Licensed in New York (NY),
New Jersey (NJ), Washington (DC)
& Maryland (MD)

Hi! Thank you for being here.

My name is Alyssa and I am an LCSW based in NY. I provide online integrative virtual therapy to teens, young adults, and adults in NY, NJ, DC & MD.

I am passionate about supporting my clients learn about the root cause of their patterns to heal from the past, while also developing new helpful ways to manage emotions, change behaviors, and overcome challenges in the present. I will empower you to become your most confident and authentic self along with creating healthier relationships with others.

I will always prioritize creating a comfortable, safe, and supportive space and build the relationship and trust between us first before diving in. I believe that one size doesn’t fit all with therapy approaches, so depending on your needs we can collaborate to individualize your treatment plan together pulling from various approaches I use.

I will be there to listen, to validate, and to hear you and I also offer feedback, guidance, accountability, and strategies to make meaningful change.

I welcome all ages, races, sexualities, gender expressions, nationalities, abilities, and body sizes. Please know I am LGBTQIA+ affirming.

I would love to get to know you, your needs, and discuss together if we are a good fit!

*If you are located in NYC, I do go to an office space in the city monthly and can incorporate a hybrid model.

  • I am relational in nature meaning I will always prioritize our relationship and show up as human first with authenticity. I take a holistic and trauma informed lens, meaning I take a holistic approach to mental health and well-being and believe therapy means looking at the whole self; mind-body-soul (emotional, mental, social, spiritual, physical, environment, etc). I will always take a trauma-informed lens making sure there is safety and bottom based approaches first looking at how past trauma may have impacted you and center around nervous system regulation before diving into details.

  • I am trained in EMDR, mindfulness-based approaches, somatic exercises, and DBT skills and like to integrate from various approaches depending on your needs. I do talk therapy and will also bring in these experiential exercises, help you connect mind-body, and teach tools to regulate emotions and cope with stressors. If you are interested in learning about the neuroscience, I often incorporate polyvagal theory.

  • 50 minutes where we will explore what is going on for you or focus on the goals we set for therapy together. I will be there to create an open and safe space to hear you, listen, validate, leave you feel understood, heard and seen. I will also compassionately challenge you, hold you accountable, give feedback and guidance, and bring in tools/strategies to make meaningful changes. We will end with setting intentions for the upcoming week and make sure you are integrating what we discuss outside of sessions. I am open to suggestions, feedback, and regularly check to make sure we are meeting your needs. Sessions will also feel fun, it’s not always focusing on the hard stuff - we will laugh, focus on your strengths, and celebrate wins together.

  • I live in NYC and can work with anyone living in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Washington DC. I am currently mostly fully virtual, however I do go into an office space in Tribeca if you are interested in meeting in-person monthly and keep a hybrid model.

  • My specialties include relational trauma, c-ptsd and ptsd, anxiety and anxiety disorders, burn out, depression, codependency in relationships, people pleasing tendencies, perfectionism, alcohol use and sober curiosity.

    Other main focus areas I work with: ADHD, disordered eating, body image, self esteem, self-harm.

    I work with teens, young adults, and adults.

  • I received my MSW from NYU in 2018, before that I received my BA in Psychology at Rutgers University.

    I spent my last few jobs working in PHP & IOP Settings (for teens & young adults) as well as several years in group private practice. All providing individual, family, and group therapy, clinical coaching, clinical supervision, and parent support.

    In addition to my private practice, I am a clinical supervisor to others therapists and create & run groups.

Together we will:

  • Heal your trauma responses and manage anxiety

  • Improve your ability to regulate your emotions and cope with stressors

  • Build internal self-worth

  • Understand what patterns are no longer serving you

  • Create trust in yourself & confidence

  • Change the inner critic to self-compassion

  • Process any emotions and experiences that have been stored and improve overall mood

  • Develop assertiveness skills and say no without anxiety or guilt

  • Face interpersonal challenges & learn to set boundaries and speak up

  • Decrease burn out & increase self-care practices

  • Release shame & unhelpful guilt

  • Replace people pleasing with authenticity learning to identify and express your needs

  • Shift relationship inequalities to more stable, healthy, and mutual ones

  • Begin to support others without taking on their problems and neglecting yourself in the process

