Services

Light Street Psychotherapy specializes in working from a strength based Family Systems approach. This approach incorporates family members into therapy sessions to create stronger interpersonal relationships within the family and to help create harmony at home.

Family Therapy sessions focus on understanding each individual’s perspective of a problem within the family and how to solve it as a collaborative team. Meredith works with the entire family to treat the emotional problems of an individual by looking at that individual as they relate to their family. Light Street Psychotherapy hones in on families strengths and their ability to manage difficult problems, rather than focus on the negative effects and what they are doing wrong. Her approach utilizes mindfulness to help families focus on the present, while using the past to inform the present so that healthier connections can be fostered.

Family therapy believes that each family is unique in its communication patterns, values, moral, and beliefs. We help coach and teach parents and children the skills to interact in a more productive way.

Throughout the process families will learn

• Problem Solving skills
• Emotional Intelligence
• Communication skills
• Stress Management skills
• Anger Management
• Behavior Modification Strategies
• To navigate change

Families that may benefit from family therapy:

• Families whose child has behavior problems
• Families going through a divorce
• Families with a child diagnosed with a psychiatric illness or disorder
• Children who are prescribed medication
• Families who feel disconnected from one another
• Families who are experiencing trauma from sexual abuse, domestic violence or physical abuse
• Families who are currently experiencing the loss of a loved one or traumatic grief.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy is an evidence-based cognitive behavioral treatment that incorporates mindfulness and acceptance based strategies. DBT was developed and designed to treat individuals with pervasive patterns and histories of ineffective coping strategies. These patterns include: suicidal behaviors, self-injurious behaviors, and individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD). People who struggle with often experience chaotic relationships, describe feeling like they are on an emotional rollercoaster, and find it almost impossible to see things from another person's perspective. Individuals who attend a comprehensive DBT program learn mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance skills in a weekly skills class. In addition, they attend individual therapy, and have access to phone coaching from their therapist.

A DBT Informed approach applies the same DBT skills and strategies that assist client's in coping with emotion dysregulation. However, elements from the comprehensive DBT program are missing. While individuals may receive individual therapy that may be similar to A comprehensive DBT therapeutic approach, they are not attending a skills group or receiving phone coaching. For this reason, not everyone is a candidate for DBT informed therapy. Therefore, we perform a comprehensive assessment that provides our client's with a recommendation for EITHER informed or comprehensive DBT. Often, Individuals who may be appropriate for a DBT informed approach are those who have completed a comprehensive DBT program and are at a later stage in treatment. These Individuals prove to be emotionally vulnerable, However, they are not actively suicidal, and could benefit from a balance of acceptance and change, That the DBT INFORMED APPROACH provides.

The Internal Family Systems Model (IFS) is an integrative approach developed by Richard Schwartz. It explores the view that the mind is made up of many different personalities that model a “family” living inside each individual. The Internal Family Systems Model refers to these personalities as “parts”.

 

Each individual part has its own perspective, a job to fulfill, interests, and memories. Some parts may hold a memory that other parts may not recall. IFS teaches that every part has a positive intent for the person, even if its actions or effects are counterproductive or cause dysfunction. Example of some of these behaviors may be: addiction, self injury, anxiety, disassociation, anger, internal critics or suicidal tendencies. Because each part has a role that is protecting the person in some way, this means that there is never any reason to fight with or try to eliminate a part; the IFS method promotes internal connection and harmony.

 

In addition to these parts, IFS teaches our clients that at the core of all human beings lies a Self that can help lead the parts toward a more integrated whole by offering perspective, confidence, compassion, and acceptance of all the parts. The goal of IFS is to have a cooperative and trusting relationship between the Self and each part.

 

In working with traumatized clients, IFS teaches the client how to access the Self and witness traumatic memories without being overwhelmed. In this way the memory is revisited and processed so it can be healed without the danger of re-traumatization. At Light Street Psychotherapy, we use IFS model in combination with other modalities to provide a safe, effective way to explore all our client’s personalities and their individual traumatic events. For more information on this model please visit www.ifs-institute.com

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) about 50 million adults in the U.S are living with chronic pain. Chronic pain often originates with an injury or medical condition but can linger long after healing occurs. Many forms of chronic pain however may not have a structural cause but rather can exist due to a psychophysiological disorder that is caused or amplified by psychological processes. Examples of emotional issues commonly related to these physical symptoms include: childhood trauma, suppressed emotions, PTSD, conscious and unconscious negative emotions, and life stressors. Research has shown evidence of a link between traumatic life experiences and persistent physical symptoms where the benefits of psychological treatments for these symptoms is clear.

 

In addition to psychological factors, research has also shown that much of chronic pain can also be caused by learned neural pathways in the brain (neuroplastic pain). The brain generates pain to protect from actual danger (like burning your hand on a hot stove), however sometimes the brain can misinterpret negative emotions as imminent danger. People can develop a fear response in relation to their pain, which perpetuates the pain and sends messages of reinforcement to the brain that there is danger. The brain in turn maintains the pain. This pain/fear cycle happens repeatedly until the brain eventually learns the pain and it becomes chronic.

