Amy Meyers, LCSW-R
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
PSYCHOTHERAPIST
Phone: (917) 817 7044
Click here for email contact.

Practice:

Modalities: Individual, Couples, Groups, Workshops, Supervision and Consultation

Issues: Self-Esteem, Depression, Anxiety, Interpersonal Relationships, Career/Work Issues, Assertiveness, Loss and Bereavement, Trauma, Eating Disorders, Adjustment Disorders.

Approach:

While working from a psychodynamic perspective, I also incorporate cognitive and behavioral approaches to provide concrete responsiveness to maladaptive patterns of behavior. Unlike the conventional "blank slate", I believe providing direction (by helping the client gain knowledge of their needs and wants) in addition to exploration is beneficial to the client who feels stuck. I utilize a supportive and exploratory style rooted in the psychodynamic understanding of behavior.

Why Therapy?

Individual Treatment

Most people seek therapy when they are in a state of crisis, emotional distress, or are feeling stuck. People often have begun to recognize that their emotional life is getting in the way of their feelings of success or productivity, or general happiness. Therapy can help you get to know yourself on a deeper level. Recognizing patterns of behavior, development and the impact on interpersonal relations can positively impact your emotional well being. Therapy can help answer the "whys" which open doors to the changes you want to make in how you do things and how you perceive people (including yourself). The more self aware you become, the quicker you can change things. However, increasing awareness is the first step towards change. By entering into a relationship with a therapist, someone who is neutral and objective, the work begins. When the dynamics between the patient and therapist are brought to light, the patient can eventually learn how they experience others and how they are perceived. The therapist provides a safe environment in which new behaviors and actions can be tested. Many people use therapy as a recharger and that can be helpful. For some, the recharge is often a temporary aid until they face their next obstacle. There will always be obstacles in life, but the more that one becomes aware of their internal state and becomes well-acquainted with their emotional life, the more the obstacles will diminish.

Couples Treatment

Couples generally seek help when patterns of communication have broken down in the relationship. Sometimes individual personality traits may compromise aspects of relating. If you are struggling as a couple with communication, negotiation, resolution of conflict, flexibility, level of differentiation, degree of trust and intimacy or a capacity for caring and empathy, couples work may be the route for you.

Some common strains are:

• adjustment to a newly committed relationship
• the change of being alone for the fist time in many years after the children leave home
• shifts in the couple relationship and in job, financial, and other lifestyle arrangements
• adjustments to stresses and family crises
• the strains of a separation involving children
• the nature of extended family relationships

Group Therapy is a way for individuals to work out their issues in a safe environment and with like-minded peers who are also struggling with similar issues. It is a forum in which relationship issues can be tested, reality and perception of self and others may be challenged and feelings can be validated and normalized. Members of the group have had different life experiences, through which they have developed knowledge, views and values that can be of help to others. Group members can risk their tentative ideas and use the group as a testing ground for their own views. Through hearing the feelings of others, members often discover emotions of their own that they were not aware of yet may have had a powerful impact on their lives.

• Divorce
• Body Image/Self Esteem
• Loss and Bereavement
• Family Dynamics/Relationships
• Sibling Issues/ Relationships
• Parenting Skills
• Self-Empowerment and Assertiveness Training
• Singles Support Groups
• Adolescent Groups
• Substance Abuse
• Eating Disorders

Workshops are available in specific areas to hone in on an issue that you may be struggling with and to provide insight to enable a new perspective in terms of outlook or taking steps towards action-oriented change. It is intended as a stepping stone to enhance self-awareness and encourage further exploration of the self.

WORKSHOPS:

• Assertiveness Training
• Finding the Right Help
• Sibling Relationships
• When Family is Not a Choice

  Assertiveness Training:

Do you have a hard time saying "no"?
Do you find it difficult to do what you want to do for YOU?
Do you find that when you DO attempt to initiate your needs it comes out all wrong?
Do you feel you have less control over your life and decisions than you would like?
This workshop focuses on identifying your basic style of communication, understanding where your style comes from, viewing the ways in which your style is an obstacle in your life, and learning how to communicate more effectively in order to meet YOUR own needs.

Finding the Right Help:

Are you someone who has been thinking about therapy but is unsure of what type of treatment best fits your needs? Explore different forms of counseling treatment, learn about different treatments available, how to find the right therapist, and make self-assessments.

Sibling Relationships:

Role expectations, birth order, and gender pose specific dynamics both within the family and in interpersonal relationships. Learn about common issues in sibling dynamics and gain an understanding about issues of rivalry, competition, trust, acceptance, and support.

When Family is not a Choice:

Is your relationship with your parent(s) less than satisfying?
Would you like to enjoy your time with them?

Find ways of making the coming years with your parents more rewarding or learn to let go of the "fantasy family".

Through support and common ground, gain understanding and learn strategies for coping and resolving one of the most painful family ruptures: estranged parent-child relationships. Explore the impact of parental relationships on issues of trust, communication, rivalry, etc.

Supervision and Consultation:

Supervision is available for professionals in the field. Attention is paid towards understanding transference, countertransference and resistance in its application to theoretically based interventions.

EXPERIENCE:

Amy Meyers, LCSW has received her graduate training at Hunter College School of Social Work and post-graduate training at the National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis. She has extensive clinical and supervisory experience with diverse populations, including people with mental illness, mood disorders, substance abuse issues, medical conditions, and adjustment disorders. She has worked in outpatient mental health, inpatient psychiatry, program development, and family court. Ms Meyers has practiced privately with diverse populations for the past thirteen years. She currently teaches at Hunter College School of Social Work and has been an adjunct professor at Yeshiva University and Fordham University.  

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING SEMINARS CONDUCTED:

• Cultural Sensitivity
• Racial, Cultural, and Ethnic Variables in Treatment
• Development of Empathy
• Transference and Countertransference Awareness
• The Concept of Intersubjectivity
• Recognizing Depression in Children
• Treating the Couple as a Client
• Family Treatment - methods of intervention
• Risk Assessment
• Practices of Group Work
• Engagement Techniques
• Planning for Termination

  FEE:

Individual Sessions range from $100-$150.

Flexibility is considered based on individual needs. Insurance reimbursement is probable if you carry a plan that provides mental health benefits. Eligible and certified through the New York State to receive reimbursement.

 RESEARCH:
Participants needed for a doctoral research study about abusive sibling relationships.
Did a sibling abuse you emotionally or physically when you were a child or adolescent?
Were you put down or ridiculed by your brother or sister?
Were you emotionally bullied by your brother or sister?
Were you physically harmed or threatened by your brother or sister?
Did these things occur repeatedly?
      
If you are 25 years or older and answered "yes" to any of these questions, you may be eligible to participate in the study. If you wan to learn more about this research or are unsure if you meet the criteria for sibling abuse, please contact  Amy Meyers at 917-817-7044 

LOCATION:

West 95th Street, NYC

Train:

• 1,9, 2, 3, to 96th and Broadway
• B, C to 96th and Central Park West

CONTACT:

Call 917-817-7044 to schedule an appointment or with any questions