SAHAR HUSSAIN
Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC
Do you find yourself feeling challenged on an everyday basis? Does it feel like you are consumed with stress that is affecting your work, personal life and/or relationships? Stress and anxiety are a normal part of everyday life but sometimes they may become overwhelming causing a negative effect on our emotional and mental state.
If you are struggling with issues related to anxiety or depression, recognizing patterns of anger, having trouble managing work, romantic or personal relationships, it might be useful to seek help from a mental health professional, certified to help you cope with life's constant challenges. Whether you are going through a major life change, feeling stuck in an area of your life or have been dealing with a chronic illness, therapy can help you work through your problems in a healthy manner.
Through a trusting therapeutic alliance, compassion and empathy, and using a clinically proven evidence-based approach to therapy I aim to help you work through your challenges and reach successful therapeutic results in a safe environment.
Life can be overwhelming and sometimes even exhausting, but I am here to guide you through any obstacles you may face and support you in coping with change.
MY APPROACH TO THERAPY
As a therapist, my goal is to work collaboratively with you to help identify and work through your challenges while tailoring treatment to your needs to achieve desired life goals. I strongly believe that a trusting therapeutic alliance is essential in achieving your goals and I work with clients with compassion and empathy to reach successful therapeutic results in a safe environment.
I work from a Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Framework and also apply mindfulness-based strategies and principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in my practice. In addition I am trained in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for the treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
Living in NYC at the heart of diversity, I am also cognizant of multicultural sensitivities and incorporate multicultural competence in my practice.
A BIT ABOUT CBT
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is an evidence-based therapy and draws on many tools to provoke behavioral change. It is a solution-focused approach that focuses on breaking unhealthy patterns of thoughts and behaviors.
CBT is an active and collaborative approach that focuses on the here-and-now. It is based on the premise that problems are more a cause of how we perceive and think about them rather than the actual situation. If we think negatively about a situation, it will automatically affect how we feel and react.
For example, two students are listening to a homework assignment for their course. The first student recognizes that albeit it being challenging, it is interesting and will be fun to do. The second student however may think it is too challenging and that they will do poorly on it. This person will tend to feel sad and hopeless, which may lead to distress. When a person is distressed, they tend to not think clearly, further affecting how they manage situations or not manage them at all.
The practice of CBT focuses on negative cognitive patterns and distressing thoughts that tend to influence how you perceive and react to situations and problems around you. It then encourages you to evaluating the validity of your thoughts and assess how realistic your patterns of thinking are. Once you start to think more realistically, your reactions and perceptions will shift, giving you a more balanced view of the world and yourself.
CONDITIONS TREATED
ANXIETY DISORDERS
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Panic Disorder
Agoraphobia
Phobias
Social Anxiety Disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Trichotillomania
MOOD DISORDERS
Depression
Self-esteem
Anger Issues
Assertiveness Training
Social Skills Training
Depression resulting from TBI
INTERPERSONAL ISSUES & PERSONALITY DISORDERS
Relationship issues
Work-related problems
Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder / Perfectionism
WHAT TO EXPECT
The first few sessions comprise of an in-depth intake, which is an assessment of your history after which we will identify specific goals you would like to work on.
Since CBT is a collaborative therapy, it is strongly recommended that what we discuss in session is practiced outside of the session to instill change. This is why CBT requires commitment on your part to carry out short homework assignments between therapy sessions.
By working together and making small changes in your everyday life, our goal is that you learn and implement healthy patterns of living and maintain them well after therapy.
