245 5th Ave #311, New York, NY 10016 / 80 Park St., Montclair, New Jersey 07042
(312)600-3775
Accepting New Clients! Book a Free Consult
You’ve carried that nagging voice insisting you don’t measure up long enough to mistake it for truth. Maybe you've learned to shrink, to mask, to over-prove yourself. At Authentically Living Psychological Services, our NYC self-esteem therapists make room for the bolder, freer self waiting just beneath the doubt.
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Dr. Lauren Mahoney
Hi! I’m Dr. Mahoney. I work with people who look composed on the outside, while inside, they’re secretly running on empty. If you've spent years masking, over-functioning, or pinning your worth to what you accomplish, I see you.
As a postdoctoral psychologist and someone who’s passionate about the body-brain connection, I bring warmth, honesty, and practical support to our work together, alongside a neuroscience-informed lens, so you can understand why you respond the way you do and reconnect with the self living beneath the performance. My style is straight to the point, but not without compassion—expect a therapist who cuts through the noise to help you get real about what you truly value and the steps you can take to embrace more of what you love instead of being distracted by other people’s opinions. Together, we make room for a steadier, truer you.
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Credentials: Post-Doctoral Psychologist (NY) #P139681, Certified Grief-Informed Professional #563874, Certified Mental Health & Nutrition Clinical Specialist (In Progress), Advanced Training in School Neuropsychology (In Progress)
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Specialty Areas: AuDHD, grief & loss, illness, teens & young adults, women’s issues, perinatal mental health, anxiety & depression, low self-esteem & identity development, substance use
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Availability: Virtual in NYC
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Dr. Cynthia Shaw
Hi! I’m Dr. Shaw. I’m a clinical psychologist and existential therapist, and I believe that actually improving self-esteem goes beyond basic “confidence-boosting exercises” or saying affirmations in the mirror. I’m here to sit with you honestly about feelings of insecurity, examine the roots, and welcome them into the space rather than trying to push them away. You won't be doing any of this alone. Whatever you bring into the room, the things that feel clear and the things that don't, we'll make space for it together. After all, being human is complicated.
As the founder of this practice, I bring a bold, unscripted, deeply human presence to our work. Together we'll wander into the big questions, untangle the inherited stories, and tap into the well of self-worth that exists somewhere just out of reach. More than anything, I want this to feel like a place where you can exhale. You don't have to arrive polished or with the right words, just willing to be curious.
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Credentials: Licensed Clinical Psychologist (NY) #025643, PsyPact #14381, Certified Grief Informed Professional (492590)
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Specialty Areas: Anxiety & depression, relationship challenges, grief & loss, illness, low self-esteem, existential challenges, loneliness & stuckness, entrepreneurs & professionals, lawyers & law students, physicians
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Availability: Virtual in NYC and 40+ PsyPact states
What we hear from our clients who struggle with low self-esteem
"I lay awake at night thinking about mistakes I’ve made or things I’ve done wrong."
The voice narrating your day is harsher than anyone you'd let into your life, and somewhere along the way, you started believing it.
"It’s hard to have positive feelings about anything."
People seem less trustworthy, the future feels foreclosed, good news arrives with an asterisk. It isn't that you're a pessimist by nature; it's that the lens you've been looking through stopped letting much light in.
"My mind goes to pretty dark places sometimes."
The same worries loop on repeat, and now and then your thoughts drift somewhere heavier you'd rather not visit. Those moments can feel isolating, even frightening, and they deserve a witness—not a lecture.
"I don't even know who I am when nobody needs anything from me."
You can recite exactly what everyone else expects of you, but ask what you want and the screen goes blank. Without a steady sense of self, you end up shape-shifting to fit the room and losing the thread of who you were before you walked in.
"Nothing I do ever feels like enough, and everyone else seems to have it figured out."
You hold yourself to standards you'd never dream of imposing on someone you love, then scroll past everyone else's highlight reel as proof you're falling behind.
"I'm anxious all the time, and lately I just dissociate to get through the day."
The steady hum of self-doubt seeps into everything: restless worry, a low fog of sadness, the dread that creeps in before social plans. Sometimes the easiest exit is to go numb, even when the things that numb you cost far more than they give.
"I can't seem to take care of myself. Part of me feels like I don't deserve to."
When you don't think much of yourself, tending to yourself starts to feel optional, even unearned. The water glass stays empty, the appointment gets postponed, and rest feels like something you have to earn.
"I keep flaking on people. Staying home is just easier than being seen."
Canceling feels safer than showing up, and distance feels safer than closeness. The catch is that the space meant to protect you slowly makes the connection you're aching for harder to build.
"I can't make a decision to save my life. I second-guess everything."
When you're unsure who you are or what you value, even small choices swell into agonizing ones. Every decision becomes a referendum on whether you can trust yourself, so you stall, circle back, and wait for someone else to pick.
What sets our practice apart from other NYC self-esteem counseling providers
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Boutique by design. We're a small, intentional New York practice, never a revolving-door clinic. You're a whole person here, not a case number.
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A philosophy-meets-holistic lens. Our work spans mind, body, and the bigger questions about meaning, identity, and the life you actually want to lead.
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No cookie-cutter therapy. Every clinician here rejects the one-size-fits-all script in favor of an approach shaped entirely around you.
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Therapy without the commute. We see clients across New York online (and beyond, via PsyPact), so growth fits into your real, full life.
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More than the therapy hour. From group work to our trauma-informed yoga program to other free resources that are in the works, we offer many ways to keep becoming.
FAQs about therapy for self esteem
Start working with an NYC self-esteem therapist today
If you're tired of having low morale, painful feelings, negative core beliefs, and a sense of directionlessness then it's time to reach out to a therapist. Guided by our passion for helping others live a life worth living, our approach to therapy is human, understanding, compassionate, strengths-based, and encouraging. If you're curious to learn more about our services and the many benefits therapy can have on your life we highly encourage you to reach out. We look forward to hearing from you and moving one step closer to selflove and self-fulfillment.