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Marc Handelman, PhD Psychologist
/ Psychotherapist in NYC |
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611 W. 111th St. New York, NY 10025
Contact Information Phone: 212-678-1568 |
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Read my blog articles on: Problems
with Diagnosis, Codependency,
Psychotherapy
& the 12 Steps, Trauma,
Humanistic
Approaches & CBT. “.....If we
could think our way out of problems, change would be
easy.”
Welcome My view of therapy tends to be nonconventional. I'm more interested in people’s experience and the meaning they make of their lives, than thinking in terms of diagnosis. Growth happens when we change the way we see the world and ourselves. I do not do behavioral therapy. If we could think our way out of problems, change would be easy. I am a licensed clinical psychologist located on the Upper West Side of NYC near Columbia University. I have been in private practice for 30 years and I am affiliated with The Hazelden Foundation. I also train new therapists. I work with adults from college age and up who want help addressing problems ranging from depression, anxiety, and relationship issues to addiction, codependency, and the effects of early trauma. I also have experience working with 12-Step and recovery issues. My work is insight-oriented with an experiential and interpersonal focus. While I have been influenced by humanistic, psychodynamic, interpersonal, existential, and experiential approaches to psychotherapy, I have developed my own way of understanding and helping people. My interest in Buddhist philosophy has lead to an appreciation of spirituality and mindfulness when I work. I generally don’t think of people in diagnostic terms and I believe that doing so can get in the way of genuine understanding. People develop approaches to their lives that are more or less useful. I’m interested in my patients finding a personally meaningful way of understanding and approaching life. The development of emotional insight is important and being clear, direct, and open are positive goals. It is more important to see clearly than try to force a sense of optimism. I believe there is a difference between religion and spirituality and that spiritual issues can be important in emotional healing. Although I do not see medication as a panacea, I also see no virtue in suffering. Using medication should be a personal choice. Psychotherapy should provide a sense of comfort and support as the starting point for addressing emotional problems. Effective therapy is more than an intellectual exchange. Although expressing your thoughts is important, it is essential that the process develops into something deeper. Significant change takes place on an emotional level and involves reworking the way we feel. If we could think our way out of problems, change would be easy. Feelings aren’t always rational or subject to logic. My style is non-judgmental and my interest is in understanding the way you feel. I am generally non-directive although I believe suggestions can be helpful at times. My work involves an interactive process directed toward ending self-criticism, creating satisfying relationships, and resolving conflict. Suffering and self-defeating patterns can be connected to despair, alienation, depression, anxiety, dependency, early trauma, and a multitude of addictive behaviors. An individual with a history of traumatic experience may find that current events trigger emotional states associated with past traumas. People often need help integrating painful events into their current life. While resolving issues may take some time, if a person does not experience benefit from therapy early on, it may make sense to stop or to search for another therapist. Therapy is done when you have a handle on primary problems and when it is no longer worth your time and money. I generally work best with individuals who are motivated to change and who are interested in developing self-knowledge. I am comfortable with patients who have longstanding problems and difficult issues. Therapy must provide an opportunity to express your full range of emotions, thoughts, memories, and fears. In this kind of setting, you can generate new perspectives and creative approaches to life. For this to happen a person needs to feel safe, and trust is not based on words alone. It develops as you get to know your therapist, whose attitude is critical and can lead to feeling accepted or rejected regardless of the words spoken. Self-acceptance is a prerequisite of fundamental change, and it is easier to accept yourself in an accepting environment. When there is a sense of safety, people can use the process to rework significant emotional experiences and family issues. You can identify and change an approach to life which led to conflict and suffering. It is important to learn to listen to your own voice, and while some direction may be helpful, there will be times when the best thing your therapist can do is listen. It is critical that he be sufficiently aware of his own defenses and biases so that they don’t interfere with understanding you. A failure of self awareness can lead the therapist to be overly involved, or overly detached. He must be compassionate without being enmeshed, and he needs clear boundaries to allow his patients to clarify their own boundaries. Clarity is not only important for you, it is important for your therapist if he is to maintain a safe environment and an ethical stance. If you have insurance, psychotherapy is often covered although policies differ from plan to plan. I may be flexible with my fee depending on a number of factors. Click HERE for more details. I am aware of the difficulties dealing with insurers and I will provide all reasonable assistance to help you receive benefits. I am working for you, not the insurance companies. I am a licensed psychologist and have been in private practice since I received my Ph.D. in 1980. I am also a supervising psychologist at The Hazelden Foundation, which is a 12 Step-oriented treatment center for addictions and mental health issues. Click HERE to see my professional history. |
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Marc Handelman, Ph.D. 611
W.
111th
St.,
New
York, NY 10025 Nearby Zips: 10019, 10023, 10024,
10025, 10027
Tel. 212-678-1568 Email: drhandelman@gmail.com |
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| Click for a map:
611 W 111th St, New York, NY, 10025
Some helpful internet search terms: Therapists NYC, Psychologists NYC, Counselors NYC, Therapy NYC, Find psychotherapists in Manhattan. Addictions, 12 Step programs, ACOA,
Treatment for early truama, Alanon, CODA. © 2010 Marc Handelman |
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