Dr. Miller’s View on the the Therapeutic Process

I view my patients as fellow travelers along the road of life. For many of us, at one point or another, the journey may become difficult and the road may have unexpected twists and turns.  As human beings, when we are confronted with something unexpected and painful, we do our best to cope with our difficult feelings.  Often, over time, we realize that coping mechanisms that used to work are no longer effective.  When this breakdown occurs we can be flooded with many different disturbing experiences and feelings including loneliness, fear, anxiety, depression, mania, paranoia, sadness, anger, delusions, and hallucinations. Often, we develop our ways of interacting with others through early life experiences and traumatic events.  Therapy can help by providing a safe place to explore your life experiences and feelings at the pace that feels comfortable to you.  Once we identify the patterns that are no longer working for you, we can work together towards change.  This will allow you to reach the goals and dreams that you have set for yourself.

I believe in the resilience of the human spirit.  Despite the severity of the difficulties that might bring you into therapy, I trust that once you are in a confidential, empathetic, warm environment, sharing with someone who is in your corner, your quality of life will improve.

I have been working in the mental health field for over 20 years. My approach is primarily psychodynamic and cognitive behavorial. Prior to earning my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Adelphi University I received a M.A. in Pastoral Counseling from Fordham University.  During my time at Fordham I was trained using a person-centered (Rogerian) approach.  As a result, I mostly use Rogerian and psychodynamic techniques in my work with my patient to reach his or her goals.  A unique skill that I have to offer (if relevant) is that given my training in Pastoral Counseling I am sensitive to and open to discussing spiritual or religious concerns.

When I am working with individuals, I am most concerned about making therapy accessible. My practice accepts most commercial health insurances, Medicare and Medicaid.  If you do not have insurance, we can discuss what you feel you are able to pay and we can slide our fee if necessary.  I do not believe that being unable to pay the fee should ever prevent someone from being able to receive therapy.

The most important part of therapy is finding someone who you can trust and connect with on a deep level.  Before making a decision, do not hesitate to give me a call for a phone consultation during which you can get more of a sense of my style and whether or not it would work for you.