New York City
(Virtual therapy in NY, NJ, DC, & MD)
Therapy to Heal from Anxiety, Trauma, People-Pleasing, and the Pressure to Be Everything to Everyone
Deeper support for those ready to stop overthinking, overgiving, overfunctioning, and overriding their own needs.
You feel stuck in patterns of over-thinking, over-giving, and putting everyone else first so you are left feeling exhausted.
You constantly put other peoples needs before your own, struggle to say no, and overanalyze every interaction. It’s exhausting, and deep down, you’re craving permission to finally choose yourself.
You appear “put together” - always achieving and doing - but underneath, you’re battling burnout, low self-esteem, and a constant sense that you’re never doing enough. Rest feels like a luxury you haven’t earned.
You may find yourself in one-sided relationships, constantly feeling responsible for other people’s emotions, moods, and fixing their problems. You want to learn how to attend to your needs and practice self-compassion, but you don’t know where to start.
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You may be caught in cycles of big reactive emotions, feeling exhausted, constantly over-thinking with urgency, and always on high alert for something to go wrong.
You scan peoples tones/body language to see if they’re mad at you. You expect the worst will happen and struggle to trust that things will be okay.
You replay conversations, fear rejection, experience relentless self-doubt, and feel responsible for how everyone around you feels.
It’s tiring and you don’t know how to just be without scanning for danger or performing for approval.
Why?
Trauma, chronic stress, attachment wounds, and unmet needs can keep your nervous system in fight-flight-freeze-fawn 24-7.
If you are ready to stop living in survival mode, trauma and nervous system therapy is for likely for you! I like to go deeper than traditional talk therapy and incorporate the body and nervous system so you can actually make changes, not just talk about it.
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You’ve built a life that looks good on the outside - but inside, you’re always bracing. You’re always people pleasing. Always putting everyone else first. Always feeling responsible for others.
You don’t fully trust yourself, your emotions, or your relationships. You might feel anxious, avoidant, or like you’re on autopilot through life.
Deep down, you’re longing for safety, connection, and a way back to yourself.
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You’ve tried talk therapy before, but it didn’t stick or you haven’t truly connected with your therapist. You found yourself aware of some patterns, but nothing changing.
You are ready for the right connection with a therapist who deeply gets you and participates in the convo too. You want an actual plan to address what is going on and heal the patterns to make lasting long term change.
This is the type of therapy I provide, I will be there as an active participant! We will co-create a plan to address whats going on.
We will get to the root, go deep, and also discover what tools are needed to make change outside of just the therapy room.
If you also want to incorporate your body, your nervous system, or try EMDR: learn more about my holistic approach here
Hi! Im Alyssa
I look forward to getting to know you and connecting!
I am a relational trauma therapist passionate about helping adults who feel stuck in cycles of anxiety, people pleasing, big feelings, and self-doubt finally feel safe being themselves!
I work with clients who are outwardly successful and high achieving but inwardly overwhelmed - those who have spent years taking care of everyone else, overthinking every decision, and second guessing their worth. If you’re craving deeper healing, a more compassionate relationship with yourself, and balanced healthier relationships with others - I’d be honored to support!
I take a tailored approach to therapy which blends trauma-informed practices (attachment-focused, somatic, nervous system support) WITH talk therapy. Basically, I like to go deep and support identifying root cause and then bring in the strategies your nervous system, mind, and body actually need to shift patterns (not just talk about it).
Ultimately - I will always prioritize creating a comfortable, safe, and supportive space and build a REAL authentic relationship and trust between us first before diving in.
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 do not just smile and nod or stare at you, this will be a two way conversation! And if you want to be lovingingly challenged - I got you.
I believe that one size doesn’t fit all with those therapy approaches, so depending on your needs we can collaborate to individualize your treatment plan together to meet your needs.
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 together! I’m excited to get to know you!
How I can help
I specialize in holistic and nervous system based therapy for deeper change.
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You might feel anxious in relationships, fear abandonment or rejection, or constantly question if you're "too much" and/or "not enough."
Maybe you shut down completely to avoid getting hurt and struggle to trust people - or find yourself stuck in push-pull dynamics that leave you emotionally drained.
These patterns often stem from early attachment wounds, unmet needs, emotionally immature parenting, or relational trauma.