 

Over time, individuals suffering with prolonged pain may also develop depression and anxiety due to the toll their physical symptoms have taken on their life. Many feel discouraged due to the lack of a diagnosis of their medically unexplained symptoms and have pursued a myriad of unsuccessful treatments including numerous visits to various specialists, multiple medications, injections, medical tests and procedures, and sometimes surgery.

 

Although the pain may be due to psychological processes and learned neural pathways, it is still as real and as painful as structurally caused pain. But there is hope for pain relief. Just as pain can be learned, it can also be unlearned, and psychophysiological processes at the root of the pain can be reversed. At Light Street Psychotherapy, we understand the link between the mind and the body. We look at chronic pain through this lens by helping our clients relieve the emotional distress and fear caused by chronic pain and help them to identify and express the emotions and emotional conflicts that may be at the root cause of the it. Using modalities that include: psycho-education, mindfulness, Cognitive Behavioral and Psychodynamic therapies, this integrated approach helps our clients develop a relationship with their pain in order to transform and begin the healing process.

 

Did you recently receive information from a school, doctor, or therapist that your child has a developmental delay, medical condition ore learning disability?

Do you sense that your child's behavioral issues are related to something other than just lacking the coping skills to regulate his/or her emotions? This can be scary, confusing, and daunting.

Where and how to begin the process?

What are your child’s rights?

Managing your child’s care often increases stress in the home. It can be frustrating trying to work with a school district on understanding the difference between I&RS, section 504 plan, and an IEP.

At Light Street Psychotherapy, our approach is to help demystify the alphabet soup of special education and teach you how to advocate effectively on your child’s behalf while addressing your own emotional needs.

We use a three pronged approach to these special services:

1. Address the individualized needs of the child
2. Help you to understand your child’s behavior in order to develop and implement a behavioral plan using evidence based practices.
3. Support the family system to restore peace and normalcy in the home.

Yoga Psychology (YP) seeks to balance the internal and external levels of consciousness that lead to a holistic unity of the mind, body, and spirit. YP can assist clients to reduce anxiety, depression, reactivity, anger, and to improve relationships. YP provides skills to maintain equanimity, and to achieve a stronger connection to spirituality. With this understanding, clients learn to be an objective witness to their behavior and to achieve peace during difficult times. YP teaches clients how to study and incorporate the “8 limbs of yoga” as part of the treatment.

The ultimate goal of yoga is to unify the body, mind and spirit. Yoga Psychology teaches that human beings live in an impermanent world where our bodies, thought processes, emotions, and environment are constantly changing. The only constancy we have is the ability to witness these fluctuations, which yogis define as pure consciousness. Meditation, a common intervention, can assist clients to witness fluctuations of thought, realize they are not controlled by them, and consequently reduce symptoms.

The application of Yoga psychotherapy is an integrated practice that uses behavioral modifications and interpersonal strategies to increase self-awareness. Clients learn a new perspective: they detach from negative behaviors and roles. Once clients cease their judgmental and critical evaluations, change may occur relatively quickly.

As a Yoga psychologist, I teach my clients that difficult obstacles can be great teachers. Once clients become mindful of this there is an opportunity for spiritual growth. Pranayama, the study of breath is another common intervention. YP incorporates mindfulness meditation as a core intervention. It is be taught in session and used as a homework assignment. By focusing on the breath, clients are distracted from disturbing thoughts dictated by the mind. They are also taught to become non-judgmental of negative thoughts as they become a witness to their own. In addition, YP encourages patients to change negative thought patterns and replace them with positive ones. Though this can be difficult and requires practice, the results can be beneficial. Other breathing techniques include: Nadi Shodhi or “alternate nostril breathing” which balances both hemispheres of the brain, creating a relaxation response in the nervous system, Ujaii breathing or “victorious breath” which brings heat to the body and helps clients to focus on their breath and Kapalabhati breathing or “skull shining breath” a cleansing breath that purifies the lungs and brings fresh oxygen to the bloodstream.

Techniques such as repeating a mantra, praying for a specific desire, or focusing on the heart during meditation are alternative methods that can assist patients to slow the mind and cultivate self-awareness. Visualization and imagery meditations can be tailored to the client’s individual interests and needs.

The importance of having an objective voice of a trusted colleague during our professional lives is paramount. At Light Street Psychotherapy we provide a private, supportive environment to discuss the challenges that come about while practicing psychotherapy.

 

Meredith Strauss, LCSW has a Certificate in Supervision from the ACAP Institute and is certified to supervise LSWs as of January 2020. She provides Clinical Supervision focusing on supportive feedback to supervisees that will meet their needs during an exciting time of growth within the profession. Her professional career as a Licensed Clinical Social worker, and Approved Clinical Supervisor provides supervisees a varied perspective. Meredith is trained as a trauma therapist, where she utilizes various therapeutic modalities of Internal Family Systems, EMDR, Structural Family Therapy, Interpersonal therapy, and Yoga psychology, which offer an alternative holistic approach to treatment.

 

While supervising those new to the profession, she follows the NASW requirements and guidelines. Her goal is to build a relationship with supervisees that will be a continued resource throughout their career. To discuss supervision and your needs as a growing professional call Light Street Psychotherapy at 973-544-8617.