  • Build a life that doesn’t have to rely on alcohol to cope or enjoy yourself

  • Learn the mindfulness skills to mindfully eat and learn how to listen to your body

Are you a teen, young adult, or adult looking for support with:

  • Feeling overwhelmed by big emotions and never ending stressors

  • Unhealed trauma that impacts your current relationships and how you view yourself

  • Anxiety, worst case thinking, ruminating, and indecisiveness

  • Fight-flight-freeze-fawn as default

  • Saying yes when you mean no, speaking up assertively, and boundary challenges

  • Feeling chronic guilt & shame

  • Burn out or resentment because you are fixing everyone else’s problems and neglecting your own

  • A harsh inner critic, self-doubt, and shame

  • Perfectionism and self-imposed high pressure/expectations

  • Being unsure of what your needs are or how to get them met in healthy ways

  • Feeling confident, good enough, and worthy

  • Living for others approval or for helping others

  • Struggling to ask for support or share that you are not always okay

  • Using alcohol as a way to cope, numb, or have fun

  • Using food and exercise as a way to self-soothe, seek control, or overly critical of your body image

Click here to learn more about me, what to expect in therapy, and about my professional background.

I would love to learn more about you, your needs and hopes for therapy, to share more about my practice, and to answer any of your questions.

To determine whether we are a good fit, schedule a free 15 minute phone call now!

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 FAQs

  • Currently I am fully virtual and provide video sessions via a secure platform. I can also provide phone calls. Sessions are 50 minutes long.

  • I am located in NYC! In addition to NY, I also provide telehealth to anyone living in New Jersey, Maryland, and Washington DC.

  • No, I am not in-network with any insurances. However, I am an out-of-network provider which means it is self pay and then I can provide you with superbills (detailed receipts) for insurance reimbursement. If you are unsure whether you get those benefits, check here. My fees range from $210-250 per 50 minute session depending on several factors. If you are unable to afford, please let me know and we can discuss. I often have sliding scale options available.

  • I offer free 15 minute phone consultation calls to see if its a good fit for both of us! You can either email me at alyssakushnerlcsw@gmail.com or schedule directly here. Please include your name, age, location, a little bit about why you are seeking therapy. If you need a time not listed, please email me and I can accommodate. I look foward to chatting!

  • I see teens as young as 12, young adults, and adults of all ages. With teens, I will also make parent coaching and support part of the treatment plan.

  • I provide individual, group, and family therapy. I also provide clinical or parent coaching. Separately, for other services like sober coaching or clinical consultation, please speak with me.

  • I am a trained LCSW psychotherapist, I received my Masters of Social Work from NYU in 2018. I bring a relational, trauma and somatic, holistic and compassionate lens. I am trained in EMDR, DBT, mindfulness based approaches, and somatic therapies. I can also pull from CBT if needed! I am talk therapy based but bring in mind-body connection and exercises. I work collaboratively and integrate different approaches to individualize treatment needs.

  • In order for therapy to be effective and for me to get to know you - therapy requires a consistent frequency. I recommend starting weekly, though can accommodate for twice a week or bi-weekly (every other) depending on clinical need after discussion. After therapy goals have been met, we can drop in frequency over time with a minimum of monthly sessions. In terms of longevity - this completely depends! I do work long term so the therapy process can last anywhere from 3-6 months to years! If you are looking for shorter term work like EMDR specifically or mostly skills based work, I'm happy to accommodate if clinically appropriate.

  • Individual Therapy

    50 minute virtual therapy sessions to heal from trauma, understand the root cause of mental health challenges, and develop the tools to overcome present day challenges. Leave feeling understood, empowered, and lighter. Become your most authentic, confident self and learn how to prioritize your own needs. Schedule a free phone consultation to see if we are a good fit here.

  • Support Groups

    Feel less alone, gain feedback, support, and insight from group members, and develop in-depth awareness into specific topics and challenges. Learn the tools, strategies, and skills to change behavior. Learn more here.

  • Supervision

    Explore your clinical cases, discuss countertransference, break imposter syndrome, and better understand yourself and your clients. Leave feeling supported, with a guided plan for next steps, and empowered to be the best therapist you can be. Email me if interested.

  • Blogs

    Learn more about the various mental health challenges, specialties, and practices I work most with. Understand tips and tools for healing. Check out all my blogs here.