Focusing on just “changing your thoughts” is not only invalidating but also very limiting. At Authentically Living Psychological Services, we employ holistic, relational, philosophical, and strength-based approaches when working with clients struggling with grief, low self-esteem, existential anxiety and dread, and difficulty cultivating genuine relationships.
What even is holistic-based therapy?
Holistic therapy focuses on a person as a whole, taking into consideration a person’s environment, culture, views, and experiences. The approach often incorporates mindfulness-based practices, expressive modalities like art and muscle, and supplementation interventions, such as restorative yoga, meditation, or reiki. The approach can be helpful for those experiencing anxiety, grief, chronic illness, or depression, and for those wanting a more soulful connection with themselves or greater self-understanding and self-acceptance.
How can holistic therapy help?
1. Greater understanding of the whole being:
A holistic approach to therapy emphasizes the importance of developing a greater understanding of the whole being on a mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual level. Utilizing mindfulness and self-reflection, holistic therapy can aid in greater insight and personal growth.
2. Emphasis on the mind-body connection:
A holistic approach to therapy focuses on the importance of the mind-body connection. It can help to describe what’s happening in your body on a physiological level, aiding in the connection and overall awareness you have with your body.
3. Non-pathologizing view of the human condition:
A holistic approach to therapy is a non-pathologizing and individualized approach that focuses on the needs of each individual. Therapy is less geared towards diagnosis and centers more on self-compassion, openness, and self-acceptance.
4. Building tools to live a more balanced lifestyle:
A holistic approach to therapy provides tools and resources to help regulate your nervous system, practice groundedness, and live more mindfully and in the moment leading to greater satisfaction, balance, and inner harmony.
5. Addressing the meat and potatoes:
Cognitive approaches to therapy address issues on a strictly cognitive level. When used in isolation, these therapeutic approaches fail to incorporate depth work and address one’s lived experience toward the opportunity for changes, development, and healing.
Your Favorite Holistic Therapists
At Authentically Living Psychological Services, our therapists are holistically oriented, trained in trauma-informed care, mindfulness-based practices, and alternative therapies to support you on your journey of psychological wellness.
The Top 5 NYC Holistic Therapists and Therapy Centers
Jaclyn Paradise: IFS and Yoga
Ms. Jaclyn Paradise is our New Jersey based trauma and holistic therapist. She holds certifications and advanced training in trauma-informed care, mindfulness-based practices, internal family systems, and somatic therapies. Pulling from Eastern philosophies, such as energy work and chakra alignment, Jaclyn enjoys deep transformative processing, helping her clients reconnect with their authentic selves. She works well with those who have endured significant trauma, first responders, and military personnel. She also works well with young adults looking to improve confidence and relationships with themselves and others.
Jaclyn also runs a weekly trauma-informed virtual yoga group open to all levels and participants around the country. Interested in working with Jaclyn? Schedule a discovery call with her here.
Sapira Cahana: Spiritual and Phenomenological
Ms. Sapira Cahana is our New York based caregiver therapist. With a background in international development, justice, and hospice care, she specializes in working with those who have experienced trauma in the form of grief, chronic illness, disability and caregiver fatigue. Pulling from existential, phenomenological, and spiritual ideologies, Sapira focuses on meaning and the cultivation of deep relational work, taking into consideration a persons entire existence and lived experience.
Want to work with Sapira? Fill out her contact form:
Cynthia Shaw: Existential and Relational
Dr. Cynthia Shaw is our relational therapist. With additional training and certification in existentialism, grief, and psychosis, her humanness is at the fore of her clinical work. She enjoys working with deep thinkers, othered or those who feel lonely in the world, and with those experiencing waves of grief, dread, and disconnect. She creates a compassionate space for clients to explore the larger questions of existence, while also honoring their unique lived experiences. Her work helps individuals confront the complexities of their internal worlds, fostering a deeper sense of authenticity, purpose, and connection to both themselves and others.
Want to work with Dr. Shaw? Schedule a consult call with her, here. She can work with residence of NY, NJ, and 40 additional PsyPact approved states.
As a group that highly values the importance of integrating holistic-based practices, we have connected with other holistic clinicians in the NYC area and across NYS.
4. Ms. Laney Wallace: EMDR and Art Therapist
As a therapist who believes therapy should be more than just talking, Ms. Laney Wallace is equipped with a plethora of holistic therapies to support her highly self-aware clients struggling with anxiety and low self-esteem toward living a fulfilling and bold life. Ms. Wallace is a creative arts therapist who blends EMDR, IFS (parts work), art therapy, spirituality, and somatic practices like nervous system regulation. https://alchemycreativeartstherapy.com/#/
5. Ms. Gianna LaLota: CBT and Reiki
Ms. Gianna LaLota is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who works with emerging adults struggling with panic, phobias, OCD, social anxiety and generalized anxiety. As an integrative and goal-oriented clinician, Ms. LaLota incorporates EFT, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Reiki, and Mindfulness-based approaches to teach her clients tools and skills to navigate young adulthood. https://www.nyccognitivetherapy.com/gianna-lalota.html
6. Dr. Yasmine Saad: Inner Message Approach
Dr. Saad is an award-winning psychologist and two-time international best-selling author. Dr. Saad is the founder of her group practice, Madison Park Psychological Services, where her team integrates ancient Eastern philosophy and modern Western therapeutic techniques. She developed the Inner Message Approach, which was influenced by Taoist principles and consists of three phases: 1) engaging your inner compass, 2) revealing your inner blueprints, and 3) cracking the code. To learn more about The Inner Message Approach and the psychologists at Madison Park Psychologist Services, check out Dr. Saad’s website: https://madisonparkpsych.com
7. Holistic Psychotherapy NYC: Compassion, Connection, and Collaboration
Ms. Vanessa Kensing (LCSW) and Sarah Spritz (LCSW) founded their group practice with a similar mission and understanding of the importance of holistic health, and the power of connection and compassion. Their clinicians work from a relational and humanistic framework. https://www.holisticpsychotherapynyc.com
8. Whole Wellness Services: Functional Medicine and Integrative Health
Whole is a multi-specialty team of therapists, physicians, psychiatric nurse practitioners and wellness professionals dedicated to tailoring their care via individualized and whole-person approaches. Whole is a comprehensive medical and wellness center offering mental health counseling, functional and naturopathic medicine, lab testing, psychological evaluation, psychiatry, health coaching, therapy groups, yoga, reiki, and retreats. https://www.wholewellnessservices.com
Thanks for the resources!