Some examples of where this comes from:
-Taking on adult like roles and having to care-take or support at a young age
-Emotional neglect or abuse
-Being chronically invalidated or gaslit
-Having emotionally immature parents or caregivers that were inconsistent and not always able to meet your needs
-Witnessing a caregiver with extreme mental health or substance use challenges
-Unpredictable caregiving or a parent/partner/sibling with severe mood shifts or anger outbursts
-Lack of boundaries in the family system
-Betrayal from parents or partnersI help clients understand where these cycles come from and how to begin healing them.
Together, we’ll work toward building more secure, grounded, and authentic connections - starting with the relationship you have with yourself.
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If your nervous system is always on overdrive - over-thinking, over-planning, over-performing, over-extending - it’s no wonder you feel exhausted!
Anxiety can look like worrying, ruminating and replaying convos over and over, indecisiveness, expecting the worst case, and feeling irritable.It can also show up physically like feeling nauseous, constant headaches, panic, impending doom, a pit in your stomach, or tightness in the chest.
I support clients in managing chronic anxiety, stress, and overwhelm, understanding emotional triggers, and shifting out of fight-flight responses.
Together, we’ll help your system feel safe enough to slow down, so you can move from survival mode and a state of urgency and stress into grounded calm. -
You might be the one everyone relies on - the caregiver, the peacekeeper, the therapist or mom friend, the helper who always puts others first.
You say yes when you mean no, neglect your own needs, and feel like you have to earn your worth.
Underneath all of that? Exhaustion, resentment, and a deep fear that if you stop doing and pleasing, you wont be liked or accepted. You’ll lose connection. You’ll feel that anxiety provoking guilt.
These are often protective strategies developed in response to:Being taught love/acceptance was conditional and earned or proved
Emotional neglect or chronic invalidation
Constant criticism
Chaotic households and unpredictable caregivers
Emotionally immature parents or family members with mental health challenges (including narcissism)
Having to take on adult roles too early
Lack of boundaries in the family
In therapy, we’ll explore the roots of these patterns and the narratives keeping you stuck in cycles of guilt, burnout, and self-abandonment - and we’ll begin to rewrite them together.
Learn more about people pleasing, codependency, and perfectionism therapy here!
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If you feel numb, disconnected, or like you're just going through the motions - that’s not you being lazy or unmotivated.
It’s often your nervous system in a functional freeze response, trying to protect you from overwhelm or past trauma. Whether it shows up as emotional flatness, burnout, or a deep sense of disconnection, you don’t have to stay stuck.
Through a blend of somatic therapy, EMDR, and/or mindful self-compassion, I help clients gently reconnect to their emotions, find relief from shutdown, and begin to feel again - safely and at their own pace.Learn more about depression, burn out, and therapy for functional freeze here!
How it works
Finding a therapist is overwhelming enough. Let me make this part as effortless as possible.
Click this link to choose a day and time for a free, confidential 15 minute phone consultation. I will take the time to get to know you and your therapy needs, answer questions you may have for me, and together we can determine if we are the right fit to get started.
I’m Also here to help with…
ADHD
High Functioning Codependency
Insecure Attachment Styles
People Pleasing
Perfectionism
Disordered Eating Patterns
Alcohol Use & Sober Curiosity
Trauma, PTSD, C-PTSD
Anxiety & Overwhelm
Depression & Burn Out
Relationship Difficulties
Life Changes & Transitions
Self-Esteem & Self-Trust
Learn about my services
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I offer online virtual therapy for adults in New York, New Jersey, DC, and Maryland navigating anxiety, people-pleasing, codependency, relational trauma, c-ptsd, perfectionism, and burn out.
Whether you're constantly overthinking, feel stuck in guilt, or never feel “good enough,” therapy can help you reconnect to your needs, your boundaries, and your sense of self.
My approach is about going deep, being real, trying to really see and hear you, AND challenging and giving you feedback when needed. I’m human too and I think its important for us to have a two way convo - so don’t worry - I wont just stare and nod at you.Modality wise this is tailored to you - I use a blend of trauma-informed nervous system practices to meet you needs.
Always attachment focused and holistic and depending on what were working on I will bring in EMDR, somatic practices, and mindful self-compassion skills to support real, lasting change.
I do offer a hybrid model of therapy in NYC for those who want to come in person once a month. Otherwise, fully virtual.
Learn more about my therapy approach here!Learn more about EMDR therapy here
Learn more about holistic, somatic, nervous system modalities here
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Need more than what weekly therapy offers or feel like 50 minutes isn’t enough?
