Matt Aibel, LCSW

Psychoanalyst | Psychotherapist

The hardest thing about therapy, it's often said, is making that first phone call. Which is why I believe it's vitally important to find a therapist who offers a safe, open and responsive space where you can speak freely, feel seen and heard, and get useful feedback.

I'm a warm, thoughtful listener who shares insights and observations in a supportive environment where there is room for humor.

Steady, in-depth psychoanalytic psychotherapy is, I believe, the surest, strongest way to work through one's difficulties in living in order to create a happier, calmer, richer and more satisfying life. Not old-school psychoanalysis (no silent man behind the couch), but the more "user-friendly" form of contemporary practice that has evolved in recent decades. Contemporary Relational practice - which I continue to study as well as teach - is collaborative, authentic, intimate and personalized. We explore what makes you tick, your hopes, fears, hot spots, blind spots, areas where you feel stuck or confused, and over time, both by coming to understand yourself better and by experiencing and processing your emotional life, better strategies and solutions emerge.

Life is hard, and we all struggle to find our way. Living in a culture where quick fixes reign, it's tempting to seek short-term solutions - a big reason that CBT is so fashionable. However, our issues generally take root over many years of perceiving, thinking and reacting in certain fixed ways, typically ways we're barely aware of. So while CBT techniques have their uses (and I occasionally employ some), I've found that developing new patterns of handling stress and accessing real, lasting change takes time and requires commitment. But ask anyone who's made a commitment to the process, and they will tell you it's worth the work.

So if you're lost, stuck, struggling, in pain, feeling disconnected from those around you, and tired of enduring it alone - what a relief to know that help is available. With expert, empathic support, you can begin living your life in new and better ways.

That first phone call awaits.

Matt Aibel, LCSW | 71 West 23rd St., 14th fl., NYC | & remote | 646-361-7677