Intensives are a powerful option for those ready to dig deep and create meaningful change - in an accelerated way.
These EMDR and extended sessions are designed to help you move through stuck points, process trauma, and gain clarity around patterns that are keeping you overwhelmed, anxious, or disconnected.
Whether you’re navigating stored trauma, anxiety, people pleasing, a disconnect from yourself, or a stressful event, intensives provide a focused, supportive space for deeper healing.
Ideal for high-functioning adults who are insightful and self-aware - but still feel stuck.
✨ What’s included: a personalized pre-intensive assessment, questionnaire, a 75-90 minute intake session for history taking and goal setting, the 3-4 hr session(s), custom post-session workbook, and follow-up integration session, plus support to help you stay grounded and implement what you’ve uncovered. Additional hours or days will be discussed as one day is usually not enough.In-person therapy intensives offered in NYC and online intensives offered in NY, NJ, DC, & MD.
Lean more about therapy intensives here
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Support groups are a powerful space for anyone who wants to feel less alone in their healing!
In my groups, you get guidance from a trauma-informed therapist and the peer support of being in a room with people who get it.
We explore patterns like people-pleasing, anxiety, perfectionism, codependency, and relational trauma while practicing boundaries, self-trust, and nervous system regulation together.
These groups offer connection, accountability, learning, support, and community - all the things that help you feel less overwhelmed and more supported in your work.
Current Support Groups:
Codependency & Healthy Relationships Support Group
For women in their 30s-50s looking for a long term relational group to work on breaking free from codependent patterns and improving their relationships with others and themselves.
Wednesdays from 4-5:15 pm est via zoom
Womens Relational Trauma, Anxiety, and Self Trust Support Group
For women in their 30s and 40s newly learning that they people please, put everyone else first, struggle with anxiety, and wanting to learn how to trust themselves and take better care of themselves!
Tuesdays from 4:30 - 5:45 pm est via zoom
Women’s Therapist Support & Consultation Group
For female therapists looking for support personally, professional, and in their business!
Thursdays 10 - 11:15 am est for 12 weeks
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Being a therapist is one of the most rewarding and beautiful, yet challenging jobs. To hold space for your clients going through life, while also navigating our own humanness is tricky.
It’s extremely important to have your own support system and make sure you are being taken care of too.
Here are my offerings for mental health professionals:
Clinical Supervision
Business Growth Consultation
Marketing Strategy Consultation
Therapist Support & Consultation Group
I provide clinical supervision and business consultation for therapists who want to feel more confident in their clinical work and more intentional in how they build their businesses.In supervision, we dive into your cases, explore countertransference, strengthen your therapeutic voice, and make sure you’re practicing in a way that feels ethical, grounded, and aligned with who you are as a clinician. My role is to offer support, accountability, honest feedback, and a space where you can grow without burnout shaping the process.
We also focus on sustainability and work-life balance - because being a good therapist doesn’t mean abandoning your own needs.
Together we track the goals and intentions you came in with, and make sure you’re developing both your skills and your confidence.
I offer business coaching for therapists who want guidance around private practice building, niching, boundaries with clients, creating and running support groups or intensives, social media and content, SEO or other marketing strategies and how to do it all authentically and sustainably.
Whether you’re navigating your first steps in private practice or scaling into something bigger, I help you get clear, strategic, and aligned with what you actually want - without the urgency or overwhelm.
If you’re looking for support clinically, professionally, or as you grow your business, I’d love to work with you. Schedule your consultation session with me.
Background on me: I have been in the field for 10 years, received my MSW from NYU in 2018, and been a clinical supervisor to other therapists for several years now. I have worked in PHP/IOP, group practice, and private practice settings.
I have been full in my practice for a while and now offer additional ways to work with me like support groups, emdr intensives, and more. I am happy to share what did and din’t work for me - but ultimately we need to find what will work for YOU!
I wont just givbe you a list of marketing strategies, I will listen and learn about you first to figure out what feels like it aligns. Doing a million at once never works because it overwhelms you and leaves you feeling behind. I like to create a few foundational strategies that leaves you feeling good and motivated!
To learn more about my background, check out my about me page.
Featured On
I was featured on the Affirming Minds Podcast, where I shared insights on high-functioning codependency, fawning, parentification, enmeshment, and the challenges of always being the giver/doer. Listen to the episode below.
Affirming Minds Podcast - for mental health professionals you can get CE credits for listening. Use “ALYSSA” here.
